Tommy Smith’s 32nd minute goal gave the Blues a 1-0 win at Leeds United, their first victory at Elland Road in 10 years.

Town boss Mick McCarthy made two changes following Friday’s 5-1 defeat at Reading. Daryl Murphy came into the side for Brett Pitman, who dropped to the bench, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles returned on the right of midfield for Freddie Sears, who missed out with a hamstring injury.

Leeds included former Blues loan striker Chris Wood with Mirco Antenucci joining him up front and Luke Murphy coming into the midfield with Alex Mowatt and Sam Byram dropping to the bench.

The home side threatened first in the third minute, Gaetano Beradi whipping over a low cross from the right but Wood couldn’t get on to it and Town cleared. At the other end, Ryan Fraser curled over a low ball from the left but Whites keeper Marco Silvestri claimed at a stretch.

On seven, Leeds skipper Sol Bamba was yellow-carded for a late tackle as Fraser skipped past him on the touchline, the Blues winger requiring treatment before continuing. Maitland-Niles’s mis-hit freekick found David McGoldrick but his shot was blocked.

In the ninth minute, Wood sent Lewis Cook in on goal on the left of the Town area, but skipper Luke Chambers got back to outmuscle the midfielder, who ought to have done much better having gone to ground very easily. Referee James Adcock swiftly waved away home protests.

McGoldrick found Maitland-Niles breaking from deep towards the Leeds area in the 17th minute but the ball was slightly behind where the on-loan Arsenal man wanted it and Cook chased back to dispossess him.

Dean Gerken was forced into his first save of the evening on 27 but Antenucci’s effort - the game’s first shot on goal at either end - deflected harmlessly through to the Blues keeper.

Beradi shot well wide for Leeds on 29, then two minutes later Douglas won the ball just inside the Leeds half and sent McGoldrick away down the left. The striker cut in and was crowded out when he might have played an early cross towards Murphy.

On 32 a Jonas Knudsen throw on the left forced a corner from which the Blues went in front. Keeper Silvestri missed Fraser’s flag-kick, Leeds defender Liam Cooper inadvertently diverted it back across his own area from the far post and Tommy Smith nodded home his second goal of the season.

McGoldrick immediately created himself an opening, flicking the ball over a defender before shooting well over from a tight angle on the right.

Neither side came close to scoring again before the break. Leeds had a lot of the ball without threatening, while the Blues looked more dangerous when breaking.

Overall, it had been an entertaining half but with neither side able to create many chances. As so often in the Championship a mistake - or series of mistakes - were the difference between the teams at the break, Smith having profited from Silvestri and Cooper’s errors.

Town had repelled everything thrown at them by the Whites, although Cook should have done better when he had his opportunity, with no repeat of Friday’s defensive mistakes.

Murphy got around the outside of Bamba on the left two minutes after the restart but Silvestri claimed.

In the 49th minute Fraser fed Knudsen, Cooper got to it ahead of McGoldrick but the loose ball fell to Maitland-Niles, who volleyed powerfully straight at Silvestri from the 18-yard line.

On 52 Fraser skipped past Bamba - who almost felled him inside the area - and a number of other Leeds defenders on the left of the box before forcing Silvestri to save at his near post with a shot from a tight angle.

The Blues had started the second half on top but on 55 Charlie Taylor cut in past Chambers on the Leeds left and hit a deflected cross-shot which Gerken saved.

At the other end Fraser struck a powerful strike from distance which Silvestri grabbed at the second attempt.

McGoldrick curled wide from 25 yards a minute later after Maitland-Niles’s pressure had caused Leeds to surrender possession in their own half and Cole Skuse had nodded down to the Blues number 10.

Silvestri was forced to save down to his left from McGoldrick on 59 before Leeds swapped Stuart Dallas, a Town target before he joined the Whites in the summer, for Byram.

Cook screwed well wide from 20 yards following a Leeds break on 62, then two minutes later Fraser hit a cross from the left beyond Maitland-Niles.

Five minutes later, Skuse fed Murphy, who sent Fraser away towards goal but the Scotland U21 international hit his shot across the face and well wide. On 71 Cook was booked for a poor challenge on Knudsen.

