Norwich head coach David Wagner heaped praise on his side’s supporters after watching his side beat Ipswich 1-0 to boost their play-off bid – and dent their neighbours’ chances of automatic promotion.

Wagner and his players felt the wrath of the fans during a poor run earlier in the season but Carrow Road was rocking in the lunchtime kick-off as the Canaries reeled off an eighth straight home win thanks to a first-half strike from Marcelino Nunez.

“The atmosphere in the ground was fantastic, the best since I have seen here, and you could see the affect it had on the players,” said Wagner.

“The fans were outstanding – and so were my team. It was a top performance and the only complaint I could make was that we should have put it to bed earlier.

“Every player put in a good shift to get the win – and to keep a clean sheet against a side who scored many goals was very pleasing.

“From where we were earlier in the season, 17th in the table, to where we are now speaks volumes about the spirit and togetherness in the squad.

“They are a group who can achieve something special, especially with the sort of backing we got today.

“But while we will all enjoy this we know there is another big game coming up on Tuesday (at Sheffield Wednesday) and that will be our focus from tomorrow.”

A game of few clear-cut chances was settled by a long range free-kick from Nunez six minutes before the break.

Sam Morsy brought down the lively Josh Sargent in a central position some 30 yards out to set up what looked like nothing more than a half chance. But the Chilean midfielder had other ideas and curled the ball around a token wall and into the back of the net via an upright.

Norwich missed a number of chances to stretch their lead on the break in the second half while Ipswich struggled to create all afternoon.

Conor Chaplin and substitute Ali Al-Hamadi both missed late second-half chances but Norwich keeper Angus Gunn was largely untroubled.

Town manager Kieran McKenna admitted his side were below their best as their long run without an East Anglian derby win continued.

“We weren’t at the level required to win the game and I don’t think Norwich were at their best either. But, to be fair to them, they found a way to win the game,” he said.

“I would certainly have liked to have seen us create more chances and be better on the ball but it was our third game in a busy week and it doesn’t always go the way you want it to.

“I know how much this one means to the supporters and all I can say is lessons were learned and we’ll be stronger for the experience. We have now got two home games coming up which is good.

“I thought we looked comfortable early on and there wasn’t much in the game and then Norwich had a spell of 20 minutes when they got a lot of free-kicks and scored from one of them.

“The decision for the challenge by Morsy looked a marginal one but the decision that annoyed me was the free-kick for (Axel) Tuanzebe’s challenge on Sargent which started it all off. That wasn’t a foul, not even marginal, and it changed the complexion of the game.”

Ipswich climbed to the top of the Championship table after Conor Chaplin’s 13th goal of the season gave them a 1-0 win at Blackburn.

Buoyed by Leicester’s defeat in the early kick-off, Kieran McKenna’s men flew out of the traps and made their early dominance count through Chaplin’s well-worked goal, though Blackburn’s Aynsley Pears ought to have done better.

But this barely told the story of the game as the struggling hosts, still looking for their first win under John Eustace, were more than a match for their visitors and will feel aggrieved to have had goals in either half contentiously ruled out.

The league’s top-scorer Sammie Szmodics missed a glorious chance 11 minutes from time, but Ipswich dug in admirably to notch their eighth win in nine that sees them hold a one-point advantage over Leeds at the summit.

Ipswich should have had an early penalty when Callum Brittain tugged Nathan Broadhead back but referee Stuart Atwell waved play on.

They hit the front in the ninth minute when Chaplin sprayed the ball out wide for Leif Davis and ran into the box to meet the defender’s low cross before letting fly with a first-time shot that found the bottom corner, but Pears somehow let the ball squirm through him.

The Tractor Boys did not let up and Kieffer Moore put a near-post header over soon after, while Chaplin fashioned a chance with a silky first touch but his left-foot effort was saved.

Rovers thought they had equalised on the half hour when a flowing move ended with Tyrhys Dolan’s cut-back finding Joe Rankin-Costello who slotted home via a deflection but Szmodics was either adjudged to be obstructing the goalkeeper or deemed to be the one who deflected the ball.

