Ipswich star drops ‘worst performance in Prem history’ with red card, own goal and giving penalty away on first start
HARRY CLARKE suffered a nightmare first Premier League start with the most unwanted hat-trick.
The Ipswich defender, 23, got the nod from Kieran McKenna for the trip to Brentford.
GettyHarry Clarke endured the worst first Premier League start possible[/caption]
ReutersHe was sent off for two yellow cards in the second half[/caption]
But the right-back could not have had a worse afternoon at the Gtech Community Stadium.
It had all started well for Clarke and his Tractor Boys team-mates as they took a 2-0 lead, looking on course for their first win of the season – as fellow Premier League full debutant George Hirst scored.
However, ex-Arsenal academy ace and England Under-17 international Clarke inadvertently ensured they would not secure all three points.
Yoane Wissa pulled the first Brentford goal back on 44 minutes.
Then in the first minute of injury time, Wissa looked for goal again – as the defender slid in to try and clear.
Instead, unlucky Clarke only managed to knock the ball over the line with his arm as the Bees equalised.
They then took the lead six minutes into the second half from the penalty spot – after Clarke was penalised for pulling Keane Lewis-Potter down.
Initially, a free-kick was awarded and a yellow card brandished – before VAR took a look and overruled for a spot-kick, which Bryan Mbeumo duly dispatched.
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And Clarke’s horror game culminated in a second yellow card and subsequent red for diving in on Lewis-Potter on 69 minutes.
As a result, he became just the second player in Premier League history to achieve the triple whammy of scoring an own goal, giving a penalty away and being sent off.
The first was Jan Bednarek against Manchester United in Southampton’s thumping 9-0 defeat in February 2021.
And fans were quick to take to social media to react to Clarke’s dreaded debut.
One said: “Harry Clarke has got to hold the record for the worst game ever by a PL player. You gotta feel for him.”
Another wrote: “Harry Clarke has had an absolute nightmare today.”
A third added: “Harry Clarke will never forget this day.”
And a final user joked: “Harry Clarke’s first ever Premier League start going well then.”
To make matters worse, after Liam Delap looked to have rescued a point for Ipswich, Clarke could only watch on helplessly as Mbeumo’s cross ended up in the back of the net for a 96th-minute winner.
GettyThe own goal bounced in off the right-back in unfortunate scenes[/caption]
ReutersThe referee initially gave a free-kick but it was changed to a penalty[/caption]
The performance matched Jan Bednarek’s against Manchester United in 2021Getty
TV fixtures in December
Here are all the games that will be televised in December…
Tuesday 3 December
19:30 Ipswich v Crystal Palace (Amazon Prime Video)
20:15 Leicester v West Ham (Amazon Prime Video)
Wednesday 4 December
19:30 Everton v Wolves (Amazon Prime Video)
19:30 Man City v Nott’m Forest (Amazon Prime Video)
19:30 Newcastle v Liverpool (Amazon Prime Video)
19:30 Southampton v Chelsea (Amazon Prime Video)
20:15 Arsenal v Man Utd (Amazon Prime Video)
20:15 Aston Villa v Brentford (Amazon Prime Video)
Thursday 5 December
19:30 Fulham v Brighton (Amazon Prime Video)
20:15 AFC Bournemouth v Spurs (Amazon Prime Video)
Saturday 7 December
12:30 Everton v Liverpool (TNT Sports)
17:30 Man Utd v Nott’m Forest (Sky Sports)
Sunday 8 December
14:00 Fulham v Arsenal (Sky Sports)
16:30 Spurs v Chelsea (Sky Sports)
Monday 9 December
20:00 West Ham v Wolves (Sky Sports)
Saturday 14 December
17:30 Nott’m Forest v Aston Villa (Sky Sports)
Sunday 15 December
14:00 AFC Bournemouth v West Ham (Sky Sports)
16:30 Man City v Man Utd (Sky Sports)
19:00 Southampton v Spurs (TNT Sports)
Monday 16 December
20:00 Brighton v Crystal Palace (Sky Sports)
Saturday 21 December
12:30 Aston Villa v Man City (TNT Sports)
17:30 Crystal Palace v Arsenal (Sky Sports)
Sunday 22 December
14:00 Fulham v Southampton (Sky Sports)
16:30 Spurs v Liverpool (Sky Sports)
Thursday 26 December
12:30 Man City v Everton (Amazon Prime Video)
15:00 AFC Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (Amazon Prime Video)
15:00 Chelsea v Fulham (Amazon Prime Video)
15:00 Newcastle v Aston Villa (Amazon Prime Video)
15:00 Nott’m Forest v Spurs (Amazon Prime Video)
15:00 Southampton v West Ham (Amazon Prime Video)
17:30 Wolves v Man Utd (Amazon Prime Video)
20:00 Liverpool v Leicester (Amazon Prime Video)
Friday 27 December
19:30 Brighton v Brentford (Amazon Prime Video)
20:15 Arsenal v Ipswich (Amazon Prime Video)
Sunday 29 December
14:30 Leicester v Man City (Sky Sports)
17:15 West Ham v Liverpool (Sky Sports)
Monday 30 December
20:00 Man Utd v Newcastle (Sky Sports)
