Arsenal postponed Liverpool’s Premier League title party with a dominant 4-0 win over 10-man Ipswich Town at Portman Road, piling more misery on the relegation-threatened side.
Fresh off their Champions League triumph over Real Madrid, the Gunners showed no signs of fatigue as they put in another commanding performance, dismantling an Ipswich team that now teeters on the brink of the drop.
The visitors took control early and never let up.
Bukayo Saka’s dangerous cross in the 14th minute was flicked on by Martin Ødegaard and turned in by Leandro Trossard to open the scoring.
Saka was involved again for the second, picking out Mikel Merino, whose clever flick set up Gabriel Martinelli for a simple tap-in.
Things went from bad to worse for Ipswich just after the half-hour mark when Leif Davis was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Saka.
Arsenal remained in complete control after the break, and Trossard bagged his second of the day in the 69th minute, calmly finishing after a slick short-corner routine.
Youngster Ethan Nwaneri then capped off the win late on with a deflected effort that made it four.
Mikel Arteta’s side could’ve scored more, with missed chances from Saka and Merino, but the result was never in doubt.
It was Ipswich’s seventh home defeat of the year and left their top-flight status hanging by a thread.
Arsenal Shift Focus to Champions League Showdown
While the win kept Liverpool from clinching the title for now, Arsenal’s main focus is clearly their looming Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on 29 April.
With Thomas Partey ruled out for that tie, Arteta used this match to experiment with a potential midfield setup.
Declan Rice dropped deeper to play the holding role, allowing Merino—usually deployed further forward—to slot into a more natural midfield position alongside Ødegaard.
The trio linked up well, especially down the right, where Ødegaard and Saka combined dangerously throughout the first half.
The Norwegian was directly involved in both opening goals and orchestrated much of Arsenal’s attacking play.
The only concern came when Saka was forced off just before the hour mark with his ankle strapped, following the challenge that saw Davis sent off.
Arteta will hope it’s just a precaution ahead of a massive European clash.
Next up for Arsenal is Crystal Palace, but with the league slipping from their grasp, all roads now lead to Paris.
Ipswich’s Survival Hopes All but Over
Ipswich looked second-best from the first whistle, and with 20 defeats in 33 matches, their Premier League future looks bleak.
Manager Kieran McKenna had already admitted in his pre-match notes that survival was a tall order—and this result made it feel like mission impossible.
The red card didn’t help, but even before that, Ipswich struggled to contain Arsenal or pose any threat.
George Hirst had a rare sight of goal in the second half, bending a shot just wide on the break, but chances were few and far between.
Top scorer Liam Delap, who’s netted 12 league goals this season, was only fit enough for the bench after picking up a rib injury, further limiting McKenna’s options.
Next Saturday’s trip to Newcastle may well confirm Ipswich’s return to the Championship—unless they can pull off an unlikely late-season escape.