Ipswich Town hit back before the break to sink Birmingham | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: Ipswich Town beat Birmingham City 2-1 at Portman Road to move into the Championship's top two. In the 32nd minute, Carlos Vicente put the visitors ahead with a left-footed finish into the bottom left corner. Ben Johnson levelled (41.) from Darnell Furlong's cross, then Kasey McAteer slotted the winner (45.) after George Hirst's through ball. The Tractor Boys won 58.5% of duels, edging the physical battle across the pitch. The Tractor Boys rise from fourth to second and visit Norwich City next, while Birmingham drop to 15th and host Wrexham.

Player of the Match: Kasey McAteer decided the contest with the first half winner and grafted throughout, winning four tackles and regaining possession six times.

Stat of the Match: Jacob Greaves won 10 aerial duels, shutting down Birmingham's direct supply.

Three Things We Learned: Two quick goals just before the interval flipped the game, with the equaliser and winner arriving at 41. and 45. Christian Walton produced three saves to protect the lead in a tighter second half. Birmingham delivered 22 crosses at 13.6% accuracy, but the low return underlined why their nine attempts yielded only four on target.