Conor Chaplin scored twice as Town beat Peterborough United 2-1, only their second ever victory over Posh at Portman Road. Chaplin’s flicked header gave the Blues the lead on 21 but Frankie Kent levelled for the visitors 10 minutes later, however, Chaplin won it with his 10th of the season in the 58th minute to send the Blues to the top of League One.
Sone Aluko returned to the Blues squad and the starting line-up after three months out with a knee injury, while Kayden Jackson was also back in the XI.
Aluko, making only his second league start of the season having been out since the 6-0 Papa Johns Trophy victory over Northampton at the end of August, was one of the number 10s alongside Chaplin with Kyle Edwards dropping to the bench.
Jackson, who almost joined Peterborough in the summer of 2018 but opted instead to sign for Town, replaced Freddie Ladapo, who was also among the subs, as the lone central striker in a team otherwise unchanged from the 1-1 home draw with Fleetwood just over a week ago.
Peterborough, who switched to a back three, made three changes from the side which lost 2-1 at home to Barnsley last week with former Blues striker Jack Marriott, Kelland Watts and Hector Kyprianou coming into the team, while Jeando Fuchs, Ben Thompson and Ephron Mason-Clark dropped to the bench.
In freezing conditions with patches of frost on the pitch close to the Cobbold Stand, the visitors saw most of the ball in a cagey early period with no penalty area action at either end.
In the 10th minute Janoi Donacien pulled up with what looked a significant injury, perhaps a hamstring pull, but after treatment the defender continued. However, four minutes later, with Town still to get going, Donacien sat down after the ball had gone out of play and Kane Vincent-Young took over.
The game continued in the rather pedestrian manner in which it had started but the Blues began to get on top and in the 20th Aluko struck the first shot, but his effort hit into the ground from just outside the area on the right bounced harmlessly wide.
However, a minute later, Town went in front. Vincent-Young laid the ball back to Sam Morsy on the edge of the box on the right, the skipper looped a cross into the area and Chaplin got in front of Kent and flicked a head across Posh keeper Lucas Bergstrom and into the corner of the net.
The diminutive forward slapped his forehead in delight having scored a rare header, his ninth goal of the season.
Posh went close to a leveller in the 27th minute from a 30-yard free-kick. Jonson Clarke-Harris, League One’s 14-goal top scorer, smashed a superb strike towards Christian Walton’s top left corner and with the keeper perhaps hampered by the sun, the ball clipped the top of the bar and flew into the Sir Bobby Robson Stand as the Town number one collided with the post.
Town weren’t far away from doubling their lead on the half hour from a free-kick on the right. Keeper Bergstrom failed to deal with the high ball to the back post and Morsy lobbed it back into the area, but it was cleared. Cameron Humphreys sent a return ball from the left towards Wes Burns but the Welshman was offside.
And in the 31st minute, the visitors equalised. Following a short corner on the right, Kwame Poku crossed towards the far post and Kent nodded into the net unchallenged with Walton, perhaps surprisingly not wearing a cap, again appearing to be struggling with the sun as the ball came over.
On 38, with the Blues still to really impose themselves on the visitors, Aluko did superbly to trick his way to the byline on the right and cut the ball back. However, Bergstrom was able to pounce on it, the keeper taking an accidental kick from Chaplin as he gathered.
As the half moved into its final five minutes, the Blues began to put Posh under a prolonged spell of pressure for the first time.
In the 42nd minute, a Burns cross from the right was cleared to Morsy on the right of the box and the Egyptian international hit a powerful shot but straight down the throat of Bergstrom.
A minute later, Aluko shot wide after Davis had knocked a cross from the right down to him on the edge of the area.
In injury time, just before the whistle, Davis turned the ball into the area from the left and Jackson appeared to be fouled, however, the linesman’s flag had already been raised.
The end of the half was greeted by a very muted response following a thoroughly lacklustre first 45 minutes.
The opening spell had been rather stop-start with the injury to Donacien and Peterborough taking their time over every restart but Town had started to show some threat when Chaplin netted his excellent headed goal.
That ought to have been the spur for the Blues to really impose themselves, but as so often in recent weeks they allowed the opposition back into the game via a ball into the box.
But on the balance of the half, the visitors deserved to go in level with Town’s performance lacking tempo or any urgency.
Three minutes after the restart, Humphreys crossed from the left towards Burns, who appeared to push his defender, who knocked it towards his own goal but the linesman’s flag was raised in any case.
