EPL Gameweek 30: Ipswich Keep Survival Hopes Alive with Shock Win

It was another eventful week in the EPL on both sides, with Ipswich keeping their slim survival hopes alive. We’ve looked at the action to see what the bookies are saying!

AFC Bournemouth 1-2 Ipswich: The Start of a Remarkable Comeback?

The Tractor Boys recorded their first win on the road this season by handing Bournemouth a fifth defeat in seven games across all competitions. 

Three points for Kieran McKenna’s side kept the gap between them and safety to nine points, as Jorgen Strand Larson scored the only goal for Wolves to get the better of West Ham United. 

Two wins from two for Wolves keeps them in the driving position to avoid relegation, but with games like Manchester City, Manchester United, Brighton and Brentford all on the horizon, there might be faith for Ipswich after all.

So, what’s next on the EPL calendar? Possibly the most important game of the season for these two sides - the small matter of Wolves and Ipswich meeting at Portman Road. 

The two sides will meet in Suffolk, where McKenna’s side has won a third of all their EPL fixtures this season. If they can get the better of Vitor Perreira’s team, the gap will be closed to six points with seven games left, giving a genuine belief that Ipswich can achieve the unthinkable. 

At the moment, TicTac has odds of 11.00 for them to avoid the drop, whilst Wolves are priced at 22.00. Although you’d imagine those prices will drastically change if Ipswich mounts a second major win of the week.

Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham: Chelsea into Top-four as Postecoglou Finds Himself on Brink 

Enzo Fernandez’s tap-in was the only goal of the game as the Stamford Bridge faithful witnessed a fourth straight win over London rivals Tottenham. 

Pressure grows for Spurs and Ange Postecoglu, who watched Pape Sarr’s goal be chalked off for a foul in the build-up to the Senegalese’s strike from outside the box. 

The result takes Chelsea above Manchester City and Newcastle United into the top four, with eight games remaining. 

Priced at 2.25 by YesPlay to pip the reigning EPL champions and recent Carabao Cup winners to a top-four place, Chelsea remain in London for all their next three matches with away clashes with Brentford and Fulham on the horizon, along with a home meeting with struggling Ipswich, who got the better of them in December. 

As for Spurs, they remain 10 points away from the top half, with games against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa all yet to be played. A difficult run of fixtures at the end of the season means the bookies have them at 1.03 to end the season outside the top 10 for the first time in 21 years. 

Brighton 0-3 Aston Villa: Villans Strike at In-Form Seagulls

Aston Villa are starting to hit top stride at just the right time, sealing a sixth straight victory in all competitions with a romping 3-0 success away at Brighton, who themselves have European ambitions. 

Unai Emery’s men remained on the hunt in three competitions when knocking Preston out of the FA Cup at the weekend. They’re still very much in contention for Champions League football once again next term, sitting just four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. 

Villa have stepped up a gear for the January acquisitions of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen. They will fancy their chances of giving Paris Saint-Germain something to think about in the Champions League quarter-finals next week. 

The Villans are the 3.65 outsiders with bet.co.za to qualify for the last four, and you’d think they’d need to get a positive result in the first leg in Paris if they are to do so. However, they are in the bottom half of the EPL table for away form, which must be a worry. 

On the domestic front, they host third-placed Nottingham Forest at the weekend and will surely need to win if they are to chase down Chelsea in fourth. They are certainly a big price to do just that if they keep up this form - trading at 15.00 for a top-four finish at the time of writing. Meanwhile, they are 3.35 to finish in the top six, while Brighton are 3.60.

The Seagulls have been in relentless form of late and were seven unbeaten in all competitions before suffering a penalty shootout heartbreak to Forest in the FA Cup last weekend. 

There’s a case to be made that they were hard done by the scoreline on Wednesday night, and they will be bullish of a strong push in the late season, considering that six of their last eight games are against sides in the bottom half of the EPL ladder.