Ipswich came out after the break with renewed purpose and Chaplin hammered a shot into the side netting within 20 seconds of the restart before Pears parried his curling effort a minute later.

Blackburn showed signs of life on the hour when Vaclav Hladky parried a cross into the path of Ben Chrisene but Chaplin got a vital touch before he could pull the trigger, and moments later, Szmodics whipped a first-time shot goalwards that Hladky tipped over the bar.

The home fans were incensed again in the 74th minute when Andrew Moran smashed in off the underside of the bar after Hladcky dropped a cross under pressure from Scott Wharton but the referee deemed it a foul from the Rovers defender.

Hladcky made a terrible error and outstanding save in the same move in the 79th minute as his pass six yards out was blocked by Szmodics but the Czech stopper made a miraculous recovery, diving full stretch to tip the shot wide and Ipswich held on.

Kieran McKenna hailed Ipswich’s defensive display after they beat Blackburn 1-0 to climb to the top of the Sky Bet Championship table.

Ipswich stamped their authority on the game early and were ahead in the ninth minute when Conor Chaplin’s first-time strike squirmed through Aynsley Pears.

Rovers were second best in the first half, though Joe Rankin-Costello had a goal disallowed due to Sammie Szmodics being in an offside position – their second ruled out for offside.

Blackburn’s frustrations continued as Andrew Moran’s goal was disallowed for a Scott Wharton foul, and Ipswich dug in to claim a vital win. After their first Ewood win since 1996, McKenna felt his side displayed both sides of their game.

He said: “Fantastic result, you have to enjoy every win you get in the Championship. The performance was mixed. I thought first half we started ever so well, big credit to the way we came out, especially after international duty, we imposed ourselves really well on the game.

“Gave the opposition problems and controlled most of the first half. Blackburn had a counter-threat and they set up to give us problems through the middle of the pitch so we didn’t have it all our way.

“We came out at the start of the second half and done well. As the second half went on, it became tough. We knew there’d be tiredness in the group, and it became a challenging last 30 minutes. We worked really hard, we defended our box really well, blocked crosses, defended set plays well, blocked shots.

“Didn’t control the game as we would have liked but sometimes you have to show that other side and I thought we did that really well.”

Rovers are winless in nine but John Eustace was proud of his side’s effort and disappointed the disallowed goals didn’t count.

He said: “Frustrated but very proud as well. I thought the effort of the group was outstanding. After the week we’ve had with the injuries and bit of sickness in the camp as well, to have possibly four starters out of the XI, I thought the effort was outstanding.

“We’ve gone up against a very good team and played very well and we’re disappointed not to get anything out of the game.

“I thought the referee had a fantastic view of the goal from Joe. Sammie obviously wasn’t in front of the goalkeeper so I thought that was really disappointing we didn’t have that goal.

“I thought Scott’s header was a fair challenge on the goalkeeper and the offside was tight but we’ve shown very good signs, the team are playing very well. It’s important we don’t get too disappointed about the result. We’ve got to brush ourselves off and go again.”

Ipswich moved back up to second place in the Sky Bet Championship following a 2-0 win at Plymouth.

Kieffer Moore sealed Town’s win after Conor Chaplin’s shot was deflected in by home defender Brendan Galloway in the 63rd minute.

Argyle’s top scorer Morgan Whittaker forced an early save from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.

The keeper palmed the ball to Darko Gyabi, but the Leeds loanee sent a fierce low drive just wide of the upright from the edge of the box.

Ipswich countered, with target man Moore’s header bringing a 14th-minute save from Argyle goalkeeper Conor Hazard.

Hladky did well to punch away Adam Randell’s inswinging corner as the home side again tried applying pressure on their high-flying visitors.

Omari Hutchinson saw a goal-bound shot blocked after being teed up by impressive midfielder Jeremy Sarmiento.

In the 35th minute, Whittaker’s 25-yard shot was blocked but fell to striker Ryan Hardie on the edge of the box and his rising drive flew just over.

And shortly afterwards Ipswich defender Luke Woolfenden made a brilliant clearance off the line to keep out Mickel Miller’s volley.

The half ended with Ipswich pressing and Leif Davis’s corner from the right needed to be cleared at the near post by a defender’s diving header.

