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 was at his best as his curling finish put Kieran McKenna’s men on course to beat their Sky Bet League One visitors with further goals courtesy of Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor before half-time.
Town eased up after the break but missed a chance for a fourth when Ali Al-Hamadi drilled a penalty wide of the post after a handball in the area.
Phillips’ quality helped Ipswich dominate the ball in the early stages, and the Manchester City loanee eventually played an offside pass to an unmarked Taylor, who swung wildly to let Rovers clear after 15 minutes.
Phillips’ pedigree was on full display when he received the ball outside the area and the England international responded to shouts of “shoot” with a powerful shot that went past goalkeeper Josh Griffiths and into the bottom right corner.
Ipswich’s pressure forced Rovers into constant errors as they defended from the front to claim another. Left-back Lino Sousa received the ball on the move and held possession for too long, allowing the Blue Shirts to intercept his wayward pass as Clarke was poised to pounce.
Rovers’ back line was not up to par to compete with the Premier League hosts.
Taylor appeared to be in the backfield for Ipswich’s third goal, but with no VAR and little attempt 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 approach continued after the break when Massimo Luongo’s shot hit the hand of Grant Ward when they were awarded a penalty.
Al-Hamadi stepped up and cleared his shot from the spot to save Rovers blushing from conceding a fourth.
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