Sone Aluko has scored his first two Ipswich Town goals to give the Blues a 2-1 half-time lead at Cambridge, James Brophy having pulled one back for the U’s five minutes from the end of the half.
Aluko and former Cambridge loanee Idris El Mizouni came into the Town team for Wes Burns, who dropped to the bench alongside Bersant Celina, who was back from international duty having missed last week’s 2-1 home win against Shrewsbury, and Lee Evans, who had presumably picked up a knock.
Aluko started on the right wing with Tunisian international El Mizouni in central midfield alongside skipper Sam Morsy. Town were otherwise unchanged from the team which beat the Shrews.
Cambridge were captained by former Blue Paul Digby but Jack Lankester missed out having picked up a knock in training.
One-time Town trialist Shilow Tracey and Wes Hoolahan returned to the Cambridge XI with Liam O'Neil the other player to drop out.
The Blues started brightly and in only the second minute Macauley Bonne was sent away down the left by Morsy. The striker’s angle was too tight to hit a shot so he cut back to Conor Chaplin, who blazed his effort well over.
Less than a minute later, the former Barnsley man curled another shot not too far wide after good work on the right from Aluko.
Cambridge attacked for the first time on five, George Williams hitting a strike which Matt Penney blocked.
Aluko had looked Town’s main danger in the early stages and in the 10th minute Nigerian international put the Blues in front with his first goal for the club.
Cameron Burgess headed clear and Aluko nipped in to take the bouncing ball away from the hesitant Conor Masterson before deftly lobbing home keeper Dimitar Mitov from the edge of the box.
Four minutes later, Town threatened again, Penney crossing low from the left but Mitov reached it ahead of Bonne.
On 22 Penney crossed from the left again and Chaplin turned a shot well wide when he will feel he should have done better.
Town continued to control the game, often looking to get it forward very quickly. Just before the half hour, Aluko crossed from the right to Bonne at the near post but Mitov saved the striker’s header.
On 31 Morsy shot wide following a Town break after a Cambridge attack had broken down.
Two minutes later, Mitov slipped when trying to cut inside Chaplin when miles out of his area. His poor clearance fell to Aluko well inside his own half but this time the ex-Reading man’s attempt at goal skewed well away from the target.
The Blues pressure continued, Chaplin making a clever run into space down the right before crossing low for Bonne, who tried to work space before hitting a shot which deflected out for a corner.
And from the resultant 36th-minute flag-kick, Town doubled their lead with Aluko again the man finding the target.
The corner came over from the right, George Edmundson’s header hit the post and the ball landed at the feet of Aluko, who slotted home off keeper Mitov from a few feet.
A minute later, Chaplin was booked for kicking the ball away after the referee had already blown his whistle, which seemed a harsh yellow card.
It had been all Town but in the 40th minute the home side pulled a goal back out of nothing.
As so often having scored this season, the Blues were guilty of switching off and Tracey found Brophy in the area on the left in loads of space from where he struck a shot which beat Vaclav Hladky, a spectator up to that point, hit the underside of the bar and crossed the line.
Aluko went looking for his third of the afternoon, hitting a shot from a tight angle on the right of the area which was deflected behind and moments before the whistle, Burgess headed away a Cambridge corner.
Town had been completely dominant and looked to be coasting to victory at 2-0 up via Aluko’s two goals. The first was a great finish reminiscent of Finidi George’s goal against Sunderland in the 2001/02 Premier League season, while the second was a predatory finish from close range.
From there, the Blues ought to have seen the half out but again allowed the opposition to get back into the game with a poor goal at a time when Cambridge were looking a well-beaten side.
The goal will inevitably give the home side something to build on in the second half but if Town play as they did for most of the first period then the three points ought to be secured.
Cambridge: Mitov, Williams, Iredale, Digby, Jones, Brophy, Ironside, Hoolahan, Tracey, Masterson. Subs: McKenzie-Lyle, Smith, Dunk, Okedina, Weir, Knibbs, Worman.
Town: Hladky, Donacien, Edmundson, Burgess, Penney, Morsy (c), El Mizouni, Aluko, Fraser, Chaplin, Bonne. Subs: Holy, Harper, Burns, Jackson, Nsiala, Edwards, Celina. Referee: Leigh Doughty (Lancashire).