Ipswich Town looked comfortable throughout as they eased to a 3-0 victory at Shrewsbury to retain top spot in League One.
Tyreece John-Jules, Conor Chaplin and Kayden Jackson scored the goals at the Montgomery Waters Meadow, with a strike in either half securing the points before Jackson's third in added time put the gloss on a routine victory.
John-Jules' first for Ipswich was an impressive solo effort, putting a cap on a first-half of Ipswich control, before Chaplin’s strike from the edge of the area made the game safe, seven minutes into the second period.
Shrewsbury offered little, leading to a feeling their only way back into the contest would be through an Ipswich mistake.
But that was not forthcoming, with a third-successive clean sheet helping Town to four-successive victories in the league for the first time in nearly three years.
Victory leaves Kieran McKenna’s Blues a point clear of second-placed Peterborough at the top of the table, heading into next weekend’s clash with Barnsley.
McKenna made five changes to the side which beat Burton Albion 1-0 on Tuesday night, with a few surprises in the starting XI.
Both full-backs were switched, with Kane Vincent-Young and Leif Davis coming into the side for Jackson and Greg Leigh, while Cameron Burgess replaced George Edmundson on the left of the back three.
There were changes in the attacking unit, too, with Chaplin and John-Jules replacing Sone Aluko and Freddie Ladapo. All five players who dropped out of the starting XI began on the bench.
The Blues were on the attack from the off, with John-Jules winning a corner which Lee Evans took, before Marcus Harness attacked at the near post and turned the ball behind.
Town had real shouts for a penalty turned down on six minutes, when Vincent-Young connected with Morsy’s clever through-ball, took a nice touch away from goalkeeper Marko Marosi and was brought down from behind by the stretching leg of Tom Flanagan. Referee Neil Hair said no, though.
Janoi Donacien couldn’t bring Davis’s cross-field ball under control, sparking momentary danger before the Blues were able to block Jordan Shipley’s shot, before a few more loose balls held Ipswich back.
It was all soon forgotten, though, as John-Jules produced a moment of sublime quality to open his account for the Blues.
He made it himself, winning the ball back calmly in midfield before dribbling towards goal, fainting inside and leaving Chey Dunkley on the floor, before rolling the ball past Marosi in the home goal.
Town were comfortable throughout the remainder of the first half, without testing Marosi further, leaving a feeling that Shrewsbury’s only real route back into the game was through an Ipswich mistake.
The Blues continued to dominate after the break and, within seven minutes of the restart, had the two-goal advantage they deserved and looked to have killed off the game.
Chaplin scored it from a position we’ve become used to seeing the attacker convert from, as he moved Davis’s pull-back out from under his feet and swept home with his left foot to double the Ipswich advantage.
Town soon threatened again, with Davis crossing and Vincent-Young putting over from inside the box, with his left foot, before a comfortable ending to the contest saw the Blues leave with the points as Shrewsbury failed to rally.
The closing stages weren’t without incident, as a few sloppy errors crept in to Town’s game, but Shrewsbury were not in a position to take advantage before Jackson stuck out a foot to turn into the back of the net, after Morsy's shot from the edge of the box had been cleared off the line.
Shrewsbury Town (3-4-2-1): Marosi; Pennington, Dunkley, Flanagan; Dacosta (Bowman 72), Leahy (cpt), Bayliss, Nurse; Pyke (Bloxham 72), Shipley; Udoh (Caton 72).
Subs: Moore, Burgoyne, Craig, Barlow.
Booked: Leahy (51).
Ipswich Town (3-4-2-1): Walton; Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess; Vincent-Young (Jackson 74), Evans, Morsy (cpt), Davis; Chaplin (Aluko 80), Harness (Edwards 80); John-Jules (Ladapo 74).
Subs: Hladky, Edmundson, Leigh.
Booked: Morsy (16).
Referee: Neil Hair.
Attendance: 6,556 (1,343 away).
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