Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich: Kai Havertz sends Gunners up to second with laboured win to end 2024 | OneFootball

Gunners leapfrog Nottingham Forest and Chelsea to move within six points of leaders Liverpool despite insipid display

Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League table as they bounced back from Bukayo Saka’s injury blow to see off Ipswich in a sleepy festive affair.

That was as good as it got for the Tractor Boys in an otherwise very tough first half, which Arsenal absolutely dominated as they totally monopolised possession to the tune of 83 per cent.

They were initially frustrated by some diligent, determined and compact defending from an Ipswich team that showed five changes from their 4-0 thrashing at home by Newcastle last weekend, including a change of defensive shape, until top scorer Havertz was able to get in front of Davis and guide home an enticing cross from the impressive Leandro Trossard - who replaced Saka in the Arsenal attack - from close range for his seventh Premier League goal of the season.

The resurgent Gabriel Jesus thought he had the second goal of a dominant first period from Arsenal when he collected another fine Trossard ball and finished past Ipswich goalkeeper Ante Muric from a difficult angle with Gabriel Martinelli in close proximity, only to be rightly flagged for offside.

The remainder of the first half meandered to an insipid conclusion with Arsenal still dominating possession but struggling to create many more clear-cut chances.

Szmodics failed to punish a sloppy interchange between David Raya and William Saliba straight after the restart, with Arsenal quickly back in the ascendancy with a succession of blocked shots.

Ipswich enjoyed their best spell of the game before the hour mark as they peppered the Arsenal box with dangerous deliveries, but they could not find the equaliser and should have gone 2-0 behind when an unmarked Gabriel somehow headed Declan Rice’s corner delivery the wrong side of the post from point-blank range.

The late chances began to pile up for profligate Arsenal, Martin Odegaard playing on after a knock to the Achilles before forcing a fingertip save from Muric before his corner delivery was smashed on the volley by Rice and blocked crucially by Dara O’Shea, captaining Ipswich for the first time in the absence of suspended regular skipper Sam Morsy.

Havertz could not add his second from inside the six-yard box before the towering Muric got down low to his right to parry an effort from substitute Mikel Merino, with Arsenal holding on to claim a deserved if uninspiring victory despite some last-gasp Ipswich possession and a Nathan Broadhead effort that was blocked inside the area by Havertz.

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