Boro return to top of Championship with victory over Ipswich

Morgan Whittaker repaid Rob Edwards' faith as his first Middlesbrough goal helped send them back to the top of the Championship after a chaotic 2-1 win over Ipswich.

Edwards publicly backed Whittaker after his substitution was cheered by fans against Preston in September, and was proven right in emphatic fashion.

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Boro had Cedric Kipre to thank for the lead prior to Whittaker’s strike after he turned the ball into his own net less than two minutes after his team-mate George Hirst was denied from the penalty spot.

The hosts went into the contest looking for their first win in four games and, after a slow start, they were left scratching their heads as to how they managed to go until first-half stoppage time before taking the lead.

Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer produced four incredible saves in the space of five minutes to keep parity, and he looked set to be rewarded for his heroics when Leif Davis went down the other end and won a penalty following a clumsy challenge from Callum Brittain.

Jeers and sirens rang around the Riverside Stadium as Hirst stepped up and, not to be outdone by Palmer, Sol Brynn leaped to his right to save the spot-kick to prevent the visitors from taking the lead.

Before the Riverside had stopped celebrating, Kipre’s moment of disaster compounded Ipswich’s woes and gave home fans even more to celebrate, as he was unable to untangle his legs when Delano Burgzorg fired in a low ball across the six-yard box.

Middlesbrough did not slow down after the break and Whittaker started and finished the move for their second goal. The 24-year-old found David Strelec, who may have just been offside, before continuing his run into the penalty area and firing home after Palmer had pushed out Strelec’s cross.

Dara O’Shea did pop up with a goal for Ipswich with a quarter of an hour remaining, just the second Middlesbrough have conceded at home this term. But it was not enough to spark a comeback as Boro remained stern despite late pressure to hold on.

The result means Middlesbrough snap their three-game winless run and, at least until Coventry take on Blackburn on Saturday, sees them move back to the summit of the Championship.

Ipswich, meanwhile, were unable to capitalise on a chance to climb into the play-off spots, and now find themselves at risk of dropping back into the bottom half of the table come the end of the weekend's fixtures.

The managers

Middlesbrough's Rob Edwards:

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Ipswich's Kieran McKenna:

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