Ipswich and Southampton draw as Premier League automatic promotion race goes to final day

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ipswich/thqhB2MB/"]Ipswich[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/burns-wes/M9Wf7hOh/"]Wes Burns[/a] opened the scoring early in the second half, but the visitors' lead lasted just 10 minutes, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/southampton/WdKOwxDM/"]Southampton[/a], fresh from their FA Cup semi-final defeat by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a], equalising through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/manning-ryan/bcjICzbK/"]Ryan Manning[/a]'s free-kick from the edge of the box.[/p][p]And home fans at St Mary's had even more to celebrate when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/larin-cyle/vNpXFtuQ/"]Cyle Larin[/a] put the Saints ahead with 10 minutes of normal time remaining.[/p][embed guid="7ae7d3e4-7889-4748-95ab-ac61e3e5fd20" url="https://x.com/SkyFootball/status/2049224736492675570?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]But Ipswich were back level in the 87th minute when, following a corner, substitute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/clarke-jack/fTyETuhb/"]Jack Clarke[/a] drilled a left-footed shot from the edge of the area past Saints goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/daniel-peretz/MVgAbUb4/"]Daniel Peretz[/a] into the bottom left corner.[/p][embed guid="3180c488-c221-4226-94c9-8ea5754fb200" url="https://x.com/SkyFootball/status/2049225877645394080?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Clarke, Ipswich's leading scorer this season, almost sealed victory two minutes later when his shot hit the base of the post, ricocheted past Peretz and then rolled past the post for a corner.[/p][p]And in the third of five minutes of added-on time, Ipswich put the ball into the net again, only for the effort to be rightly ruled out for offside before Peretz denied Clarke with a superb save.[/p][p]Only the top two at the end of the regular season are guaranteed places in English football's lucrative top-flight, with leaders [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/coventry/GOvB22xg/"]Coventry[/a] already assured of the Championship title.[/p][p]Had Ipswich - like Southampton, relegated from the Premier League last season - won, they would have been three points clear of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/millwall/6uz2cJBL/"]Millwall[/a] and all but guaranteed promotion, such is their vastly superior goal difference.[/p][p]But the draw means they must win at home to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday to assure themselves of second place, with Ipswich now a point ahead of Millwall and two clear of fourth-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/middlesbrough/6F0lvLNC/"]Middlesbrough[/a], both of whom could finish runners-up to Coventry.[/p][embed guid="aba22e78-151f-4cad-896e-4e9c465ed211" url="https://x.com/Champchatpod24/status/2049227821172637901?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The draw ended Southampton's hopes of automatic promotion. But the Saints will be involved in the play-offs, featuring the teams finishing third to sixth, which will determine which other team enters the Premier League.[/p][p]Following a lacklustre first half, Ipswich went ahead in the 48th minute when Burns powered a shot to Peretz's left and into the top corner, via a slight touch off the keeper's fingers.[/p][p]But Southampton hit back 10 minutes later after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/greaves-jacob/zJBUaWwh/"]Jacob Greaves[/a] was yellow-carded for a fierce challenge on Finn Azaz just a yard outside Ipswich's penalty area.[/p][p]Ryan Manning's powerful free-kick just flicked off [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nunez-marcelino/vsbLBLNn/"]Marcelino Nunez[/a], but the deflection was sufficient to take the ball to the left of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/walton-christian/OYGIpSqH/"]Christian Walton[/a] as the Ipswich goalkeeper dived to his right.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/england/championship/"][b]Follow the Championship with Flashscore[/b][/a].[/p]