From the resultant freekick the Dane sent over a cross from the left and Murphy rose highest to nod a looping header over the bar.

Cook shot wide from distance for Leeds on 75 before Fraser and Skuse were replaced by Jonny Parr and Giles Coke, both having received treatment on the field.

Parr got his name in referee Adcock’s book within seconds of coming on for a foul on Byram.

Leeds began to up the tempo and the crowd the noise levels and on 77 Wood saw a shot deflect wide. From the corner, Luke Murphy hit an effort high and wide.

Knudsen conceded a needless corner as the game moved into its final 10 minutes, failing to find Gerken with a header back to the keeper. The Whites forced a subsequent flag-kick and Chambers headed superbly from under the bar.

For the first time the Blues were coming under real pressure. Pitman took over from Maitland-Niles for the final six minutes of scheduled time.

Leeds claimed a penalty in the 86th minute when Byram got around the outside of Knudsen as he ran on to a pass. The sub went to ground as he went beyond the Dane when through on goal, but referee Adcock immediately signalled for a freekick to Town and booked the midfielder for a dive. Replays subsequently showed that he made the right decision.

Byram’s team-mates remonstrated with the referee at length, while the home crowd made their feelings known to the official.

McGoldrick shot into the side-netting as the game entered its final scheduled minute but most of the football was at the Town end with the home side continuing the pressure.

Deep in injury time, Gerken made an unconvincing punch and McGoldrick diverted the ball across the edge of his own area but the Blues held out to claim their first win at Elland Road since a 2-0 win in September 2005 in which Sam Parkin scored twice.

The Town players celebrated the win on the pitch as the home fans booed and continued to show their frustrations with the penalty decision.

On the overall balance of the game, Town deserved the win having been the better side in the second half having gone in front in the first, defending superbly to bounce back from the heavy loss at Reading with Leeds rarely seriously testing keeper Gerken.

The Blues are back up to fifth in the Championship and next face Birmingham in Friday’s live Sky game at Portman Road.

Leeds: Silvestri, Berardi, Cooper, Bamba (c), Taylor, Murphy, Cook, Adeyemi (Mowatt 68), Dallas (Byram 60), Wood, Antenucci. Subs: Turnbull, Wootton, Bellusci, Phillips, Doukara.

Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse (Coke 76), Douglas, Maitland-Niles, Fraser (Parr 76), Murphy, McGoldrick. Subs: Bialkowski, Malarczyk, Tabb, Touré, Pitman. Referee: James Adcock (Nottinghamshire). Att: 21,312.

Photo: Action Images

sidtheswan added 07:19 - Sep 16 I think if we get promoted ME might have to stick his hand in his pocket and make Bournemouth an offer they can't refuse for Fraser ! The way he's playing I bet Eddie Howe wished he'd kept him! How can our back four be absolutely hopeless one week and excellent the next. Much better team performance keep it up COYB!
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Pip50 added 07:40 - Sep 16 Seem to remember Ewe Sheepseleer making comments (BBC report) about our style last time we beat him at Wigan before he was sacked. Baaa Baaaaa
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callmeted added 08:20 - Sep 16 Great response from Town. It's going to be a roller coaster again. Noticeable though how many post we get on here after a win compared to a loss . Some people seem to enjoy putting the boot in and then aren't heard from again . Hope all get behind the team Friday
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GoldieBlue added 08:40 - Sep 16 Just what we needed. We can now all relax, calm down a bit and move on to Friday which I expect another 3 points. Do worry for Gerken though he really would have taken some stick if that had gone in. He isn't good enough for the championship unfortunately.
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HUTCHITFC added 09:13 - Sep 16 Given that I am a yorkshire blue and that the majority of my friends are leeds fans this is a game that I really look forward to and there is loads of banter leading up to the match. An afternoon session in leeds listening to how much of a massive club Leeds are makes me laugh and I always fight our corner even though I am outnumbered. To then finally beat them at elland road made my day and for the next few months I will constantly remind them of it. Thankyou Itfc !.

