Leeds United boss Daniel Farke hailed his side’s display as they beat the Blues 4-0 at Elland Road as their most mature performance of the season, feeling they were outstanding having controlled every aspect of the game.
The Whites were comfortable victors, claiming a double over Town having won the Portman Road fixture 4-3 in August.
Former Norwich boss Farke was asked how close his side came to a complete performance agains the Blues.
"It’s impossible in a football game for their to be a perfect performance but I would say it was probably our most mature performance of the season, considering we played one of the top sides at this level and were all over them,” he said.
"A fully deserved 4-0 win. In the first half, they had two half-chances with shots from distance, but in the second half, the expected goals for them was zero. I can hardly remember when I had such a game when the opponents had an expected goals of zero in a half, that was unbelievable work from our players.
"And again, for the second home game in a row, we didn’t give away one corner for the opponent.
"I think in all phases and all periods of the game we were outstanding today. In our possession we had many good spells and counter-attacks.
"We scored from a set piece but also against the ball my feeling was that in our pressing, even when we chose to sit a bit deeper, we were controlling and dominating the game even without the ball.
"For that, it was a pretty balanced and mature performance and for me the most important thing was that after 80 minutes when we were 4-0 up and we’d more or less won the game, we still didn’t want to give up any chance away and wanted to come back to the dressing room with a clean sheet.
"I think that’s the most impressive aspect of the game. I was certainly an all-round performance and pretty happy tonight.”
Farke was asked whether he was pleased his side didn’t get involved after Town sought to goad his players and after a few late tackles had gone in.
"Exactly,” he responded. "When you’re losing possession, then you try to provoke something and try to find your way into the game and we reacted in a really, really professional way. Calm, mature, we didn’t answer with fouls to make the game more hectic. It was more like our game was many, many good spells of possession.
"Ipswich is a really good side and they’re playing a fantastic season so far, but when I think about the second half, the chance of Georginio Rutter when he hit the crossbar it felt like before that we had made 500 passes.
"We controlled the game in all aspects, in possession, out of possession, but also with our game management.”
Could the game prove a pivotal moment in the race for automatic promotion with the Whites having cut the gap to the Blues to seven points?
"To win three points is always priceless and that’s the most important thing,” Farke, who is unbeaten in six games against Town, reflected. "The result is also good for the goal difference, it’s good for our points tally, no doubt about it.
"If you win in such a manner against one of the best sides in the league, it’s also good for the confidence and a big boost for the whole mood and for everything.
"But nothing major has changed. It’s not like we’re sitting on top of the table right now. Ipswich are still in a really good position and it’s still also important that we also protect our position because I expect the teams around us like Southampton, Sunderland, West Brom to be there with many points.
"We have to make sure we keep going if we want to finish in the top six, or even better. So for that it was important that we won the three points today.
"Obviously, when you deliver such a performance in such a spotlight game, it also sends a bit of a message out and is a good boost for the mood, but it’s not worth than just the three points and we have to keep going.”