
Chelsea suffered yet another painful draw as they fought back from a two goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Ipswich Town.
Julio Enciso and Ben Johnson gave the Tractor Boys a shock lead in the first half and sent their fans into a frenzy, with chants of 'can we play you every week?' radiating from the away end.
Chelsea got back on track early in the second half - a dangerous cross by Noni Madueke was turned in by Axel Tuanzebe for an own goal, before Jadon Sancho produced a goal off the bench, curling a fabulous effort into the far corner.
Here are four things we learnt from the match:
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A leaky defence
The first half completely belonged to Ipswich, who took advantage of Chelsea’s poor defending to take a two goal lead into half-time.
The Blues were much improved in the second half, but could only tie the game and failed to find a late winner after some dangerous late chances.
Julio Enciso found space in the danger area to turn in the first - a backtracking Marc Cucurella failing to intercept the initial cross, and the combination of Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo unable to catch the Argentinian, who slotted past Robert Sanchez to give Ipswich the lead.
Positioning was at fault for the second. Trevoh Chalobah missed a header and was taken out of the game completely, forcing Cucurella more centrally in order to cover. It created a size mismatch that allowed Ben Johnson a free header at the far post - producing an effort that Sanchez arguably should have done better with.
Malo Gusto was a half-time substitute, though he failed to have much of an impact. The likes of Reece James and Josh Acheampong were unused substitutes, and many Chelsea fans will be scratching their heads wondering why the pair were not given minutes.
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Positives to take
While it is difficult for fans to be pleased with their side's performance - it was far from a disaster.
Chelsea had a total of thirty-four shots in the game, and were particularly threatening in the second half, halving the deficit almost straight from kick-off, before substitute Jadon Sancho produced a stunning equaliser -ending his four month goal drought.
Noni Madueke made his full league return - the winger justified his inclusion with a solid performance, making positive entries into the Ipswich box and displaying great skill and flair to get the better of his marker.
Many were shocked at his substitution, especially as it was his hard work which got Chelsea back into the game.
Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer put in a man of the match performance to keep the score at 2-2, making a total of nine saves, while their defence was well organised and dealt with a constant barrage by Chelsea's attackers.
Fans will have been expecting Chelsea to take all three points from this game. A draw feels disappointing, but if not for the second half performance from Maresca's side, things could have been a lot darker.
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Captain leads by example
This was a milestone game for Enzo Fernandez - reaching his 100th appearance for the club. Captaining the side, he put in a top class performance.
The midfielder was everywhere on the pitch, covering box to box as he looked to link defence and attack.
Deployed alongside Cole Palmer, the Argentinian often provided an overlap down the right hand side, sending crosses into the box and looking to overload the Ipswich defence.
His chance creation was solid as always, and nearly scored a winner for his side in the dying embers, with Alex Palmer denying him from close range.
There have certainly been ups and downs, but Fernandez looks to be showing signs of his world class form, and continues to prove why he is so crucial to Chelsea's success.
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Champions League worries
Chelsea will remain in sixth place after this game, and after back to back draws in the league, they have missed an opportunity to move into third.
A draw against relegation-bound Ipswich - who began the game without Liam Delap or Sammie Szmodics - is not acceptable for a team who are expected to play at Champions League level next year.
With a group of talented players that expect to compete at the highest level, a fanbase that is becoming more and more impatient with the ownership and sporting directors, and a constant desire to keep Chelsea profitable, a top five finish should be the first priority.
The race for qualification places continues to be tightly contested, with the Blues just a point behind fifth place Manchester City and only ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference.
Tough tests await for Enzo Maresca's side, including away trips to Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle - three sides all battling for European football next year.
Chelsea cannot afford to drop more points, or they could be in real trouble.

