Kieran McKenna believes Ipswich Town were robbed of the chance to complete their first comeback win of the season after being denied “two clear penalties” in the 1-1 draw with Leicester City.
Sindre Walle Egeli’s 76th‑minute equaliser had the Blues pushing for a dramatic winner before a stoppage‑time flashpoint overshadowed the afternoon.
The controversy centred on Hamza Choudhury appearing to run across the heels of Cedric Kipré inside the box, only for referee John Busby to wave play on.
It echoed last season’s Premier League meeting between the sides, when Ipswich were also denied what McKenna described as a “stonewall” penalty.
Kieran McKenna didn’t hide his frustration when asked if he felt the same sense of injustice as last season. “Yeah, I think it’s clear that’s the feeling in the stadium and in the dressing room,” he said.
“I thought we had at least two clear penalties. There’s one on Anis [Mehmeti]. And the one on Cedric Kipre at the end… It’s crazy for me that it’s not given. It couldn’t be any clearer. There’s nowhere else you can look.”
He pointed to the quality of the delivery that sparked the incident. “Dara O’Shea puts an incredible ball into the six-yard box and it’s the only place all the officials have to look. Cedric gets fouled in every way he can get fouled.”
Kieran McKenna was adamant that the decision cost Ipswich the chance to take all three points.
“We should have a clear penalty to go and win the game,” he said.
He continued: “It’s the same referee, the same situation as Preston. We should have had a clear penalty at the end of that game too, but today was even worse.”
McKenna added: “We should have a kick to win the game. Had we done that, I think our supporters would be going home really proud of the second-half performance, the spirit and character, and what would have been a very likely comeback victory.”
McKenna revealed Busby’s reasoning for not awarding the stoppage‑time penalty.
“He said he didn’t see it. It’s not good enough, is it?” he said. “The cross comes in from wide, so the only place to look is the penalty box. We take his word for it, but I don’t know how you can’t see it.”
Busby was surrounded by Ipswich players and staff at full-time, with security stepping in. McKenna clarified the exchange.
“He was pulling me over for a chat on the side just to get away from the bodies. There was no aggression between us. He just explained he didn’t see the incident.”
Despite the controversy, McKenna was keen to highlight the positives.
“We didn’t execute as well as we could in the first half,” he admitted. “Our build-up wasn’t as clean as it has been. But that can happen with the amount of games we’re playing.”
He praised the turnaround after the break. “The second half was really good. Against a Leicester team full of quality, I thought we showed we’re in a pretty good spot. Our intensity, our quality, our understanding of how to chase the game, the resilience was good.”
McKenna ended with a note of perspective. “We’re frustrated, but we also have to see the progress. This was a situation we struggled with earlier in the season. In the last few games, we’ve shown great growth, and it should have been rewarded with more points.”