Whittaker tried an audacious chip from 40 yards after spotting Hladky off his line early in the second half, but the ball flew just over.

Moore was again denied by Hazard in the 55th minute as the striker headed goalwards from Davis’s far-post cross from the left.

Hutchinson sent a curling shot just wide of the far upright after 56 minutes with Hazard beaten and then forced a superb diving save from the keeper on the hour.

The ball looped up to Chaplin and his header was helped on – and over the bar – by Moore.

Chaplin benefited from a huge slice of fortune three minutes later as his 18-yard shot deflected off Galloway, completely wrong-footing Hazard, with the ball spinning into the opposite corner of the goal.

Ipswich doubled their lead in the 74th minute as Davis sent over another cross from the right. Cameron Burgess headed the ball on to Chaplin and Moore finished with a half-volley at the far post.

Miller went closest for Plymouth with a 78th-minute shot on the run from outside the box that beat Hladky but smashed off the foot of a post and across the face of goal.

Kieran McKenna insisted weekend wins for Leeds and Southampton had “zero impact” on Ipswich after a 2-1 success at Swansea maintained their push for an automatic promotion place in the Sky Bet Championship.

First-half goals from Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin – his 50th for Ipswich – proved enough to beat hosts Swansea, who are now only four points above the relegation zone.

It was Ipswich’s second away win the space of four days and came after second-placed Leeds had won their lunchtime appointment at Plymouth and Southampton had beaten West Brom on Friday.

“I know (those wins) had zero impact on me, that’s the honest truth,” said Ipswich boss McKenna, whose side are a point behind Southampton and three adrift of Leeds with a game in hand.

“Sometimes you worry things like that will infiltrate the group and they will worry about other teams’ results.

“I don’t get any sense of that from the group whatsoever. They share my feeling that they are doing incredibly to be as competitive as we have been at this level.”

Ipswich, promoted as League One runners-up last season, have lost only four times in the Championship and led after 13 minutes through Broadhead’s 11th goal of the campaign.

Chaplin restored the lead soon after Jerry Yates’ first-half equaliser and Ipswich showed resilience to hold Swansea’s improved showing after the break at bay.

McKenna said: “I really enjoyed it. It was a tough game, a proper game and took a really good performance to come out on the right side of it.

“I thought we showed the best bits of ourselves at different stages of the game.

“We played some really brave football in tough conditions and our organisation to limit them to opportunities in free play was good.

“It was an excellent performance, those are the margins we’re going to have keep fighting at to keep coming out on top at this level.”

Swansea’s defeat was their fifth in seven league games under Luke Williams, who was appointed in January following Michael Duff’s dismissal the previous month.

Williams said: “We worked really hard to get back in the game after giving the goal away.

“Then OK let’s stand in the middle of the pitch and cross our fingers. That’s not a tactic.

“We have to improve, we have to play every second of the game.”

On Swansea’s slump that has left them looking nervously over their shoulder, Williams added: “We’ve played Southampton, Bournemouth (FA Cup), Leicester in a row. That was very difficult.

“Take out Leeds (when Swansea lost 4-0) and in the other games we have been very competitive. We need to win the games when we have a really good chance.”

Ipswich kept up their push for an automatic promotion place in the Championship as Conor Chaplin claimed a landmark winner in a 2-1 victory at Swansea.

Chaplin scored his 50th Ipswich goal to restore a first-half Ipswich lead that had been wiped out by Jerry Yates four minutes earlier.

Nathan Broadhead had earlier put the Tractor Boys ahead as Ipswich maintained their pursuit of Leeds and Southampton, above them in second and third place.

Ipswich remain a point behind Southampton and three shy of Leeds with a game in hand.

Playing after Leeds and Southampton had recorded weekend wins, Ipswich stood firm in the wet Welsh weather to see off opponents who rallied in the second half without success.

Swansea have won only one of Luke Williams’ seven league games – five of which have been lost – and are now only four points above the relegation zone.

There was an intensity about Swansea’s early play that had been absent from Tuesday’s 4-0 home defeat to Leeds.

