Kieran McKenna found himself in awe of two moments of pure brilliance as Ipswich suffered a defeat at the hands of Leicester City. Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s impressive goal and Abdul Fatawu’s unbelievable long-range strike set Leicester on their path to a 3-1 victory at the King Power Stadium in the Championship. This result places Leicester in eighth place, just three points shy of the play-off positions and trailing fifth-placed Ipswich by three points. Ipswich had entered the game with high spirits after two recent home wins.
McKenna acknowledged that his team did not deliver their best performance but felt they were able to contain Leicester for the most part, apart from those moments of exceptional skill.
He stated: “I have to admit, it wasn’t a stellar performance from us. The goals were the deciding factor in the match. A goal from 30 yards out just seven minutes into the game, away from home against a strong team, made things difficult for us.
“After that, Leicester gained some momentum, but we managed to recover and were beginning to find our rhythm. We had a great opportunity to level the score at 1-1 through Jack Clarke. Although Leicester had a few chances from set pieces, they didn’t create much from open play. Then, just before halftime, they scored an incredible goal.
“Overall, we didn’t do much wrong in those situations. It was simply extraordinary individual brilliance that we have to appreciate.”
McKenna continued: “Those were the crucial moments of the game. Leicester, playing at home with the confidence from two amazing goals, proved to be a formidable opponent.
“At halftime, we knew it would be tough, but we believed we could still turn the game around. The third goal was disappointing, more so than the others. We were anticipating a free kick, and our lack of focus in the box made it very challenging for us.
“We managed to score a goal out of very little, then created a couple of opportunities to make it 3-2. If we had converted one of those chances, we might have salvaged something from the game. But it was a match of critical moments, and unfortunately, most of them didn’t go our way, while Leicester capitalized on a couple of exceptional moments.”
