Ipswich Town returned to second in the League One table after a 6-0 hammering of 10-man Charlton Athletic at Portman Road, Conor Chaplin hitting a hat-trick, Freddie Ladapo a brace and Leif Davis one. Chaplin netted his first treble for the Blues in the seventh, 14th and 70th minutes, before sub Ladapo added his pair on 75 and 84, the Addicks had Ryan Inniss dismissed and Davis struck in injury time as Town recorded their biggest win under Kieran McKenna.
Nathan Broadhead returned to the Town XI having missed the trip to Whaddon Road with an ankle problem, replacing Marcus Harness, who dropped to the bench.
Charlton were unchanged from their 3-2 home victory over Burton on Monday with former Blues loanee Macauley Bonne and ex-Town midfielder Scott Fraser both starting.
Town started on the front foot and won three corners within the first minute and a half, the Addicks eventually clearing.
In the third minute, with the 29,000-plus home crowd in full voice, the Blues claimed a penalty for handball after Broadhead tricked his way into the area and looked to find George Hirst and hit the grounded Michael Hector, but replacement referee Sam Barrott waved away the protests.
Town maintained their excellent start and in the fifth minute, top scorer Chaplin wasn’t far away from his 23rd goal of the season.
The former Portsmouth man evaded the offside trap and flicked a backwards header from skipper Sam Morsy’s cross not too far wide of the post.
But Chaplin didn’t have to wait too much longer to hit that milestone and claim his 20th League One goal of the campaign.
Davis played the ball in to the forward on the edge of the area beyond Hector and Chaplin took it into the area, across Terell Thomas and shot left-footed low to keeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer’s left and into the corner of the net.
As well as Chaplin’s 23rd goal of the season in all competitions and the 20th in the league, was Town’s 100th of the season in competitions.
Seven minutes later, Chaplin scored his second of the afternoon and his 24th of the campaign, his 21st in the league.
Broadhead chipped a brilliant ball over a defender, sending his fellow number 10 through on goal and Chaplin finished with his now familiar confidence.
Town continued to dominate, Broadhead hitting a shot against a defender from the edge of the box on 23.
A minute later, Hirst’s pass from the left of the box found Chaplin six yards out but the ball was just poked away from him as his first Blues hat-trick briefly looked on.
Charlton, who hadn’t been in the game at all from an attacking perspective, threatened for the first time in the 27th minute, Fraser crossing and Bonne heading towards goal but too close to Christian Walton, who saved to his right.
There was controversy moments later as the Addicks continued playing with Chaplin down after what had looked a foul in the Charlton half. Town appeared to have cleared but Hirst gifted the ball back to the visitors and Fraser curled a shot wide, captain Morsy subsequently making his thoughts known to both the Town striker and the referee.
But it was still mainly Town and in the 36th minute Broadhead found Burns on the right from where he sent over a low cross towards Hirst, who just wasn’t able to get enough on his flick and the ball scraped wide. News that Sheffield Wednesday were losing 3-1 at Burton led to chants that "the Town are going up!”.
On 38, Broadhead played a similar pass to the one which led to the second goal on the right of the area for Chaplin, who cut across to Hirst, whose effort was blocked. The ball momentarily looked to be running loose but Charlton were able to clear their lines.
Just ahead of the fourth official indicating two additional minutes, Davis cut a free-kick from the left to Chaplin on the penalty spot but his low shot was blocked when otherwise on its way into the corner of the net.
Moments later, Hirst tried to battle his way into the area through a number of tackles but was eventually thwarted, the loose ball falling to Chaplin, whose effort was cut out.
Just before the whistle, Luke Woolfenden was booked for handling as a ball was played down the middle midway inside the Town half. Albie Morgan smashed the set piece well over.
Town were applauded off at the break having been well worth their two-goal lead after making a lightning start and might well have gone in further in front having been much the better side throughout the half.
Chaplin once again showed his brilliant finishing and supreme confidence in front of goal, becoming the first Town player since Daryl Murphy in 2014/15 to score 20 league goals in a season.
The Blues started the second half in the same vein as they had the first, Broadhead tricking his way in from the left before hitting a powerful shot which Maynard-Brewer did well to paw away to his left.
Soon after, the game was held up after Burns went down after bursting into the area on the right, appearing to have turned his ankle. The Wales international was able to continue after treatment.
On 53, Hirst deftly turned midway inside the Charlton half and sent Burns away on the right. The former Fleetwood man crossed and Mandela Egbo cut it out ahead of Broadhead.""
From the corner, the Blues tried the same routine as late in the first half with Chaplin’s shot again blocked. Soon after, Cameron Burgess scraped an effort from distance wide.
