Kemar Roofe and Liam Cooper were on target as the Blues were comfortably defeated 2-0 by Leeds at Elland Road as the Whites returned to the top of the table. Roofe put the West Yorkshiremen ahead in the 22nd minute and skipper Cooper added the second on 66 with Town never looking like taking anything from the game once they had gone behind.

Town boss Paul Hurst made seven changes to the team which lost 2-0 at home to QPR at the weekend with Bartosz Bialkowski, Jordan Spence, Jonas Knudsen, Flynn Downes, Tayo Edun, Jon Nolan and Kayden Jackson all starting.

Dean Gerken, Janoi Donacien, Trevoh Chalobah, Gwion Edwards, Grant Ward and Andre Dozzell all dropped to the bench, while Toto Nsiala was left out of the 18.

Ahead of Bialkowski in goal, Spence was at right-back, Knudsen at left-back with Matthew Pennington to the left of skipper Like Chambers at the centre of the defence.

Nolan was on the right of midfield with Edun on the left and Downes in the centre with Cole Skuse. Jackson started up front with Freddie Sears behind him.

Pablo Hernandez blazed an early shot over from distance after a Bialkowski kick had been closed down and deflected into the air by Roofe. On five, Nolan picked up an early yellow card for a foul on Samuel Saiz.

There was a big scare for the Blues in the 11th minute when Ezgjan Alioski’s low cross from the left was fumbled by Bialkowski but fortunately away from Hernandez and Chambers was able to clear.

Gaetano Berardi joined Nolan in the referee’s book in the 16th minute for a foul on Sears on the Blues’ left. From the freekick taken by Edun, Pennington headed into keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s arms at the far post.

On 19 Nolan scuffed wide from 20 yards with the Blues starting to make an impression going forward.

However, three minutes later the home side went in front. Hernandez whipped over a cross from the right which flew over Pennington to Roofe, whose header from six yards was too powerful for Bialkowski’s outstretched arm.

Having got in front, Leeds began to put the Blues under pressure but on 27 they were forced into a change when Berardi was replaced by Stuart Dallas.

Two minutes later, Hernandez cut the ball back to Saiz but his shot was blocked, then on 31 Downes was booked for a foul on Klich.

Alioski hit a cross-shot over from the left with the Whites well in control but without having come close to a second.

On 36, Luke Ayling’s shot was deflected over after Spence had cleared poorly from a corner, then from the subsequent flag-kick Downes flicked the ball over Bialkowski as the keeper looked to catch.

As the half moved into its final five minutes Town began to probe in the Leeds half but without threatening an equaliser.

Two minutes of injury time yielded no further chances at either end and the scoreline remained the same at the break.

Leeds deserved their lead having been in charge throughout and having created the game’s few opportunities.

Town hadn’t been as poor as they were against QPR, defensively they had been far less calamitous, but they had rarely threatened with Pennington’s header from Edun’s freekick their only real chance.

Two minutes after the restart Blues skipper Luke Chambers claimed a penalty after he was hauled down as an Edun freekick came in from the left. The central defender looked to have a case but neither referee Craig Pawson nor his assistant were interested.

On 50 Knudsen was booked for a foul on Hernandez, who required treatment before carrying on.

As in the first half chances were rare and keepers being forced into saves even rarer. On 56 Dallas scraped wide from the edge of the box.

A minute later Adam Forshaw replaced Saiz, then on 58 the Whites swapped Jack Harrison for Tom Pearce.

Dallas wasn’t too far away from doubling his side’s lead on 62 when his shot from the right of the box was deflected into the side-netting. Soon after Ward took over from Edun for Town.

The home side were beginning to threaten more regularly and in the 66th minute Hernandez struck a shot from a tight angle on the right which Bialkowski pawed away from goal.

However, from the resultant corner Leeds doubled their lead. The ball was played to Cooper on the edge of the box from where the Whites captain struck a powerful shot into the roof of the net all but sealing his side’s victory and another defeat for the Blues.

Town continued to huff and puff after the second Leeds goal but the Whites looked in little danger and appeared far more likely to add a third than Town were to pull one back.

On 76 Leeds went very close when Alioski smashed a shot from distance on the left which beat Bialkowski but struck the inside of the post and landed safely. Moments later, Town switched Sears for Edwards.

With the Whites completely dominating as the game moved into its final 10 minutes, sub Forshaw unleashed a powerful effort from distance which Bialkowski did well to save down to his right.

Leeds kept up the pressure with chances coming more and more frequently, Bialkowski saving from Alioski on 82, then a minute later Roofe diverted the Macedonian’s cross from the left wide.