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BlueMachines added 09:18 - Sep 16 Well done MM on not going ultra defensive. A great decision. Well done ref on not buying the dive from Byram. Great decision. To those who commented that they hope we would win so the moaners could be proven wrong, how about hoping we win purely because we are Ipswich fans and want our team to win!!
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Bergholtblue added 09:29 - Sep 16 A big test Friday as the Brummies are better than Leeds. Mick will need to make sure the players are fully focused and not dreaming about the trip to OT on Tuesday. In that repect I am glad we have MM in charge. That will be one aspect he will get right.
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PJH added 09:41 - Sep 16 Very good performance and a great comeback after Friday. Fraser my MoM but I thought Chambers had his best game for ages,Smith,Knudsen and Berra all good.Douglas had his best game for us and Skuse and AMN also played well. Murphy and McG worked non stop. I would rather see Bart in goal than Gerks but a clean sheet away from home cannot be bettered. There will be far more performances like this one from this squad than there will be like the one at Reading.

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Warkys_Tash added 10:00 - Sep 16 GET IN!! Fraser, class. Bamba cynical. Glad there is no recall on him.
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gino88 added 10:15 - Sep 16 I have to say that is a big 3 points for town. I have this feeling the 5-1 thrashing could be the making of this promising team. I was extremely critical this week of MM for his persistence with chambers and smith, and I won't change my mind about their defensive frailties however what i cannot criticise either of them for is the fact they never shy away from any game. They never go to MM looking for ways out of matches. Week in week out Tommy smith gets plenty of stick from us all, me included, yet just when you think he might give in, he pops up with an assured display and you can always guarantee 6-7 goals a season from him, so I'll hold my hands up and say fair play to MM and especially to Tommy smith. What none of us can be be critical of this season is the excellence of our attacking play. Ryan Fraser is an absolute gem that we somehow were loaned from Bournemouth and AMN seems to defy the years with his displays. I think with bru and bishop returning just as skuse gets injured, it will be interesting to see if one or both of them can step up and show MM they are the main centre midfielders at the club. I can feel a 5-1 win coming Friday night. Let's see what happens....

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Razor added 11:07 - Sep 16 I am a little worried that if you dare to comment/criticise anybody or anything on this site you are either labelled a whinger or ignorant----I suppose that is the nature of the beast where anonymity exists. Anyway nothing to worry about last night, an unexpected but welcome 3 points now we must make sure we win on Friday---simple as that.
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BlueMachines added 11:12 - Sep 16 What do you disagree with Bohslegend?
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KiwiTractor added 11:32 - Sep 16 Well done lads.
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BillBlue added 11:43 - Sep 16 BlueMachines - yes, I was mystified too!
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bohslegend added 11:48 - Sep 16 @bluemachines I disagreed with your insinuation that the moaners should be allowed to moan with being reminded afterwards that they were (again) wrong about MM and his tactics or selections. don't be so sensitive about a mark down.
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bohslegend added 11:56 - Sep 16 There is yet again little mafia forming on TWTD which does not appreciate any commentary which amounts to respect and admiration for the manager and players. At the same time those same people hate to be reminded that they did their now usual OTT critical reaction when something goes wrong (as shown clearly following Friday nights bad result/performance and then MM's selection of more or less the same team for the Leeds game). I only defend the right of genuine Ipswich fans who happen have a "glass half full" attitude to the team and manager at the moment. This positive attitude is sneered at by many on here who think that by criticising the team it shows they somehow have more passion for the club.

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tractorintheloft added 12:21 - Sep 16 Gino88 - great comment. As fans we were all passionately upset on Friday, as highly paid professionals MM & TC stayed calm. This rollercoaster is why football is so addictive. I'm staying on for the ride but expect a few more belly churning lows along the way. I think there are areas of the squad MM would strengthen if he could and in time I think he will, it's a case of priority within the restrictive (compared to others) budget.

