Ipswich Town 4-3 Blackburn Rovers: Tractor Boys keep pace at the top after seven-goal thriller

George Hirst had a spell on loan with Blackburn Rovers during the first half of last season

Ipswich Town weathered a Blackburn Rovers comeback to edge a seven-goal thriller and keep pace at the top of the Championship.

The hosts wasted no time in taking the lead through Harry Clarke after four minutes, but Arnor Sigurdsson levelled on his Blackburn debut just five minutes later.

Ipswich moved back ahead through Nathan Broadhead's drilled low finish, and George Hirst's goal against his former club made it a 3-1 lead.

A Clarke own-goal pulled one back for Rovers before Sam Szmodics dragged them level, but Massimo Luongo made it Ipswich's day.

The victory means Ipswich are second in the Championship, level on points with leaders Leicester City, after Preston were held to a draw by Rotherham United and fell to third, while Blackburn are 14th.

Clarke prospered from Blackburn failing to clear a corner to fire Ipswich ahead as he struck from the corner of the box unmarked, but the hosts could not maintain that lead for long as the visitors fought back.

Iceland international Sigurdsson's reply came via some good build-up work from Rovers, as Szmodics played through Lewis Travis on the edge of the box and he teed up his team-mate to slot past Ipswich keeper Vaclav Hladky.

Ipswich's second goal came via another Blackburn defensive error after goalkeeper Aynsley Pears was dispossessed by Conor Chaplin, who set up Broadhead's fine finish from outside the box for his fourth of the season.

Blackburn struggled to deal with the Ipswich attack as, just minutes later, Cameron Burgess set up Hirst who had run behind Hayden Carter and he found the net through the legs of Pears.

Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson made two changes at the break and his side took just seven minutes to make a breakthrough after the restart as Clarke poked past his own keeper from Callum Brittain's cross under pressure from Harry Leonard.

Blackburn levelled again, this time through Szmodics who coolly took a touch on the edge of the box before firing home, but Luongo struck from a similar range at the other end to edge the Tractor Boys into a late decisive lead.

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk:

"The game was as big a challenge as I thought it would be. They've not won all their games but they've created the most chances in the league. They put so many bodies forward in the pitch.

"It's really difficult to defend against them but there were opportunities going both ways. We don't like conceding three goals but at the same time we could have scored six or seven goals comfortably and that's without being very clinical.

"There were so many good things about the performance and we showed good character to keep going. From 3-1 when you go back to 3-3 it can be really easy for heads to drop at that moment. We kept playing and creating and got the goal we deserved and saw the game out at the end."

Blackburn Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"We are disappointed with the result. We knew it was going to be tough against a team with an excellent home record and which has started extremely well in the Championship.

"If you look at the game, the first half cost us the game. We were not quick enough on the ball. The second half was more Blackburn Rovers which we normally see.

"The guys showed resilience and it was a good performance in the second half. Scoring twice is tough away from home and not getting a result so all credit to the boys for the second half for sure."