Ipswich Town were booed off at Portman Road following a 2-0 loss to QPR which increased the pressure on manager Paul Hurst.
Expectations were high following victory at Swansea prior to the international break, but Dean Gerken turning the ball into his own net on 13 minutes set the tone for another disappointing afternoon.
Rangers’ victory was complete thanks to a Tomer Hemed penalty after Toto Nsiala needlessly chopped down Eberechi Eze in the box before the break.
Just as they did after the September break, when they were beaten 2-0 in a limp display at Hull, the Blues fell flat and are now bottom of the Championship.
Expectation was in the air at Portman Road as the Blues went into the contest on the back of victory at Swansea last-time out, with manager Hurst keeping an unchanged side for just the second time as Blues boss.
They started well enough, looking to move the ball wide and into the final third, but they were soon halted in their tracks as the visitors were gifted the lead.
Rangers’ corners were clearly designed to test the Ipswich defensive line, as visiting attackers camped on the home goalline, with Freeman’s tight delivery flying into trouble. Gerken simply couldn’t deal with it, turning the ball into the back of the net with a limp hand.
Town’s response was nervy and lacking in ideas at times, with the backline struggling to distribute the ball into midfield and Freddie Sears struggling to get into the game as the lone striker.
Andre Dozzell and Trevoh Chalobah were bright spots, looking confident on the ball, combining well with each other and clearly looking the most likely to make something happen. But it wasn’t enough.
The only real chance of the half for the hosts came and went when Grant Ward sliced the ball harmlessly wide following good work from Chalobah, but things were to get worse prior to the break.
Another Freeman corner caused trouble, this time landing at the feet of Eberechi Eze who screened across the penalty area and was chopped down by a cruse Toto Nsiala tackle. Hemed sent Gerken the wrong way with the resulting penalty as moans and groans turned to boos at the break.
Gerken needed to make a smart save from Eze after Chambers was caught out after the break, with the disjointed play continuing and drawing disdain from a home crowd so desperate to see their team succeed.
Ward was again the man to have a chance come his way but he could only direct a free header straight at goalkeeper Joe Lumley. It was greeted by ironic cheers.
Jack Lankester’s arrival for his Ipswich debut put a spring in the Ipswich step, with the youngster nearly making an instant impact but not quite managing to turn fellw substitute Kayden Jackson’s cross home.
Eze had two further chances to kill the game once and for all, with Skuse getting back well to rob him of the ball when one-on-one before his second effort clipped the top of the bar.
But, so it transpired, the game was already up and the Blues offered little more before they were booed off at the end.
Ipswich Town: Gerken; Pennington, Nsiala, Chambers, Donacien; Skuse, Chalobah; Edwards (Lankester 66), Dozzell, Ward (Jackson 66); Sears.
Subs: Bialkowski; Knudsen, Downes, Graham, Nolan, Lankester, Jackson
QPR: Lumley; Rangel, Leistner, Lynch, Bidwell; Wszolek, Luongo, Cameron, Freeman; Eze (Scowen 89); Hemed (Wells 72)
Subs: Ingram, Hall, Cousins, Scowen, Smith, Osayi-Samuel, Wells.
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