Jaden Philogene lit up Portman Road with his first senior hat-trick as Ipswich ended their winless start to the Championship season while piling more misery on Sheffield United and their embattled boss Ruben Selles.
For just the second time in their history, the Blades have opened a season with five successive league defeats and Selles cut a lonely figure on the touchline as he watched his side crumble in the face of some slick, pacy football from the hosts.
Philogene capitalised on a slip by Blades debutant Alex Matos to fire Ipswich ahead on 21 minutes before adding two more eye-catching strikes in the second period as the visitors collapsed defensively with a series of bad errors.
George Hirst added a fourth through the legs of goalkeeper Michael Cooper before substitute Jack Clarke repeated the trick to leave the future of the visitors' head coach surely in the balance.
The first surprise of the evening arrived with the team sheets - Sheffield United captain Gus Hamer dropped to the bench - and things swiftly went downhill for the visitors.
Philogene gave an early warning of his intentions with his second-minute shot saved by Cooper before Japhet Tanganga offered the travelling support some early encouragement with two headers from Harrison Burrows corners just over the bar.
But 10 minutes after Chuba Akpom had just failed to convert a Leif Davis cross, Ipswich went ahead as Alex Matos, in trying to intercept a cross-field pass, could only divert it into the path of Philogene who ran on to score confidently.
Six minutes after the break, the Blades defence clearly had not learned their lesson as they allowed the winger to cut inside on his right foot for a second time with the same outcome.
With chants of 'sacked in the morning' echoing from the away sections, more dreadful defending allowed Hirst to find space in the penalty area and slot an effort from an acute angle through Cooper's legs.
It took 59 minutes for home goalkeeper Alex Palmer to be called into action as he denied Tom Cannon but it was only a brief respite as Philogene completed his hat-trick by hammering a rising left-foot effort into the roof of the net.
Substitute Clarke joined the party late on, becoming the second player to beat Cooper with a nutmeg as Ipswich completed just their second home league win in 22 attempts and a first since beating Chelsea in the Premier League on 30 December last year.
Image source, Rex Features