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warktheline added 12:29 - Sep 16 Top draw result that, taking 3pts away from Elland Rd! Well done McCarthy and boys, dare I say it, for grinding out the result. To those who appear unable to absorb any kind of questioning of team selection, your tunnel vision really is child-like! ' We won, what have you got to say about that'. My response to that is please explain to the rest of us what went wrong in the previous two games? Your narrow mindedness is flawed, ask McCarthy, he apparently acknowledged the team's short-comings, by changing tactics. I've always backed our manager, I guess due to his doggedness in achieving results, but I will continue to question his team selection, especially his determination to continue with playing an extremely good Championship CB at right-back, a position that quite often leaves him exposed against pace. Yes Smith scored, but the lad is forced to play on the right side of a C/B pairing! Not an easy thing to do at any level of football, let alone Championship level. My big question is this, does McCarthy believe this combination to be best we have, or is he side-stepping a big selection dilemma?

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runningout added 12:37 - Sep 16 Great result... if your realistic, those mucking team off were justified (me) as we are better than some results have said....
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BlueMachines added 12:44 - Sep 16 I insinuated nothing. Comment made by Kirbmeister. 9.01pm last night; "I hope we win just to shut up all the idiots that had already turned in MM after two defeats" Hardly a great attitude. We ALL want the team to win, that's ultimately what we all want when support our club and the reason we support them at all. I think it is about time the crusades on this site against each other stop. We are ALL entitled to our opinions and it would be boring if we all agreed.

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thebeat added 12:53 - Sep 16 bohslegend licking the managements backside and seeing no wrong in anything they do does not make you a "genuine" fan. It just means you have blind faith and cant think for yourself. My stance has always been the same, i appreciate where we were when Mick took over and where we are now and are very grateful to him for that. But not every decision he makes is correct, when he gets it wrong especially when its something some of us have pointed out beforehand we as fans of the club have every right to point it out. As good a job as he has done some of his team sheets defy belief sometimes. Look back at my posts and you'll see even when we've been winning ive always pointed out the defence is unbalanced and we need a right back. Over 2 years now playing Chambers out of position. How can anybody not find a rightback in 2 years. Every team we play target our right hand side and we concede the majority of our goals due to this. The only explanation for not getting a rightback in is he doesnt want to because he would then have to drop either Smith or Chambers. There should be no accomodating a player just because you like him. You play round pegs in round holes, both Smith and Chambers struggle in their alloted positions and it has cost us plenty of points. And the whole Gerken/Bart thing just backs up the fact he has favourites, he missed one game due to his Fathers passing but was back and available for Brighton, he should have come straight back in. He'd been in great form and Mick always says if you play well you keep your place. Then in the Brighton game Gerken was awful, should have done better on all 3 goals and somehow keeps his place against Reading and we get a battering, yes we were awful but he could still have done better with a few of the goals, and then again he keeps his place against Leeds. Bart must be wondering what hes done wrong. I'll admit Mick gets most things wrong but elementary things like the situations ive just talked about are simple to fix but he refuses to sort it out. Yes we finished 6th last season but we threw points away down to stubborness and should have finished higher. It doesnt make us the "mafia" just because we can spot when things are wrong.

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gamezone added 13:17 - Sep 16 Lol, thebeat, with all this knowledge and information, why of why aren't you the manager. Can picture him, thick and clueless..............
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Warkys_Tash added 13:49 - Sep 16 Well said The Beat. We did chuck it away last year - although not as badly as Derby. MM has akso been trying to accomodate 4 forwards, hence the parting of the Red Sea in recent games. Trying to keep all players happy is not easy but shouldnt be done at the expense of results. RB & GK positions still a major issue & I am surprised a man of MM's integrity, this has not been resolved.

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warktheline added 14:02 - Sep 16 I believe the majority of us are more than reasonable satisfied with the overall picture, under McCarthy's tenure, but some fail, or are unable to analyse the smaller details!
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scunnyblue added 14:25 - Sep 16 Was at the game last night at Ellend road.The first time i got to a game this season. Based on what i saw i thought the gritty stubborn get the job done ipswich which basically took us to the play offs last season had returned which from the reports i had read so far this season suggested we had lost that edge. Were still not pretty on the eye by any means. Would like to say the addition of fraser and niles on the flanks do give us an added threat going forward which we did not have last season on the few occasions i was able to make a game last season. Well done MM and the boys keep up the good work.

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