Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna hailed his team’s 2-1 victory at Derby as his “favourite” of the season.
McKenna saw his side respond superbly after losing the lead to record an impressive win that strengthens their promotion push in the Championship.
Ipswich were gifted the lead when Lewis Travis headed a corner into his own net in the eighth minute before a foul by Azor Matusiwa on Bobby Clark gave Derby a 68th-minute penalty which Rhian Brewster scored.
But the visitors hit back with a superb header from Leif Davis in the 77th minute to win a game which ended with Travis receiving a second yellow card for a push on Darnell Furlong.
McKenna said: “I definitely enjoyed it, maybe my favourite win of the season, they’re all three points but I really enjoyed it for all the aspects really.
“We played really well at times, we started the game really well, played really good football and although the goal was not from that we could have been two or three up with some of the moves we put together early on.
“Then we had to handle the chaos sometimes of set-plays and a vociferous home crowd, balls in the air and balls bouncing around, we had to stand up to that well which we did.
“We didn’t manage to get the second goal, which was probably the bit we needed to really take control of the game, but didn’t look like conceding and then had the setback of giving away a really poor penalty.
“That would have been gutting for the team if that had cost us so the reaction in the way we got straight back to taking a foothold in the game, the subs having a big impact, a brilliant winning goal and really good team management to see the game out, so it was a really good win.”
For Derby head coach John Eustace, the performance showed his team are moving in the right direction.
He said: “I thought it was a great game, two good teams going toe to toe. It was really exciting to watch and I was very proud of the efforts of the group.
“To come up against probably the best team in the league with the best squad of players and go toe to toe with them was really pleasing.
“We got a deserved equaliser and I felt we could maybe go on and win the game. They made a lot of positive changes then, you look at their bench, obviously that’s why they are a top team and it certainly made a difference but the way we kept going was really pleasing.
“We got into some fantastic areas, our build-up play at times was good, our defensive shape was good, we got into some good transitional areas but we couldn’t make the right decision or the final pass was just a bit loose but you can see the progression we’re making.”
