Ipswich 3-2 Swansea City: 10-man visitors slip to defeat at Portman Road

Swansea City's three-game winning streak on the road was brought to an emphatic end as they were beaten by Ipswich Town in an eventful five-goal encounter at Portman Road.

A bright start saw the visitors take the lead through Jay Fulton, but it was one way traffic from that moment on, with the hosts turning things round during a frantic five minutes as Jack Taylor levelled with a stunning effort from distance, before Conor Chaplin turned home.

Harry Clarke then had a goal disallowed after the break, but Ipswich still racked up a deserved third just moments later when George Hirst netted from the spot.

For the second consecutive week, Swansea then finished the game with 10 men, after Liam Cullen was given a second yellow card midway inside the second half, although Jamal Lowe's superb solo effort offered the visitors a faint flicker of hope deep into nine minutes of stoppage time.

However, ultimately, it was too little too late, as the Swans slipped to their third defeat in five league games.

Swansea actually started reasonably well, and Fulton, the only change from the 0-0 draw with Sunderland, marked his return to the side in fine style by glancing in a header after just seven minutes.

A curled Matt Grimes freekick deflected kindly for Lowe at the far post, and his dinked cross was duly nodded in as the Scot earned his first goal of the season.

A great start. But it was surely inevitable that Ipswich, who had previously won 11 of their opening 15 league outings, would start to ask questions of their own.

Indeed, they could have been level moments after the resulting kick-off. A low corner found Chaplin, whose sweeping effort was sent well over the bar.

Omari Hutchinson then warmed Carl Rushworth's palms with what was an ultimately tame bending effort from distance, but the Brighton loanee was comparatively helpless on 17 minutes as Taylor cut inside from the left and arrowed a crashing drive into the top corner.

The hosts floored the accelerator from that moment on, and Swansea frankly had no answer to the onslaught, with the likes of Hutchinson and Chaplin thriving in the cavernous holes behind the Swans back line.

Were it not for Rushworth, the hosts could easily have been out of sight within just a few minutes. Firstly, the 22-year-old had to be alert to keep out Sam Morsy's header at the near post, before standing up brilliantly to deny Hutchinson one-on-one moments later.

But with Swansea struggling to stem the blue tidal wave engulfing an increasingly sheepish defence, a second goal felt inevitable. It duly arrived on 22 minutes.

George Hirst won a bouncing ball at the near post, and nodded on for Chaplin, who drilled home on the turn inside the box.

Rushworth produced another low save to deny Hutchinson just after half an hour, while Hirst's low effort was sent inches wide just moments later.

Wales international Nathan Broadhead should really have extended the lead after being teed up by the worryingly ubiquitous Hutchinson from close range after a two-on-one with Rushworth, but somehow couldn't connect with the pass.

Rushworth then produced a strong arm to keep out Hirst, and in all honesty Swansea must have felt relieved to go into the break only one goal behind.

But Ipswich showed little interest in showing any mercy after the break, and thought they'd extended the lead follow a bizarre passage of play that saw Bashir Humphreys concede a corner from his own freekick, which was headed in by Clarke, only for the effort to be chalked off by referee Shaun Hudson.

The home fans were furious, but their ire was stemmed on 53 minutes when Ashby was penalised for a foul on Taylor just inside the box. Hirst duly stepped up to send his penalty straight down the middle to seemingly put the game to bed.

Swansea's misery was then compounded when Cullen was given his marching orders for a second yellow card 21 minutes from time, although the second and decisive foul on Leif Davis certainly appeared a little soft. Chaplin then clipped the resulting freekick narrowly wide.

A moment of brilliance from Lowe deep into stoppage time might well have sparked hope of an unlikely point for the Swans. The forward weaving his way to the byline before rounding the keeper to score.

And they hey would have probably completed an unlikely comeback had Lowe's late low cross found Fulton, but Vaclav Hladky gathered.

But make no mistake. Despite that late rally, this was a hugely difficult day at the office for Duff and his men, who will need to work hard regroup over the international break if they are to rediscover their mojo.

Ipswich Town: Hladky; Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Morsy, Taylor, Hutchinson (Burns 63), Chaplin (Scarlett 78) (Luongo 78), Broadhead (Harness 63); Hirst (Ladapo 89)

Subs: Walton, Jackson, C.Humphreys, Tuanzebe

Swansea City: Rushworth; Ashby (Naughton 89), Darling, Humphreys, Tymon; Fulton, Grimes (c); Cullen, Paterson (Walsh 71), Lowe; Yates (Cooper 71)

Subs: Fisher, Cabango, Tjoe-A-On, Parker, Congreve, Wilson

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