On 49, Chaplin tried an overhead effort from a Vincent-Young cross from the right but was adjudged to have fouled Kent as he did so with his effort off target in any case.
Two minutes later, Burns picked up a sloppy Posh pass in the centre circle and sent Aluko away on the right but the forward was unable to find a way past his man on the right of the box.
In the 54th minute, Walton was forced into his first save of the second half. Joe Ward’s free-kick found Clarke-Harris, who headed towards goal. His effort clipped someone on the way through and Walton was forced to bundle away, getting some distance on the ball as he did so.
Town should have gone back in front in the 55th minute when Davis played a corner to Chaplin breaking into the area but the forward smashed his shot well over.
However, the Blues and the Portman Road crowd were starting to finally wake up and build up a head of steam and on 57 Burns burst away on the right and beat two men before winning a corner.
And a minute later the Blues went in front. Davis whipped over a flag-kick from the left, the ball flicked off a head to Chaplin to the right of the penalty spot and the forward chested down before slamming his 10th goal of the season into the roof of the net.
Town went looking to add to their lead and in the 62nd minute they were convinced they should have been awarded a penalty. As another Davis corner looped over, this time from the right, and Jackson appeared to be manhandled to the ground by two defenders.
Referee Ollie Yates waved away vociferous Blues protests and yellow-carded Morsy for taking his entreaties too far.
Vincent-Young joined him in the book for a foul on Dan Butler the Peterborough right in the 66th minute, keeper Walton punching the resultant free-kick away confidently.
Posh made a triple change in the 69th minute, swapping Kyprianou, Butler and Marriott for Fuchs, Mason-Clark and Harrison Burrows.
Two minutes later, Jackson was booked having given away two fouls in quick succession with the game once again having little flow due to the number of stoppages.
In the 73rd minute, Posh weren’t too far away from their second equaliser of the afternoon when Ronnie Edwards headed Poku’s free-kick from 25 yards out towards the left beyond Walton’s left post.
Town were far from having it all their own way with Posh continuing to present a threat when picking the ball up in midfield and breaking forward.
On 77 Vincent-Young teed-up Humphreys on the edge of the area to the left and the youngster took a touch before hitting a shot which deflected wide. From the corner, the ball was cleared to Vincent-Young, who hit an effort well over.
Town switched the tiring Aluko, who was warmly applauded off following his return, and Jackson in the 78th minute for Kyle Edwards and Ladapo.
Striker Ladapo had the ball in the net on 88 but with a linesman’s flag having been raised. Fellow sub Edwards cut in from the left and hit a shot which Bergstrom couldn’t hold and Burns was first to the loose ball and played to the striker, who tapped in, but with the Welshman having strayed offside.
Posh looked to put the Blues under pressure as the game moved into five minutes of additional time, Clarke-Harris smashing well over from distance but with Cameron Burgess having clearly been shoved before he did so, although referee Yates had failed to spot it.
Town swapped Davis and Burns for Greg Leigh and Richard Keogh for the final couple of minutes and the pair helped defend a couple of Posh corners before Yates confirmed the Blues’ three points, their second ever win against Peterborough at Portman Road and their fourth in the 17 meetings between the clubs.
It was a hard-fought victory for the Blues with Morsy in particular showing his delight at the whistle.
After the underwhelming first half, Town had a much better spell at the start of the second half and a second goal had been looking on the cards when Chaplin slammed in what proved to be the winning goal.
The Blues had one or two opportunities to add to their lead - and once again had a very good penalty claim turned down - and on this occasion held firm as Posh looked for a leveller in the latter stages with Walton never really seriously tested in final minutes.
The win sees the Blues climb to the top of League One by a point with Plymouth drawing 0-0 at Cambridge later in the afternoon.
Town: Walton, Donacien (Vincent-Young 16), Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy (c), Humphreys, Davis, Chaplin, Aluko (K Edwards 78), Jackson (Ladapo 78). Unused: Hladky, Keogh, Leigh, Ahadme.
Peterborough: Bergstrom, Watts (Jones 85), Butler (Burrows 69), R Edwards, Kent, Taylor, Clarke-Harris (c), Poku, Marriott (Mason-Clark 69), Kyprianou (Fuchs 69), Ward. Unused: Blackmore, Knight, Thompson. Referee: Ollie Yates (Staffordshire). Att: 24,849 (Peterborough: 1,230).