Moments later, Town struck their first shot of the half, Nolan hitting a low effort from the right of the area which Peacock-Farrell stopped down to his right with little fanfare. Five minutes from time Chalobah took over from Skuse.

The Blues can have little complaint about the result, they were once again very much second best.

While not as bad as they were against QPR - which is the faintest of praise - Town never looked like they were going to take anything from the game once they had gone behind.

Defensively they were better with Pennington back in the centre but Leeds still had enough chances to have won more comfortably, while the Blues were poor on the ball, two or three passes would inevitably be followed by possession being conceded, and created virtually nothing.

Whether this latest defeat is the tipping point which persuades owner Marcus Evans to end Hurst’s time in charge remains to be seen but something certainly needs to change - and quickly - if the bottom-of-the-table Blues are to avoid dropping into the third tier for the first time in 62 years.

Leeds: Peacock-Farrell, Ayling, Alioski, Cooper (c), Berardi (Dallas 27), Phillips, Klich, Harrison (Pearce 58), Hernandez, Saiz, Roofe. Unused: Blackman, Forshaw, Roberts, Baker, Clarke.

Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Pennington, Chambers (c), Skuse (Chalobah 85), Downes, Nolan, Edun (Ward 62), Sears (Edwards 76), Jackson. Unused: Gerken, Donacien, Dozzell, Lankester. Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire). Att: 29,082.

Photo: Action Images

tomitfc added 23:47 - Oct 24 I know that we were not expected to get anything tonight, which is sad in it's self, but to go down with such an obvious lack of fight or ability is just unacceptable. Where is the high pressing football that PH promised us? We look so weak and slow compared to everyone else. Had anyone actually heard of any of the signings that we've made before we brought them in? £2m on Kayden Jackson is truly criminal business. It's like we signed players based on their highlights reel on YouTube. I've never felt more embarrassed to be an Ipswich fan. It's absolutely heartbreaking watching his happen to our football club but I'm afraid we are going down and there is nothing we can do about it.

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Taricco_Fan added 23:55 - Oct 24 I've seen precious little of the high-press, high-intensity, wingers-hugging-the-touchline style that Hurst was supposed to bring to this club. So he is either unable to impart his style on this squad of players, the players aren't good enough...or both. After 14 league games we should be seeing the style bedding-in and a clear first eleven. Neither of these things are happening. Where I would hope to see progress I only see regression. So we have a squad of sub-standard players with no clear grasp of the style they are being asked to play, shot of confidence and heading into the biggest battle this club has faced in decades, lead by a manager who appears to be at a loss. I see no other outcome than relegation.

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Brockleyblue added 00:03 - Oct 25 Much has been rightly made of PH signing so many League 1 and League 2 players in the summer, but the problem is even more pronounced than the fact that the new arrivals simply are not good enough to be able to play at this level. If the entire first-team squad were made available right now (including loanees), how many of them would attract serious interest, at this stage in their careers, from other clubs in the Championship? I think it would only be about six: Bialkowski, Knudsen, Pennington, Chalobah, Dozzell and Edwards. That is lamentable, and is a sad indictment of how the club has been run for some time now.

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Westy added 00:03 - Oct 25 Success for Ipswich Town this Season will be survival. Yet we waited so long for the appointment as Evans said he needed to get it right this time. Sorry to say that he hasn't. Six of the seven key decisions Evans has made have been wrong. Hurst implied during his post match comments that we didn't have sufficient quality to take our chances, yet he brought these players in. I don't see how he can survive now.

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Minneapolis_ITFC added 00:40 - Oct 25 I look to some of the greatest contributors to progress and civilization such as Faraday, Edison, Marie Curie, Marconi, Einstein etc - and then you got Marcus Evans. The latter is the epitome of underachievement if not garbage - with Hurst fast closing in behind him in the race. If both these sorry asses are in position by time of May the club will fall through to lower league, I can view little other alternative. What happened to those nights of playing great French teams off the field and winning European honors, along with those amazing teams we assembled. In the past or otherwise the gap between it and present time resembles an almighty chasm. Applaud those who traveled to the game today and a lengthy trip with it, too bad the team chose to put on one of it's more inept performances and bottom line is, the club faces a quite depressing time on it's hands from here to end of season.