But that tempo did not translate into chances and Ipswich threatened before Broadhead struck his 11th goal of the season.

Kyle Naughton’s mistake allowed Broadhead to set up Leif Davis for a 20-yard shot that Carl Rushworth helped over the crossbar.

Cameron Burgess planted Sam Morsy’s inviting cross wide, but Ipswich hit the front after Omari Hutchinson slipped Broadhead through and the Wales international advanced to produce a deft finish.

Kieffer Moore might have doubled the lead from Davis’ corner but his header was misdirected and Rushworth held another attempt from the Wales striker.

Yates had managed a rare home effort and the striker soon equalised after 31 minutes with his eighth goal of the season.

A free-kick routine saw Matt Grimes find Ben Cabango at the far post and Yates profited from his knockdown via a post.

Parity was only briefly restored as Davis pulled down Burgess’ raking pass and broke beyond the Swans’ defence.

Davis picked out the unmarked Chaplin, who was 27 on Friday, and he buried his 10th goal of the campaign with it also being the creator’s 10th assist from left-back.

Chaplin fired wide just after the restart and Massimo Luongo saw his ambitious effort comfortably saved by Rushworth, but Swansea were much improved in the second period.

Ronald centred and Grimes got an important head on it but Yates was unable to connect at the far post.

Ipswich almost extended their lead on the hour as Broadhead slipped in the willing Moore and Rushworth produced a telling touch to divert his ferocious drive on to the crossbar.

Vaclav Hladky preserved Ipswich’s lead by pulling off a stunning stop to claw away Harry Darling’s deflected cross, while Wes Burns struck the post in the dying seconds at the other end.

A goal in each half earned Ipswich a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough to keep Kieran McKenna’s side on the tails of leaders Leicester.

The Tractor Boys impressed at the Riverside even though goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky had to make a few good second-half saves to prevent Boro from scoring.

Conor Chaplin’s eighth of the season nine minutes before half-time was followed by substitute Omari Hutchinson’s fine finish in the 67th minute to seal the points for McKenna’s side.

The third win in a row keeps Ipswich a point behind Leicester at the top of the table, while Middlesbrough sit 12th and three points behind sixth place after a third defeat in four games.

Despite a decent atmosphere inside the Riverside, the game took a while to burst into life.

Neither side created anything in the opening exchanges, with the visitors making inroads as an attacking force first.

Ipswich were also first to hit the target. Middlesbrough goalkeeper Seny Dieng was in the right place to hold a deflected effort from George Hirst after good work from Nathan Broadhead.

And Broadhead, who spent time in the North East at Sunderland last season, went close when his 20-yard strike took a deflection before dropping just the wrong side of the crossbar after half an hour.

Ipswich got the breakthrough they deserved six minutes later. Chaplin’s half-volley, which shaved the head of Matt Clarke before finding the net, was the result of Jonny Howson’s failure to deal properly with Wes Burns’ ball into the area.

Defender Clarke, who was making his first start in more than a year because of a problematic back injury, could not have done much about it.

It was only then when Middlesbrough, who had eight first-team players ruled out, started to look more threatening.

Striker Emmanuel Latte Lath, the liveliest man in a red shirt in the final third, side-footed wide from 18 yards after his direct run through the heart of the Ipswich defence created something from nothing.

That was the closest Middlesbrough came to scoring before the break.

After the restart Matt Crooks earned a corner 10 minutes in when a passage of play ended with his shot being blocked by Cameron Burgess when it looked like it could test goalkeeper Hladky.

In fact the best save Hladky had to make up to that point was when he turned over Dan Barlaser’s corner on the hour that was curling straight in.

And the Czech Republic man was alert again five minutes later to dive left and prevent Latte Lath from finding the net with a header.

Those stops paved the way for Ipswich to add the second. This time Chaplin turned provider with a pass in behind the defence.

And with Middlesbrough full-back Lukas Engel caught deep, Hutchinson was played onside. When faced with just Dieng to beat he picked his spot brilliantly, low to the left with 23 minutes remaining.

Engel’s cross a few minutes later almost made amends when it was deflected goalwards by the head of Ipswich’s excellent defender Luke Woolfenden. Again, though, Hladky was there to save well.

