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By JAMES SHARPE Published: 02: 57 AEDT, 6 January 2025 | Updated: 05: 49 AEDT, 6 January 2025 12 View comments You know a referee has had a tough day at the office when he awards a stoppage-time penalty that earns one team a point and he still gets booed off the pitch by their fans and feels the wrath of their manager. Poor old Darren Bond. He pointed to the spot three times in this frantic, chaotic 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage – and twice in the hosts’ favour as Raul Jimenez snatched a late point for Fulham – yet he was still the one on the end of Marco Silva’s frustrations. ‘I’m in the same place as all the Fulham fans and probably everyone that watched the game, ’ said Fulham boss Silva. ‘It was a really difficult afternoon for the referee and difficult to understand some decisions too. ‘It’s better to stop because I’m going to say things and I’m not here to be in trouble, I’m here to manage my team. ‘The players fought until the end. At half-time, they did not understand the decisions from the referee. All 50-50s, they were not in our favour. Even in difficult circumstances with some decisions against us and always against us, the players fought, they showed character. ’ As it happened, Silva agreed with all three penalty decisions. Raul Jimenez converted from the spot twice to earn Fulham a deserved point at Craven Cottage Liam Delap scored his ninth goal of the season, but his efforts were ultimately cancelled out Ipswich remain in the relegation zone but would have moved up to 16th place with a win  FULHAM (4-5-1): Leno 6; Castagne 6. 5, Diop 6 (Smith Rowe 46, X), Andersen 6, Bassey 5. 5; Wilson 7. 5, Cairney 6. 5 (Pereira 63, 6), Lukic 6 (Traore 79, 6. 5), Iwobi 6. 5 (Muniz 63, 6), Robinson 6. 5; JIMENEZ 9 Scorers: Jimenez 69, 90+1 Booked: Pereira Manager: Marco Silva 7. 5 IPSWICH TOWN (3-4-2-1): Walton 6. 5, O’Shea 6. 5, Woolfenden 6. 5, Greaves 7; Johnson 7 (Burns 80), Morsy 5. 5, Cajuste 6. 5 (Phillips 73, 6), Davis 5. 5; Broadhead 7 (Clarke 80), Szmodics 7. 5 (Taylor 73, 6); Delap 8 (Al-Hamadi 88) Scorers: Szmodics 38, Delap 71 Booked: Davis, Broadhead, O’Shea, Morsy, Johnson Manager: Kieran Mc Kenna 7 Referee: Darren Bond 6 Att: 27, 042 Wilson appeared to scream ‘you f****** cheat’ in Bond’s face after he made his initial decision not to give the penalty. It will be interesting to see how dim a view the FA take of that if, or when, it appears in Bond’s notes.   The first two came in the space of just two second-half minutes. Bond waved away protests as Ipswich captain tripped Harry Wilson inside the box, only for VAR to send him to the screen and overturn his decision. Jimenez buried it to level the scores and cancel out Sammie Szmodics’s first-half opener. The celebrations had barely finished when Bond pointed to the spot at the other end. Timothy Castagne on the ever-impressive Ipswich striker Liam Delap this time, harsh but not iffy enough this time for VAR to get involved. Delap buried it in front of the travelling supporters. They thought they’d won it, they thought they had secured a second successive top-flight win for the first time since 2002 after their victory over Chelsea that would have lifted them out of the relegation zone. But that was not to be the end. Jimenez still had one final say and so too would the referee as Ipswich’s Leif Davis brought down the Fulham striker, who did the rest. For Silva, though, his main frustration was that Davis was still on the pitch to give the penalty away after he’d tripped Harry Wilson in the first half when the Fulham forward was about to run through on goal. Bond only showed a yellow card. Perhaps Davis’s team-mate Jacob Greaves would have got there to cover but that’s not how Silva saw things as he watched the replay on a screen in the dugout and then spoke his mind after the game. The Tractor Boys have not won consecutive games in all competitions since May 2024 Fulham slip further from the top four after dropping points at home to the relegation strugglers ‘I think it's clear, ’ said Silva. ‘When Harry Wilson touches the ball, if he's not the tackle, it's going to be 1v1 with the goalkeeper. They found a way to explain to us that one player is a bit close and can arrive to cover. I don't see it that way. ’  It’s often difficult to know what to make of such chaos as the dirt and dust flies around in the aftermath but, once it settles, Fulham will surely reflect on a deserved point. For Ipswich, they will be disappointed they missed out on two more that would have lifted them out of the bottom three but also take heart from the quality and fight they showed to get into such a position. ‘It’s a game of mixed emotions, ’ said Ipswich boss Kieran Mc Kenna.   ‘I’m very pleased and proud of many aspects of performance but disappointed with the two penalties we gave away. ‘I thought the referee did well. It wasn’t easy because the crowd were on him pretty early from kick-off. ’ Unlike others in this division, Mc Kenna’s team is not one playing like one that knows and has accepted its fate.   This is a team that, until the 91st minute, had their fans dreaming. Jimenez has already scored more Premier League goals this season (eight) than last (seven) Had substitute Jack Clarke been a few inches more accurate with his late strike that hit the post moments before Jimenez’s decisive spot kick, they sure would be.     And why not dream when you can drape them over the broad shoulders of Delap and let him carry them along this tricky and unfamiliar road. What a joy he is to watch, this 6ft 1in throwback to a golden age of English centre-forwards. Who needs false nines and a fox in the box when you have a raging bull like Delap, causing mayhem and chaos with socks halfway down his shins. Why hire a locksmith when you have a bulldozer. It was Delap, who flattened Sasa Lukic straight from the first kick-off, who so nearly secured this victory. When he netted his penalty, he ran towards them in celebration as they sang his name. You imagine it will not be long until it’s England fans singing it too.   Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group