Jaden Philogene’s exquisite curling finish gave Ipswich a narrow 1-0 victory over Stoke at Portman Road.
His goal, in just the second minute of the game, moved Town up a place to fourth spot in the Championship as they recorded back-to-back victories while the Potters slipped to their third defeat on the trot falling down to eighth.
Ipswich opened the scoring with their first attack of the game.
Leif Davis linked up Philogene down the left, interchanged passes with Marcelino Nunez who fed the Town winger who then fired an unstoppable shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top left-hand corner past a despairing Viktor Johansson in the Stoke goal.
But Stoke almost equalised through Bae Jun-Ho moments later with Dara O’Shea coming the rescue at the last minute to deflect the ball into the side netting.
Town goalkeeper Christian Walton was then alert to save a shot from the visitor’s leading scorer Sorba Thomas as Stoke pressed for an equaliser.
Sindre Walle Egeli’s glorious cross-field pass had Johansson rushing out of his goal and Davis picked up the rebound to fire from 30 yards out but the goalkeeper beat the ball away straight into the path of Ivan Azon and, with the keeper out of his goal and two defenders on the line, he lashed the ball horribly high over the bar.
Philogene danced his way across the Stoke byline but was unable to find a team-mate and Nunez missed a great opportunity to make it 2-0 when well placed.
The hosts appealed for a penalty as the half drew to a close when Aaron Cresswell appeared to handle the ball but referee Adam Herczeg turned it down.
Thomas created another chance for Stoke when he picked up a wayward pass from Azor Matusiwa but O’Shea dived in to deflect his goalbound shot wide for a corner and Davis dragged a shot across the face of goal from Philogene’s pass.
Azon’s cross-field pass into the penalty area just failed to find Davis and from the resulting corner the Town striker headed the ball straight at Johansson.
Johansson then dived full length to deny Nunez following a quick break upfield and Walton denied Stoke at the death by parrying away an effort from Thomas as Ipswich hung on to pick up the three points.