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Lukeybluey added 00:55 - Oct 25 Lets face it, if we don't go down this season we'll definitely go down the next.
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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 02:41 - Oct 25 Awesome WASTE of 2 hours of my life! 10-11 "headless chickens" running around, were of a dumbfounding 7 were "replacement chickens" (including no Edwards)?! And oh Captain Calamity, who would not be dropped even if we hypothetically bought the currently best back 4 defenders on the planet, "struck again" = 1st goal ball watching, 2nd goal very poor marking. And once again heavily 'OutShot (18-3) & 'OutCornered' (15-0) etc, etc. statwise... and although LIKABLE Freddie Sears running & work ethics is absolutely very commendable , please don't forget fans the little FACTS that 1) He was the no. 4 or 5 striker not very long ago, and now suddenly he is no. one???!!! This despite 2) unfathomably not scoring for over **1700+ minutes** between April 2017 and April 2018, this after previously having himself another SURREAL drought of around 38 games without a goal back between 2015-2016. Thus although Likable Freddie in the previous couple of games surely looked somewhat more adept at laying of the ball to others, generally livelier & basically "better" than his competitors up front, this in the up until today Hurt's dead-stubborn and completely ineffective & moribund "Lone Striker" project, anemic or goal-shy Sears who simply put will just not score enough to save us even if he starts the remaining 32!, suddenly jumping from "zero" to "hero" (or "savior") surely smells of sheer managerial DESPERATION to me in the picking order among our strikers, even considering the stupid loan-out of Morris etc. and injuries to first and foremost 35 year old emergency loanee Jon Walters. ....plus of course additionally it's also serves as just indisputable evidence that the approx. £ 2.5 mill Hurst splashed out on lower league striker DUDS Harrison & Jackson, of his "petty allowance" (but still much more dough totally than MM usually got!) from Ebeneezer's treasure trunk, was a more or less complete waste of pesos... exactly like the fees and/or wages paid for the VAST MAJORITY of his other hapless in-going transactions! Aye an utterly inherent clueless & out of his depth manager we saw for the about the 14 or 15 time again today!!! ...but knowing the pretty much equally inept Ebeneezer the Owner, it wouldn't personally surprise me one bit if Paul "I know what I'm doing! Darn it!" Hurst is still, completely blank-faced of course!, traversing the sidelines at Millwall on Saturday. HURST OUT NOW! EVANS OUT A.S.A.P.!

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KiwiBlue2 added 02:47 - Oct 25 Too much change too quickly with respect to the team(s) PH has lined up. The introduction of 8 or 9 new players was about 5 too many. The fact that most of the ones brought in had been playing League 1 and 2 could really only drag the quality of the team down and of course this was exacerbated by letting 3 players who were definitely up to Championship standard go. I suspect that if we are not out of the bottom three by the end of the upcoming international break PH will go. If he is kept on until January and the results are the same as up to this point we will be in last place and that far adrift of the fourth from bottom team that it will not be possible for any replacement manager to save us, even if there is a bit of investment in January. I would like to have seen PH succeed but feel that the squad he now has does not have enough quality to help him. Very sad situation all round.

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mags96 added 05:50 - Oct 25 FUBAR!!!!!!
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bluearmy4life added 06:16 - Oct 25 We will need to win two games to get out of the bottom three providing that teams above us don't win. At this current ratio we would of won 3 games when we have played 42 league games. Let that sink in for a minute! That's how poor we're. Hurst out
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smithy0981 added 07:12 - Oct 25 Get real people George burley is not going to solve our problems. He's a legend yes but he won't be able to do what he did last tine he has been out the game for years. The only thing that we have learnt from this is that in the championship u need a manager with experience at this level. I wanted a young manager but it hasn't worked. Hurst needs to go now put klug in charge until we find a suitable manager. Even better would be Evans selling the club the guys is a business man and is only in this to promote his brand simple as that he does not care about this club

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thundercat600 added 07:32 - Oct 25 I am going to have to type this, I do hope that all of you lot that shouted so loudly to get MM out now feel better. You have your young ambition manager that you craved for with a young energetic squad. But, I supose for you all to admit that you were wrong will fall on deaf ears. With out a doubt if MM and TC were still here Ipswich Town Football Club would not be in the position that's its in now and that's heading for league one.