Kieran McKenna praised Ipswich’s “intensity” as his team bounced back to winning ways with a thumping 3-1 victory over struggling Millwall.

The result kept Town’s lead over third-placed Leeds to seven points and moved them to within a point of leaders Leicester.

The Tractor Boys were two goals to the good after just 12 minutes through Conor Chaplin and Massimo Luongo and Nathan Broadhead got the third six minutes before the break.

Kevin Nisbet registered a consolation goal for the visitors in the second half.

Boss McKenna said: “I think there was lots of good things about the performance, of course we got off to a good start with the early goal and our intensity looked really good from the first whistle, scored three really good goals, typical goals for us possibly, and created other good chances.

“Our counter pressure was good especially in the first half, it’s an area where we know we have to improve in this division because the level is higher.

“There were good things in the performance, definitely things to improve on as well but overall a good night’s work.”

Millwall head coach Joe Edwards was disappointed with his team who failed to “execute” the plan they had to contain Ipswich.

Edwards said: “We were beaten by a very good side. I can accept when you lose to a side that are in the form that they’re in at the moment that they can be as clinical as they are and continue to be around the goal.

“I can accept losing but the manner of it is the issue.

“We didn’t get going from the off, the basics of the game, we were second to everything. They have got pace in their team, we were well aware of that, everything that they have done to us tonight is not something we have not seen.

“We came with a plan, well prepared to do it but we simply didn’t execute it. We weren’t good with any of the real basics of the game, as well as showing high levels of quality which we really lacked.

“The game was over at half time really.

“In terms of the attitude and the body language that began to really disappoint me after their first goal in the first half there was a slight improvement in the second half.

“We need to focus on what that first half was and how we can’t afford that happening again for us.”

Ipswich bounced back to winning ways following their first league defeat in 12 games with a thumping 3-1 victory over struggling Millwall.

The Tractor Boys were two goals to the good after just 12 minutes through Conor Chaplin and Massimo Luongo and Nathan Broadhead got the third six minutes before the break.

Kevin Nisbet registered a consolation goal for the visitors 12 minutes from time.

The result kept Town’s lead over third-placed Leeds to seven points and moved Kieran McKenna’s side to within a point of leaders Leicester.

Millwall meanwhile were left in the lower echelons of the Championship table, sitting 19th after suffering back-to-back defeats.

The opening goal came after a fine move down the right wing.

Sam Morsy found Wes Burns and the Welshman got past Millwall full-back Ryan Longman and crossed for George Hirst at the far post, who headed the ball down for Chaplin to rifle home after just five minutes.

Seven minutes later Ipswich made it 2-0 when slick interplay from Chaplin, Hirst and Burns resulted in the ball being laid off to Luongo who fired through a crowded penalty area.

Another break down the right by Burns almost resulted in a third goal. The wide man crossed for Hirst, whose first-time shot was acrobatically tipped over the bar by Millwall goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

Ipswich keeper Vaclav Hladky had to get down smartly to gather a shot from Longman as the visitors tried to get back into the game but, at the other end, Burns struck the left-hand post with a fierce shot from just inside the penalty area.

Morsy fired over the bar from an acute angle and moments later Town went further in front.

It came after Cameron Burgess surged forward and fed the ball out to Leif Davis, whose pinpoint cross was powerfully headed back across Bialkowski.

There was some pushing and shoving on the touchline when Millwall substitute George Honeyman fouled Broadhead and Hirst’s ambitious attempt at goal from 25 yards out had Bialkowski leaping high to see the ball sail over the bar.

Bialkowski came to the rescue of the Lions again when he tipped over a shot from Chaplin and Luongo fired narrowly wide as Town tried to find a fourth goal.

Millwall grabbed a consolation in the 78th minute when Nisbet expertly guided the ball home following a cross by Longman.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna had mixed reactions to his team’s 3-2 victory over Swansea which took them level on points with Championship leaders Leicester.

Town, who came into the game on a three-match winless run in all competitions, fell behind to Jay Fulton’s seventh-minute header.

