Milan Smit’s last-gasp penalty denied Ipswich Town all three points as Stoke City salvaged a 3-3 draw at bet365 Stadium on Tuesday.
Ipswich had fought from two goals down to take an 82nd-minute lead, but they could not hold out for the victory as they slipped up in the race for automatic promotion.
Smit opened the scoring 35 minutes in what was his first goal in English football before Bae Jun-Ho doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time.
However, an Eric-Junior Bocat own goal gave Ipswich a way back into the match, with Jack Taylor and George Hirst also scoring to turn the tide.
Cedric Kipre then fouled Lamine Cisse in the box, and Smit made no mistake from the spot in a dramatic finale, which opened the door for Hull City to close the gap to Ipswich.
Smit’s double earns City a hard-fought point. pic.twitter.com/PqwQvggFQW
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) March 10, 2026
The Tigers are now just two points behind Ipswich after they held out for a 2-1 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham.
Joe Gelhardt continued his fine scoring run by breaking the deadlock in the 40th minute before seeing a penalty saved by Arthur Okonkwo just four minutes later.
Lewis Koumas doubled their lead shortly after the hour, though, and that was enough for them to clinch all three points after Nathan Broadhead had halved the deficit with 14 minutes left.
Millwall also got another vital three points as they continued to put pressure on second-place Middlesbrough with a 1-0 win over Derby County, thanks to Josh Coburn’s first-half goal.
And at the other end of the table, Leicester City moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 victory over Bristol City, whose own play-off hopes were dented.
Ben Nelson and Abdul Fatawu put the Foxes two goals to the good in the opening 28 minutes, with Emil Riis’ second-half penalty saved by Jakub Stolarczyk.
How tonight’s results leave the #SkyBetChampionship table looking! #EFL pic.twitter.com/YNGO9Ha4Wq
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) March 10, 2026
Data Debrief: Ipswich comeback in vain
Ipswich had put themselves in the perfect position to stay in control during the play-off race, but instead, they faltered.
They have now conceded five penalties in the Championship this season, with no side conceding more.
Stoke will feel deserving of their point, though. While they had two fewer shots than the Tractor Boys (15 to 17), they racked up 3.43 expected goals (xG) to Ipswich’s 1.48, with both sides also hitting the post in an entertaining contest.