Ipswich Town beat Derby County 2-0 this afternoon. Andy Warren hands out his player ratings.
Christian Walton
The goalkeeper did everything asked of him today in terms of keeping the ball out of his net, notably a very strong punch under his own crossbar in the first half. From the corner which followed, he quickly threw the ball out to Broadhead, helping to make the opener. That was big – as is keeping an eighth clean sheet in a row. 8
Harry Clarke
The right-back defended well once again but did have to survive penalty appeals after a strong tangle with Jason Knight. For spells of this game it was difficult to stride forward as we know he can but, when the opportunity was there, he did. He had a shot saved and other testing moments before being replaced – a decision probably made with the fact he was on a booking being considered. 7
Luke Woolfenden
Another big performance from the centre half, who made plenty of clearances and played with a level of calmness which served his side well. Always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, which is a great quality to have. 8
Cameron Burgess
Woolfenden and Burgess’ partnership is growing by the game, and while Burgess’s left side was threatened on plenty of occasions by Derby, the defender always found a way to come out on the right side of his battles. Those battles became more and more comfortable in his favour as the second half went on, with some good headed clearances also made. 8
Greg Leigh
In for the injured Leif Davis and given a tough assignment against Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who tested him at times. Despite his lack of football, Leigh coped with the challenges well, even if he looked a little tired (understandably) towards the end. A good example of Town’s squad depth. 7
Sam Morsy
We don’t expect anything less than an excellent performance from the Town captain at the moment and he delivered that again in this one. In a hectic game his presence was calming, both on the ball and off it, and his pass to free Burns and create the second goal was excellent. He and Massimo Luongo are an excellent pairing. 8
Massimo Luongo
Ipswich Town haven’t lost or even conceded a goal with the Aussie on the field since his arrival and, while this wasn’t a performance quite up to the sparkling standard he has set himself, he more than contributed. He’s calm, tough and has good drive, all of which he was able to show here alongside his skipper. 7
Wes Burns
The Welshman produced a superb header to lay on the opener for Conor Chaplin, remaining calm to nod the ball into his team-mate's path. While not having too many chances to run at a deep Derby defence in the first half, he had good possession in tight areas and did some good defensive work too. When a chance to open his legs and run did come, it saw him charge into the Derby box in the second half, with his shot saved but falling to Hirst to score. 8
Conor Chaplin
The No.10 showed some clever early touches before doing what he does best on 17 minutes, tucking home calmly as he collected Burns’ knockdown. Had penalty appeals in the second half waved away after going over under pressure from Craig Forsyth, before playing his role well in the closing stages as he helped out at the back. That’s 20 goals for the season now – an excellent return with more still surely to come. Next target is 20 in the league (he’s on 17). 8
Nathan Broadhead
Derby couldn’t live with the Welshman early on as he looked to drive at the box, before his excellent long ball under pressure made the opener. The vision and composure he showed to play it was excellent. He frustrated home fans and players alike during his time on the pitch in this game, which is probably the sign of a job well done. 8
George Hirst
Started again up top and worked exceptionally hard to win balls for his side, showing an excellent touch at times as he used the ball first-time to move his side around. The composure he showed when taking his time to finish for Ipswich’s second goal was exceptional. 8
Janoi Donacien (Clarke, 70)
Came into the game on the right of defence and finished at the heart of it to add some solidity to an Ipswich backline who functioned excellently during the closing stages. 7
Marcus Harness (for Broadhead, 70)
Kept the ball well for the Blues and was also on the end of a heavy tackle during his time on the pitch, which thankfully he got up from. 6
Freddie Ladapo (for Hirst, 79)
On to try and help Town see this game through, which they did. n/a
Dominic Ball (for Luongo, 88)
A few more minutes for the midfielder as he works his way back to fitness. He’ll have a role to play between now and the campaign ending. n/a
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here