Hector, who had committed a lengthy list of fouls in the first half, finally found his way into the book for a trip on Luongo as Town looked to break.
Hirst shot wide on 58, then as the game reached the hour mark, the Addicks swapped Bonne, who was warmly applauded off by the Town support. and Egbo for Miles Leaburn and Steven Sessegnon.
Town should have made it 3-0 a minute later, Chaplin picking up a loose ball on the right before cutting back to Hirst, one of a number of players in the box, but the on-loan Leicester man, who has been in terrific form in front of goal, scuffed across the face and wide, much to his evident frustration.
In the 63rd minute there was a brief flashpoint after Leaburn had kicked Morsy up in the air inside the Town half. Visitors skipper George Dobson was booked for a shove on his Blues counterpart in the brief melee that followed.
Three minutes later, Town switched Harry Clarke for Janoi Donacien, then on 69 Inniss was shown a yellow card for a foul on Hirst on the Blues’ left.
And following the resultant free-kick, Chaplin completed his first Town hat-trick. Luongo lofted the ball back into the box towards the near post, Broadhead cut back from the left byline and Chaplin tapped home from a foot or so out before celebrating with his teammates and then a fan in the disabled section at the front of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.
Chaplin, whose only previous senior hat-trick was for Barnsley in a 5-3 win at home to QPR in December 2019, had taken his total for the season to 25 and his league tally to 22.
Town made a triple change in the 72nd minute, Ladapo, Kayden Jackson and Kyle Edwards replacing Hirst, Burns and Broadhead, all of whom were given warm ovations as they left the first.
And almost immediately, Ladapo scored the fourth with his first touch of the game. Morsy played the striker through on the right of the box and the ex-Rotherham man cut across Maynard-Brewer and just inside the post, Chaplin notably opting not to add an extra touch.
Having scored four - the third time in successive games they have hit four against the Addicks - the Blues swapped Luongo for Dominic Ball.
Town continued looking for goals, Edwards cutting in and shoot against a defender in the 83rd minute.
And two minutes later it was 5-0. Ladapo chased Edwards's through ball and hustled and bustled his way into space on the left of the box before smashing his second of the game into the roof of the net.
It seemed Charlton’s afternoon couldn’t get any worse but in the 88th minute they were reduced to 10 men when Innis was shown a straight red card for hauling down Ladapo with the striker through on goal and eyeing Town’s second hat-trick of the afternoon.
Referee Barrott reached straight for his red card, Inniss’s fourth red card of the season and fifth in just over a year. Davis curled the free-kick well over the bar.
Town continued to push for a goal in injury time and five minutes in, they scored their sixth of the afternoon.
Jackson crossed low from the right, Edwards diverted the ball against the far post and Davis gleefully smashed the rebound into the roof of the net.
Moments after the restart, a huge roar greeted referee Barrott’s final whistle, the Blues having recorded their biggest win under McKenna, Town last having scored six when beating Doncaster 6-0 in September 2021 under Paul Cook, in which Lee Evans netted the Blues' most recent hat-trick.
While brilliant Town were thrashing woeful Charlton, who could count themselves fortunate the margin wasn’t even wider, Sheffield Wednesday were again slipping up, the Owls losing 3-2 at Burton, to allow the Blues back into the top two, a point ahead of the South Yorkshiremen with a game in hand. Wednesday have now taken only seven points from their last 24. Leaders Plymouth and fourth-placed Barnsley both won.
The big victory takes Town's goal tally to 105 overall and 85 in the league, more than any other team in the top four divisions. Their goal difference is now 53, while the opposition have scored once - at Cheltenham on Monday - in the time the Blues have netted 31 times.
Today's win ensures McKenna's men can't finish any lower than sixth this season, although with their sights now firmly on at least second.
Town, who look to have unstoppable momentum going into their final five games, are in action at home again on Tuesday when they face 18th-placed Port Vale, who were beaten 3-2 at Lincoln this afternoon while having both Tom Conlon and Sam Robinson sent off.
Town: Walton, Clarke (Donacien 66), Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Jackson 73), Morsy (c), Luongo (Ball 78), Davis, Chaplin, Broadhead (Edwards 73), Hirst (Ladapo 72). Unused: Hladky, Harness.
Charlton: Maynard-Brewer, Thomas, Dobson (c), Hector, Bonne (Leaburn 60), Morgan, Rak-Sakyi, Egbo (Sessegnon 60), Fraser, Inniss, Campbell. Unused: Wollacott, Kilkenny, Kane, Henry, Kanu. Referee: Sam Barrott (West Riding). Att: 29,011 (Charlton: 1,113).