Man City and Ipswich Town may not be obvious rivals, but their meetings have produced some memorable moments – from an FA Cup semi-final classic to relegation heartbreak and, more recently, Erling Haaland’s goalscoring exploits.
The sides meet again at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, continuing a fixture which has cropped up at very different points in City’s history.
Ipswich were among the leading sides in the country under Sir Bobby Robson in the late 1970s and early 1980s, while meetings around the turn of the century came during a much less certain period for City.
More than two decades passed before Ipswich returned to the Premier League in 2024.
Here are five meetings that stand out.
Ipswich 0-1 Man City – April 1981
Perhaps the most famous meeting came in the 1981 FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park. Robson’s Ipswich were challenging for the league title and UEFA Cup as they pursued a remarkable treble, but City stood between them and Wembley.
There was nothing to separate the teams after 90 minutes before captain Paul Power produced the decisive moment in extra-time. Power curled a superb free-kick beyond Paul Cooper in the 100th minute, sending City into the FA Cup final against Tottenham.
City would ultimately lose after a replay at Wembley, but Power’s strike remains one of the enduring images of their 1981 cup run.
Ipswich 2-1 Man City – May 2001
Twenty years later, Portman Road witnessed a very different moment in City’s history. Both clubs had won promotion the previous season, but while Ipswich emerged as the Premier League’s surprise package, Joe Royle’s City spent much of the campaign fighting to survive.
Shaun Goater gave them hope when he opened the scoring after 74 minutes. It did not last. Matt Holland equalised four minutes later before Martijn Reuser completed the turnaround with five minutes remaining.
The defeat confirmed City’s relegation after a single season back in the top flight. Ipswich went on to finish fifth and qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Ipswich 1-4 Man City – January 2002
City returned to Portman Road eight months later with a point to prove. Now in the First Division and thriving under Kevin Keegan, they faced an Ipswich side still playing in the Premier League in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The supposed difference in status was difficult to detect. Eyal Berkovic opened the scoring with a superb volley from Ali Benarbia’s corner before Goater struck twice in the second half. Darren Huckerby completed a commanding 4-1 victory.
It was a performance typical of Keegan’s free-scoring side, who would finish the season as First Division champions with 99 points and 108 league goals. City and Ipswich would not meet again for more than 22 years.
Man City 4-1 Ipswich – August 2024
Ipswich’s return to the Etihad could hardly have started better. Sammie Szmodics put the newly-promoted visitors ahead after seven minutes against Pep Guardiola’s champions. Within minutes, the game had been transformed.
Haaland equalised from the penalty spot before Kevin De Bruyne punished an error from former City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric. Haaland struck again moments later as City scored three times in just three minutes and 11 seconds.
The Norwegian completed his hat-trick late on with a low strike from outside the area to seal a 4-1 victory. It was Haaland’s 10th hat-trick for City, achieved on only his 101st appearance for the club.
Ipswich 0-6 Man City – January 2025
City’s next visit to Portman Road was their first in the league since that painful night in May 2001. This time there would be no unhappy journey home. Phil Foden scored twice before half-time and supplied Mateo Kovacic for another as City took complete control.
Jeremy Doku made it four after the break, Haaland inevitably added his name to the scoresheet and substitute James McAtee completed a 6-0 victory. It equalled City’s biggest Premier League away win and provided a striking contrast with their previous league visit to the same ground almost 24 years earlier.
Portman Road had once been the setting for confirmation of City’s relegation. By their next league visit, they arrived as four-time defending Premier League champions and left having scored six. From Power’s free-kick at Villa Park to the extremes of those two nights in Suffolk, meetings with Ipswich have provided snapshots of several very different eras in City’s history.
Today brings another one.
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