Kieran McKenna honest verdict sparks outrage after devastating defeat to Leicester City
McKenna Left Frustrated After Missed Chances in Defeat to Leicester
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna expressed his frustration after his side’s 2-0 defeat at Leicester City, believing they created enough chances to win “two Premier League games.”
Despite falling to 19th in the table, behind fellow relegated side Leicester, Ipswich had multiple clear opportunities to score.
Leif Davis hit the post early on, while Omari Hutchinson, George Hirst, Julio Enciso, and Nathan Broadhead all failed to convert promising chances.
Jamie Vardy scored in his 500th and final appearance for the Foxes to open the scoring in the 28th minute, before Kasey McAteer sealed the win in the 69th.
“That’s a really frustrating way to lose,” said McKenna. “We had the better chances and controlled most of the game. But we weren’t clinical enough, and we switched off at crucial moments.”
While McKenna praised his team’s overall display, he pointed to a lack of composure in both boxes as the key difference.
“Vardy showed the execution needed at this level, and that’s where we need to get to,” he added. “We haven’t often been in this position—dominating and creating—but today we were, and we didn’t take advantage.”
Reflecting on the season, McKenna acknowledged the poor record against fellow relegated teams, collecting only two points from matches against Leicester and Southampton, compared to eight in the Championship last season.
“We need to own that. But it’s clear that we’re more dominant now in these games than we were a year ago,” he said.
Despite the defeat, McKenna remains optimistic about the future, noting the lessons learned from narrow margins and missed opportunities. “These are the types of games we’ll face more often next season.
Being the team in control brings a different kind of pressure, and we need to be mentally and tactically prepared for that.”
On whether the result sends a message for next season, McKenna dismissed the idea: “This wasn’t about next season.
We wanted to win for this campaign, for pride and prize money. But the lessons from today could serve us well next year.”
He also addressed his team’s poor scoring form—just 35 goals in 37 league games. “There’s maybe a bit of anxiety in front of goal, but we’ve not had many games this season where we’ve been dominant. More repetition in these scenarios will help.”
Despite the defeat, Ipswich posted season-high stats for shots (20) and touches in the opposition box (31), showing signs of attacking growth.
McKenna believes few Championship sides next season will pose a bigger challenge than Leicester.
Regarding Leicester’s second goal, McKenna said keeper Alex Palmer’s positioning would be reviewed but credited the finish.
He also explained that George Hirst started up front ahead of Liam Delap purely for tactical reasons, especially given Hirst’s form and history with Leicester.
Finally, defender Cameron Burgess missed the match due to a minor hamstring issue and will be assessed ahead of the next game.