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Nobbysnuts added 07:41 - Oct 25 Complete utter garbage. Would the last person out please turn off the lights. RIP ITFC.
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Swn98 added 07:52 - Oct 25 Thundercat we did warn everyone of the grass is greener on the other side mob to be careful what they wished for, Now they have got it they are squealing like stuck pigs. No Timmy you and your cohorts need to be reminded at every available opportunity how stupid you are.
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Swn98 added 07:54 - Oct 25 Should of read no Timmy I will not shut up.
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MickMillsTash added 07:59 - Oct 25 I thought we kept our shape which some teams in our position do not It was brave going 4-4-2 and sort of worked for 20 mins Jackson needs to be better when on the ball - I think he is our only hope- Leeds were without Jannsen and struggled to get to terms with that - we should have had 2 men around Hernanadez - tactical mistake Another goal conceded from a corner, we had turned off - thats a joke They had 15 corners we had 0 thats a disgrace Boys playing Men Feeling Desperate, Hopeless, Humiliated, Disappointed, Frustrated, Bored, Apathetic- There's another 6 months of this! at least the in-laws aren't coming for Xmas

3

Morgan added 08:15 - Oct 25 Very worrying. I can't see 3 teams with a squad less prepared for a relegation battle than us. We are a quarter of the way through the season and have no obvious strategy of even any closer to knowing our strongest side. It seems the supporters were listened to with a regime change and look at the pre season optimism of the posts around our recruitment it demonstrates that, despite wanting to see good football and being frustrated with treading water this experiment has failed to this point. Apparently statistically there is less chance after 15 games of a manager turning the form around than changing manager. Even if that happens I can't see there is a strong enough squad at this level to do anything about it. Happy to be proven wrong on all points but things are looking bleak!

1

Dissboyitfc added 08:29 - Oct 25 Thundercat.... I am 100% glad Mm has gone, but feel desperately sad at the situation we find ourselves in. Getting rid of Mm was right, should have after the Lincoln debacle. In no industry is it ok to yell “f=*k off” to the paying customers, even worse on Live tv, how anyone can defend him to me is beyond belief! Getting in Hurst withe benefit of hindsight has been a terrible mistake that has gone wrong! He hasn't even begun to deliver what he promised, which is what we asked for! Again he with the the benefit of hindsight should have signed only a couple of lower players and some a couple of championship experienced players, that would have been enough. Wolfendam, Nydam and Emanuelle should be here playing instead of the players he signed to play in there positions. Avery niave and almost unfathomable approach. So sad but the fact is water finds its own level and hurst has found his ! Time to act Evans and get in someone who knows what he is doing. On finishing Mm going was right, Ph coming was wrong! I feel he deceived us all. Time to act while there is the faintest hope of getting out of this!

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BlueandTruesince82 added 08:33 - Oct 25 Convinced Preston is the crunch, lose to them and it's the sack. This is insane. No guts No guile No belief No system No idea what the best team is No heart No desire Nothing.
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smithy0981 added 08:46 - Oct 25 Much McCarthy brigade bore off and get over it, he had to go simple as that! It was always going to be a risk but if we didn't take it we would just stand still and remain mid table forever. Your lying if you say your were happy with that. No point laying into other fans for wanting mick out everyone is entitled to their opinions. Yes it hasn't worked and we need to try something else but have some ambition we needed to leave that comfort zone and try something different

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Len_Brennan added 08:53 - Oct 25 I would agree with Dissboy almost entirely. The only correction I would suggest is that we did not need hindsight to know that signing so many inexperienced, lower league players in one foul swoop was a mistake. In fact I think you yourself, like many of us, may have expressed that very thought at the time it was happening.
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marco007 added 09:28 - Oct 25 I thought it was yet another awful performance and it just shows how far this club has sunk under the reckless leadership of Hursty. After 14 league games, making 7 changes shows that he has no idea of his best team, or a formation that is going to work in this division. The players looked confused, the shape was all over the place and there was absolutely no cohesion. I fail to see how pumping long balls to Sears and Jacskon is the answer?? Midfield is bereft of creativity and Nolan, Skuse and Downes were passengers. Leeds are decent but in no way would they be competitive in the Premiership. What shone through for me was that it was like watching a strong Championship team against a Division 1 side...............that might be linked to the players that we signed! :( We are completely out of our depth!

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Gcon added 09:30 - Oct 25 just goes to show how far MM overachieved under the owners lack of support. Sandwiched between Jewell and Hurst, he was a messiah. Shame it went unappreciated. However, that's all in the past. The ownership is not, and that's where the supporter pressure needs to be focussed.
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Bergholtblue added 09:37 - Oct 25 Every team that Mick McCarthy has managed have been relegated the season after he left them! Its inevitable I'm afraid, so I am preparing for next year. "Alexa, give me directions to Fleetwood Town, Rochdale, Bristol Rovers.............."
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Michael101 added 09:37 - Oct 25 Well said diss boy,myself i think mad Mick should have gone after the Southampton 're cup replay,I was at that game with 4 others and walking out on77 mins we all said we would not return whilst that imbersile was in charge.only thing is Hurst don't seem any better.
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