Manager Tony Mowbray experienced a miserable return to his former club after a 4-0 defeat consigned Middlesbrough to a fourth straight Championship loss.
Tommy Smith opened the scoring when heading in Aaron Cresswell’s cross seven minutes before the break and David McGoldrick extended that lead early in the second-half.
Aaron Mclean soon added a third to leave the home side completely in charge and Smith then headed his second of the game twelve minutes from time.
Boro handed an immediate debut to new signing Kieron Dyer against his hometown club while Grant Leadbitter also faced his former colleagues. Muzzy Carayol was named on the bench after almost five months on the sidelines.
Luke Chambers headed over early on for the home side while Emmanuel Ledesma cleared the target in reply from around twenty-yards.
David McGoldrick had already caused danger from an earlier break and then forced a save from Jason Steele. But the hosts were soon to be rewarded when Andre Bikey conceded a corner and Cresswell delivered for Smith to head them into the lead.
The visitors made a change at the break with Josh McEachran replacing Ledesma but it was Lukas Jutkiewicz soon heading a Rhys Williams cross narrowly wide.
However, Boro immediately found themselves in further trouble when McGoldrick stole possession from George Friend and struck across the keeper to double the advantage.
Worse was to follow as Mclean’s shot took a cruel deflection off Bikey and left keeper Steele wrong-footed for a third goal.
Mowbray made a couple more changes from the bench but it was Steele next denying Carlos Edwards from 20-yards.
And Steele was soon required to do it again until being beaten for a fourth time when the unmarked Smith headed in Edwards’ corner with twelve minutes remaining.
Ipswich Town: Loach, Cresswell, Chambers, Stearman, Smith, Edwards, N’daw, Hyam (Drury 86), McGoldrick (Wordsworth 77), Mclean (Nouble 66), Murphy
subs (unused): Henderson, Hewitt, Kisnorbo, Drury, Chopra
Goals: Smith (38, 78) McGoldrick (47), Mclean (56)
Middlesbrough: Steele, R. Williams, Bikey, Woodgate (Hines 65), Friend, Leadbitter, Dyer, Haroun, Emnes (Reach 62), Ledesma (McEachran 46), Jutkiewicz
subs (unused): Ripley, Parnaby, Bailey, Carayol
Ref: Pawson
Att: 16,389
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