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Kalvin Phillips scored his first goal since December 2023 as Ipswich beat Bristol Rovers 3-0 in the FA Cup third round at Portman Road.
The defensive midfielder showed signs of his best form as his curling finish put Kieran McKenna's men on course to overtake their Sky Bet League One visitors with further goals courtesy of Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor before the break.
Town relaxed after the break but missed the chance to score the fourth when Ali Al-Hamadi missed a penalty that hit the post after a handball in the area.
Phillips' quality helped Ipswich dominate the ball in the early stages and a classy switch from the Manchester City loanee eventually found its way to Taylor, who swung wildly and left Rovers off the hook after 15 minutes.
Phillips' pedigree was on display when he received the ball outside the area and the England international responded to calls to “shoot” with a shot that went over goalkeeper Josh Griffiths and into the bottom right corner.
Ipswich's pressure forced Rovers into continuous errors as they defended from the front to grab another. Left-back Lino Sousa received the ball on the turn and took too long to possess it, allowing the blue shirts to intercept his back pass as Clarke was about to score.
Kalvin Phillips scored his first goal since December 2023 in the 3-0 win over Bristol Rovers.
Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor (pictured) were also on the scoresheet for Ipswich at Portman Road.
Rovers' defense was not up to the level to compete with their Premier League hosts.
Taylor appeared to be in an offside position for Ipswich's third, but with no VAR and few attempts by the visitors to mark the striker, he ran onto a loose ball through the middle and showed composure to finish with the side of his foot. .
The Tractor Boys' relentless attack continued after the break when Massimo Luongo's shot hit Grant Ward's hand and they were awarded a penalty.
Al-Hamadi stepped up and missed his penalty wide to prevent Rovers from conceding a fourth.