Ipswich gave their hopes of automatic promotion from the Championship a major lift by beating Norwich 2-0 at Carrow Road, moving back into the top two with two games in hand on third-placed Millwall. Jaden Philogene's controversial early penalty and George Hirst's goal before the break delivered a hard-fought victory and a long overdue double over their East Anglian rivals.
Norwich had more of the ball and spent long stretches pinning the visitors back, but impressive Ipswich defending kept clear-cut chances to a bare minimum. The defeat ended the Canaries' faint hopes of making the play-offs, although a likely top-10 finish still represents a remarkable achievement for a side that was in the bottom three at the start of the year.
A contentious decision sets the tone
The game's first major flashpoint arrived after only 11 minutes. Anis Ben Slimane accidentally caught Jack Taylor as he tried to hook the ball clear in the area, but referee Anthony Backhouse pointed to the spot, and Philogene sent Vladan Kovacevic the wrong way to give Ipswich the lead.