Leeds United 4-0 Ipswich Town: Whites crush Tractor Boys to boost promotion hopes

Leeds United dismantled fellow Championship high-fliers Ipswich Town with a comprehensive victory at Elland Road to stamp their own promotion credentials.

The damage was done in the first half, kick-started when Pascal Struijk headed in after Town goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky had palmed away Joel Piroe’s attempt from a Crysencio Summerville corner.

It was an unfortunate return to former surroundings for Ipswich’s ex-Whites defender Leif Davis, who inadvertently bundled a Summerville cross past his own keeper after a quickfire counter, and then brought down the same player, who converted the subsequent penalty kick.

Little changed after a chastening half-time break for the visitors. Within two minutes of the restart Piroe hit the bar, and then made sure of the points and his place on the scoresheet moments later when he smashed the ball beyond Hladky.

The game was over by that stage, and Leeds’ control was evident as their noisy support basked in the glory of a thumping success which lifted them to within seven points of second-placed Ipswich.

The visitors enjoyed only fleeting moments, such as when Conor Chaplin smacked a post with a first-half drive, but Ilian Meslier had little to do in the home goal.

Farke tactics pay off as old foes flounder

Having been frustrated by Coventry and beaten by Sunderland in their past two outings, the pressure was on Leeds to come up with a response against one of the division’s top two sides this season, and Farke’s side matched the expectation.

The Tractor Boys have ploughed through most of their Championship opponents this season, but have found Leeds to be their Achilles heel, having lost 4-3 at home to the same opponents in August.

They were not allowed to harness the talents of Chaplin, Broadhead and Wes Burns in particular, as the home press shut down space, nullified their ample possession and usual fluid movement in keeping them at arm’s length.

Kieran McKenna’s side had never lost by such a margin in his time in charge, but Leeds are only one of two second-tier sides they have lost to this season and they have swiftly bounced back on both previous occasions.

Credit for Leeds’ dominance must go to Ethan Ampadu and Glen Kamara, whose industry ensured they got the better of the busy Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo in midfield and created the platform for their array of attacking talent to perform so devastatingly.

Summerville and James provided the width that caused Davis and Harry Clarke a host of problems, while Georginio Rutter’s link play continually opened the visitors up.

The second goal in particular showed the best of that, with the rapid Summerville set away by cute interchanges of possession between Piroe and Rutter before his cross went in via Davis.

It means Farke, who never lost an East Anglian derby in his time at Ipswich’s rivals Norwich, remains a thorn in the side of his old foes.

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk:

“It was a tough afternoon. the game didn’t go how we wanted it to go, there’s disappointment in that and for the fans who travelled.

“But that’s football and it’s a long season, you’re going to have days that don’t go your way, we know the strength of the opposition we’re playing and all the moments in the first half went their way.

“I didn’t think the disparity between the teams was that great in the first-half, I thought we started the game well, disappointed to have conceded on the first set-play to defend, I felt there was a stonewall foul on Conor Chaplin in the build up to that but we should have defended the corner better.

“It’s always going to be a difficult game then, it was a stable game but they were clinical in their moments and we didn’t defend well enough, but when you go in 3-0 down it’ll be difficult second-half, all you can do is stick in the game and stick together and the players did that.”