Brighton 0-0 Ipswich: Ipswich pick up impressive point at the Amex following resilient defensive display

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Brighton dominated the first half with fast, intricate passing movements that opened up Town on several occasions, but Muric was always there when they managed to carve out clear-cut chances.

Town offered virtually no threat in the first half but maintained their defensive shape and would have been delighted to reach half-time with the score still goalless.

In the second half, Ipswich continued with their narrow and compact out-of-possession shape, which began to frustrate Brighton despite some initial pressure.

Ipswich came to life offensively in the 57th minute when Liam Delap, picking up the ball midway in the Town half, went on a powerful driving run with a thumping shot from a narrow angle that came crashing back off the post.

This brilliant solo effort out of nothing sparked Ipswich into life; for the remainder of the game, Town matched Brighton, and it wouldn't have been a huge surprise had they sneaked a late winner, albeit that would have been a real smash and grab!

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Muric shows his class

The whole defensive unit was immense from start to finish, but Muric must have won over the Ipswich fans with an outstanding performance between the sticks.

He made a strong save low from Baleba just four minutes in.

The highlight of his performance was a heroic double save in the 35th minute - he made a strong initial save from Rutter but was immediately up to make an even better reflex save from Mitoma.

He was also a commanding presence in his area and dealt with every cross Brighton threw at him with ease.

A colossal defensive showing

Kaoru Mitoma is a tricky customer and is regarded as one of the best wingers in the league, but he left the Amex today in Tuanzebe's pocket.

Fabian Hurzeler, the Brighton manager, labelled Tuanzebe as 'one of the fastest defenders in the league,' and it's easy to see why after Tuanzebe showcased a masterclass of one-on-one defending.

I had been critical of Leif Davis's defending in the first three games, so it's only right I show him his flowers after that display.

He racked up the most tackles in the game (five) and had a faultless performance against another tricky customer in Minteh.

Brighton's dominance meant we saw little of Leif in an offensive capacity until towards the end of the game, but he should take huge confidence from his defensive showing.

I thought it was harsh taking Woolfenden out for O'Shea, but O'Shea put in a solid Premier League debut for us.

Considering it was Greaves and O'Shea's first time starting a match as a partnership, they worked well together, winning the majority of their duels and clearing everything.

McKenna explained that he wanted to give O'Shea some Premier League minutes; it will be interesting to see who gets the nod against Southampton.

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Strength off the bench

A fundamental part of McKenna's first two full seasons was the strength and depth of the substitutes; Ipswich regularly had players who impacted the game off the bench.

This was the first time this season we could field four attacking players that could cover all the forward roles, and it was a major factor in our strong showing towards the end of the game.

It was fantastic to see both Burns and Hirst back involved after injuries. They have been stalwarts of our journey under McKenna so far.

Ogbene and Clarke, in particular, offered us plenty of wing threat in the last 30 minutes. Clarke's ball-carrying ability in tight spaces is very impressive, and it's clear he has a better understanding of his role with extra time on the training pitch. Ogbene was also impressive, very direct and positive.

A crucial clean sheet

McKenna's Ipswich have picked up a reputation for being an aggressive, front-foot team, but it's clear, especially away from home, that we will likely have our backs against the wall for significant spells, particularly against the stronger teams.

Today we proved we can handle the defensive side and adapt to meet the demands of this incredibly tough league.

Picking up a first clean sheet against a very good attacking force in Brighton will give us plenty of confidence going into a favorable run of fixtures.

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Contrast from last season

The first half may well be the first time under McKenna that Town failed to register a shot - it was a tough watch. It shows the resounding levels of quality in this division and how hard you have to work to pick up points at this level.

We have gone from dominating many matches in the Championship, scoring lots of goals in the process, to having to adopt a more defensive style of play to be competitive at this level.

As a result, we're not seeing the free-flowing football that fans have become used to, which we may have to accept as a consequence of playing at a much higher level. The quality of opponents means that chances are very hard to create, although hopefully, this aspect of Town's game should improve as the new players gel into the system and all the players get used to playing at this level.

McKenna has already proven that he can adapt to the demands of the division, adjusting our out-of-possession shape and making us super compact, narrow, and hard to break down.

However, ending on a positive note, we should remember that a point against established Premier League sides in Fulham and Brighton and inevitable losses to Manchester City and Liverpool is a more than decent start to life for us returning to the Premier League.

Moment of the match

Two clear contenders: Muric's double save and Delap's solo run. Ultimately, Muric's double save kept the score level at a crucial point, so that gets the nod.

Next up

The biggest game of the season so far is next up, and if there's ever a time to pick up our first Premier League win, it's against winless Southampton at St Mary's.

Russell Martin and Kieran McKenna are very familiar with each other after we did the double over Southampton last season—who can forget what happened the last time we played them?

Southampton are under real pressure, having lost all of their games, and Russell Martin has stuck to his playing philosophy, which has proven costly so far.

Let's hope Town can take advantage of their low confidence and pick up our first win.

Player ratings

Muric 9 (MOTM), Tuanzebe 9, O'Shea 8, Greaves 8, Davis 8, Morsy 6, Phillips 7, Burns 5, Hutchinson 6, Szmodics 5, Delap 6.

Subs: Clarke 6, Ogbene 6, Hirst 6, Chaplin N/A, and Luongo 6