Ipswich maintained their challenge for automatic promotion to the Premier League as they confidently defeated Swansea 3-0 at Portman Road.

Their return to the Suffolk stadium after four straight games on the road came after man-of-the-match Anis Mehmeti gave them the lead with just three minutes on the clock.

Ivan Azon added the second in the 41st minute with an acute effort and substitute George Hirst added the gloss with 16 minutes remaining.

The result moved the Tractor Boys to within three points of second-placed Middlesborough - who visit Birmingham on Monday - and with a game in hand.

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Ipswich got off to the perfect start through Mehmeti. It came following a flowing movement down the left involving Sunderland loanee Dan Neil and full-back Leif Davis.

The Town's number three crossed the ball into the penalty area where Swansea centre-back Ben Cabango stretched out a leg in a bid to clear the danger, but the ball fell to Mehmeti, who rifled his shot into the net past a despairing Lawrence Vigouroux in the City goal.

Eight minutes later, the Swans had the ball in the back of the net after Melker Widell's low cross was turned in by Gustavo Nunes but the offside flag was raised.

Mehmeti tripped South Korea winger Jisung Eom on the right wing and his free-kick was squared to Ethan Galbraith, but his ambitious effort from 30 yards sailed well over Christian Walton's goal.

Azon leapt the highest to guide a header to the far post following a corner by Davis but Vigouroux sprang to his right to beat the ball away.

It was only a matter of time before Town, who were playing flowing football, got the second and it came with four minutes left of the first half, through Azon.

Mehmeti kept the ball alive by the corner flag and fed the Spanish striker - who is on loan from Italian club Como - who scored with a fine sweeping low finish from an acute angle.

Malick Yalcouye had his hands on his head in astonishment in the final moments of the half when Walton dived full length to turn his shot away from just inside the box.

And just as the second period began, the Town goalkeeper had to be alert to push away a shot from Swansea striker Liam Cullen after Neil was muscled off the ball.

Hirst added the third after tenacious play from Mehmeti. The former Bristol City man charged down Josh Tymon to win the ball and set up Hirst for a first-time finish inside the six-yard box for his second goal in successive matches.

And Hirst almost got a second but was denied by Vigouroux, who clawed away his header away, while Swansea substitute Zan Vipotnik struck the crossbar with a ferocious free-kick as the game came to a conclusion.

The managers

Ipswich's Kieran McKenna:

"It was certainly hard work, no doubt about that.

"But when you go about it the way that we did, you can never say 'comfortable', but you make it as efficient as it could have been because Swansea are a really different opponent than what we have faced most of the time this year.

"They are a really good footballing side, loads of technical players who really, really want to get the ball in play and get the ball on the floor.

"We worked really well in the last couple of days. We had to be aggressive with our pressure, push on with our bodies, pretty much go man-to-man.

"We showed some really good passages of football to play all the way through their press and we broke it really well to go through the pitch.

"In the second half we had to defend, block the middle of the pitch and limited them well and had the better chances in the second half really to extend the lead and did with the one goal.

"I liked the way we went about it and really recognised what the opponent was and what we needed to do and that's so important in this league."

Swansea's Vitor Matos:

"Half-time we came out better, more organised, better timings, better with the ball but didn't find a way.

"After that 2-0 and that's the story of the game.

"Ipswich is a really good team, brilliant squad, really well organised and we knew that to compete you need to be 100 per cent.

"Small things and small details make the difference on these type of games, scoring the goal really early changed the game and we needed to chase back.

"Ipswich was really good, (the) second goal came from a throw-in so that's the story. It was a hard game for us, but we need to find a way to be far more competitive.

"It's about consistency and about keep improving.

"We try to improve, we will keep trying to improve, we need to improve, it takes time. The most important thing is to build the foundation, build the right mentality, build the right values.

"Small things make the difference - Ipswich was better and they deserved the win."

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