Ipswich Town confidently brushed Bristol Rovers aside 3-0 in the FA Cup on Sunday courtesy of a first-half demolition job.
All three of the Tractor Boys’ goals came in that eventful opening 45 minutes, with the second half an equal walk in the park from the perspective of Kieran McKenna’s men, who gave up only three shots on their mainly untested goal across the straightforward 90 minutes.
Kalvin Phillips would have been overjoyed to score his team’s opener after a turbulent loan stay to date, with the number eight sticking out all match long against his side’s lowly opponents.
Phillips' performance in numbers vs Bristol Rovers
Making only his second start for the Suffolk side since the back-end of November, the former Leeds United midfielder would have been relieved that his confidence was given a necessary boost against the League One outfit.
Indeed, even if it is against a team two leagues below Ipswich, there’s still plenty the 29-year-old can gain from his performance, away from just his strike being thumped home past a helpless Joshua Griffiths in the Gas goal.
Glancing at his individual numbers, the Ipswich captain for the day dictated play from the middle with 88 touches and 64 accurate passes tallied up, on top of making three interceptions when the away side threatened on occasion.
Moreover, the Tractor Boys loanee also carved out one big chance in an attempt to build on his first-half strike, with the 5 foot 10 star lasting the full 90 minutes to now give McKenna a conundrum on who he starts centrally moving forward in the bread and butter of the Premier League.
Phillips isn’t the only on-the-fringes presence that will be hoping he gets increased first-team minutes now, with Jack Clarke also standing out throughout as a thorn in the side of Inigo Calderon’s men.
Performance in Numbers
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Jack Clarke's performance in numbers vs Bristol Rovers
Much like his midfield teammate, the ex-Sunderland man has found his time at Portman Road to date choppy, to say the least, with only four starts coming his way in top-flight action.
He will hope, even though it is just against a third-tier opponent, that his impressive showing today means more starts will be afforded to him in the league, having picked up Ipswich’s second goal on the day among other standout moments.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
1
Assists
1
Touches
61
Accurate passes
39/45 (87%)
Key passes
1
Successful dribbles
2/2
Total duels won
5/11
Away from finding himself in the right place at the right time to tap home his side’s second, Clarke also managed to set up Jack Taylor’s third to put the tie beyond any reasonable doubt, with calls from the away side for offside falling on deaf ears.
Away from that slight controversy, the silky winger also confidently completed 100% of his dribbles, whilst also managing to get stuck in as an energetic figure down the left with five total duels won.
As a result, East Anglian Daily Times journalist Alex Jones would hand out a high 7/10 rating to Clarke post-match, with the 24-year-old attacker now hopeful he’s done enough to put together a compelling argument for more chances in the Premier League.
After all, Clarke did clatter the post away at Fulham from off the bench with his only effort on the Cottagers net, alongside also assisting Taylor’s dramatic winner away at Wolverhampton Wanderers back in December from just 15 minutes of action, meaning he can deliver on the big stage away from just starring against the perceived easier sides in the FA Cup.
McKenna will hope his team are rewarded with a tougher test in the next round of the long-standing competition, with the focus now switching straight back to the league with Ipswich up against Brighton and Hove Albion this coming Thursday.
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