Jack Taylor, Conor Chaplin and George Hirst all scored to put Ipswich in command, but Swansea pulled one back through Jamal Lowe despite having Liam Cullen sent off.

And McKenna was annoyed by how his side ended the game.

“It shouldn’t have been 3-2,” the Ipswich boss said.

“There’s bits of frustration in there but there’s lots of good things about the game and the way that we played, the way that we overcame adversity and played some really good football and could have had any number of goals really.

“We should have been out of sight and I didn’t really like how we played the last 15 minutes against the 10 men.

“I didn’t like our concentration level. I didn’t like our humility.

“We dropped our concentration levels. It’s not just the frustration in the staff room it’s frustration in the dressing room that we didn’t maintain our standards for the last 15 minutes of that game.

“Sometimes something goes against you. There’s a lesson in there, but on the other hand massive credit to the group, massive credit to the response, massive credit to how we played throughout the first half, the way we came out in the second half, the way we chased down and built pressure for the third goal. There was some outstanding things in there.”

Swansea boss Michael Duff was frustrated his side travelled home with nothing to show for their efforts.

Duffy said: “We’ve been beaten by a 35-yard screamer, conceded from a throw in, conceded a penalty from a corner and a man sent off from a throw in. Three set plays ultimately.

“We kept the ball really well, started the game on the front foot, shot ourselves in the foot in a mad 15 minutes, got back in it and then we went down to 10 men.

“I thought we were excellent. I think that there’s 30,000 people biting their nails when nine minutes goes up (for added time). We’ve got 10 men and they’re time wasting tells you everything.

“I’m really pleased with the character and some of the quality but ultimately frustrated that we have come away with nothing.”

Ipswich returned to winning ways and moved level on points with Championship leaders Leicester after coming from a goal down to beat Swansea 3-2.

Town, who had been held to back to back league draws after their Carabao Cup exit, fell behind after just seven minutes when Jay Fulton’s header found the back of the net.

But Jack Taylor’s wonderful long-range strike drew the teams level after 17 minutes, Conor Chaplin put them ahead five minutes later and George Hirst converted a second-half penalty.

Swansea’s Liam Cullen was sent off after receiving a second yellow card midway through the second half but the visitors still managed to pull one back through Jamal Lowe.

But Town held on for a victory that moved them level on points with the Foxes, who lost 1-0 at Middlesbrough.

Swansea took the lead when a free-kick by skipper Matt Grimes found Lowe and his cross was headed home by Fulton.

But Town struck back when Taylor, making his first home league start, rifled the ball into the net from 25 yards to record his first league goal for the Town.

Chaplin put Ipswich in front in the 22nd minute when he linked up with Hirst before squeezing the ball inside the near post.

Almost every outfield player was involved in a melee during a flashpoint in the game which resulted in referee Sunny Singh Gill, officiating in only his second Championship game, booking Chaplin and Wales international Cullen.

Town missed a wonderful opportunity to extend their lead after 36 minutes when Omari Hutchinson found space on the right and with just Carl Rushworth to beat crossed the ball just in front of a sliding and unmarked Nathan Broadhead.

Rushworth came to Swansea’s rescue just before the break when he palmed away a shot from Hirst and Grimes appeared to foul Taylor in the penalty area but the referee turned away strong appeals for a spot-kick.

Harrison Clarke had an effort disallowed following a corner by Leif Davis but Ipswich did extend their lead in the 53rd minute.

Cullen was adjudged to have been grappled by Newcastle loanee Harrison Ashby in the box and up stepped Hirst who fired past Rushworth to give the Town a deserved 3-1 lead.

Cullen was given his marching orders in the 69th minute after he fouled Davis just outside the penalty area but Chaplin’s free-kick went narrowly wide of the right-hand post.

As the game drew to a close, Swansea head coach Michael Duff was given a yellow card and Vaclav Hladky made his first save of the match from Lowe before the Swansea forward pulled a goal back in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was delighted to see individual players step up in their 4-2 victory over Preston.

The promoted hosts kept pace with Sky Bet Championship leaders Leicester and extended their lead over third-placed Preston to eight points after making it six games unbeaten.

