Núñez gets one over old friends as Ipswich end derby curse

Sixteen years of hurt have finally come to an end for Ipswich Town.

- Paul MacInnes

A curse that had lingered for longer than that on most abandoned burial grounds was banished in conclusive fashion as their East Anglian rivals were defeated 3-1 and generally outclassed in the home side’s first win in 15 derbies.

Goals from the man of the match, Cédric Kipré, the mercurial Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke were the decisive moments of the match, Norwich’s kamikaze attacking another factor. But the figure of Marcelino Núñez, who scored against Ipswich for Norwich in the last derby two seasons ago and then completed a £10m move to Suffolk in the summer, loomed throughout. Featuring on the cover of the programme and in the voices of the Ipswich support, even as he started on the bench, this was a transfer troll that ultimately achieved the desired effect.