Ipswich Town once again come up just short against one of the Championship’s leading lights with a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.

Chris Basham’s 48th minute header proved the difference at Bramall Lane as Mick McCarthy’s men suffered a fifth league defeat in seven.

The Blades – who are now joint top of the table – dominated possession in the first half, but some good Blues defending meant keeper Bartosz Bialkowski didn’t have a save of note to make.

The Blues switched off to concede after the restart though and then huffed and puffed thereafter.

David McGoldrick fired inches wide and Martyn Waghorn forced a smart save out of home keeper Jamal Blackman during a brief first half purple patch for Town.

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Both sides then struck the bar after the break – Waghorn for Town and Leon Clarke for the hosts – but other than that it was a scrappy second period.

Blues boss Mick McCarthy spent the game searching for an effective formation, starting with wing-backs, switching to 4-1-4-1 midway through the first half and then changing to 4-3-3 during the second half.

Town have now lost five of their last seven league games, with all six of their victories having come against bottom half sides.

They drop to 10th in the table ahead of next Sunday’s East Anglian derby with Norwich City at Portman Road.

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SHEFF UTD (3-5-2): Blackman; Basham, Carter-Vickers, O’Connell; Freeman (Wright 40); Lundstram, Fleck, Duffy (Lafferty 86); Stevens; Clarke, Sharp (Brooks 68).

Unused subs: Moore, Donaldson, Hanson, Carruthers.

IPSWICH TOWN (3-5-2): Bialkowski; Webster, Chambers, Knudsen; Iorfa; Ward, Skuse, Nydam (Sears 73); Kenlock (Downes 58); McGoldrick (Celina 73), Waghorn.

Unused subs: Gerken, Smith, Spence, Connolly.

Attendance: 25,799 (1,452 away)

Referee: Tony Harrington