A clever set-piece routine for Conor Chaplin’s opener and a superb solo goal from Brandon Williams ignited the Tractor Boys’ display.

McKenna said: “Our substitutes bought fresh energy and helped us kill the game off as well.

“We had a threat right throughout the game with some great goals and we have to take a lot of positives and the players deserve a lot of credit not just today but certainly across this block of games.”

McKenna was delighted with the “well-executed” set-piece which produced the first goal for Chaplin, as well as Manchester United loanee Williams’ goal.

“Credit to the staff as well, it didn’t look as good as that in training but sometimes things are better in the arena. Really well executed and a great way to get us started,” McKenna said.

“Brandon showed that drive and that determination all game up and down the pitch and the goal typified that today – and we needed it.

“We weren’t at our very best as a team and we’re not always going to be… individually we need people to step up and Brandon did that especially with his goal.”

Chaplin fired Ipswich ahead before the visitors levelled through Mads Frokjaer-Jensen. Williams’ effort restored Town’s advantage, which was added to by Nathan Broadhead.

Ben Whiteman got Preston back in it but Kayden Jackson’s late fourth ensured promoted Ipswich’s extraordinary start to the season continued as they inflicted a third successive defeat on the visitors.

Preston manager Ryan Lowe said it was a “tough afternoon” for his team and urged them to learn from their mistakes.

Lowe said: “Obviously (I’m) disappointed with the first half and I think the first three goals, you can’t give a good team like Ipswich three goals and we have done.

“It was good goals from them, especially the first one, but we knew what was coming and we worked on it yesterday.

“We give ourselves a lifeline at half-time and make a few changes and came out a lot better and when we were really pushing, second half they do us on the counter and come out with the ball when we should win those duels. So overall (it’s) a tough afternoon.

“They all admit it’s not good enough. It’s probably been one of the toughest weeks since I’ve been here in terms of the goals we have conceded.

“If you want to do anything in the division you have to be better all round.”

Conor Chaplin’s goal gave Ipswich a 1-0 victory at QPR and maintained their 100 per cent Sky Bet Championship record this season.

Ipswich, promoted from League One last season and now unbeaten in 22 league games, rode their luck at Loftus Road before scoring against the run of play with 15 minutes remaining.

Nathan Broadhead found Chaplin in the box and, after his first shot was blocked by Jack Colback, the striker fired the loose ball beyond keeper Asmir Begovic.

QPR had created several chances – and were desperately unfortunate not to be ahead at half-time.

They could not have gone closer to scoring when Sinclair Armstrong’s strike from near the left-hand edge of the penalty area struck the inside of the far post and then the inside of the opposite post.

The pace and directness of 20-year-old striker Armstrong continued to cause Ipswich major problems after that near miss.

Armstrong chased a long ball from Paul Smyth and forced a mistake from the worried Luke Woolfenden before unleashing a shot which keeper Vaclav Hladky did well to save.

Hladky also pushed over Morgan Fox’s looping header from a free-kick swung in by Ilias Chair, who sent one shot narrowly over and another wide of the near post from a tight angle as QPR kept up the pressure.

Ipswich did also threaten before the break. Wes Burns missed a great chance when he was unable to find the target when free at the far post, and George Hirst later fired over from just inside the box.

The visitors were on the back foot again early in the second half – again largely because of the relentless Armstrong.

The young Irishman darted with the ball between Woolfenden and Harry Clarke on the left flank and charged towards the box, where Hladky managed to deny him.

Then an astonishing miss let Ipswich off the hook again.

In trying to add a decisive touch after good work from Chair, Armstrong inadvertently diverted the ball away from the target towards Rangers defender Osman Kakay, who contrived to blast wide of an open goal.

Armstrong, playing in the absence of the injured Lyndon Dykes, is hugely exciting but has shown a lack of stamina so far during his fledgling career.

And when he went off midway through the second half, Rangers inevitably faded and boss Gareth Ainsworth’s limited options were underlined.

Ipswich took advantage and looked comfortable after going ahead, although Chair almost scored a sensational late equaliser when his audacious attempt from near the halfway line was tipped over by the scrambling Hladky.