Leeds v Ipswich: Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy could not hide his disappointment and frustration following tonight’s 2-1 defeat at Leeds United.

A combination of bad defending by Tyrone Mings and poor goalkeeping by Bartosz Bialkowski allowed Alex Mowatt to score a free-kick opener (71) before Freddie Sears’ strike somehow squirmed under Marco Silvestri (74).

Billy Sharp put the hosts back in front with a good volleyed finish (77) and then Daryl Murphy, the Championship’s 21-goal leading scorer, saw an 84th minute spot-kick brilliantly saved by Silvestri.

“I am totally and utterly p***ed off because we should never have lost the game,” said McCarthy, who marched straight off the field at the end.

What was the main factor in the defeat? The poor defending for the opening goal? The penalty save?

“I’ve just been looking at that,” said McCarthy. “I’m not sure how he manages to give a foul one way or the other for that (Mings tugging back Sam Byram after trying to dribble out at the back). When he does though, he (Bialkowski) should have saved it. I think that’s the upshot of it.

“We get back in it, and I know he (Silvestri) should have saved ours, then their second comes after we have a great chance in their box. That’s not like us to get done (on the counter-attack) like we did.

“Then we have the opportunity with the penalty and he’s not hit it with any great conviction – and that’s our leading goalscorer.

“I thought we had the best part of the game, to be honest.”

With this result coming hot-on-the-heels of Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Norwich, Ipswich have suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time this season.

“It’s not a good time for that is it?” said McCarthy, cutting off a question on the above in mid-sentence. “I fully understand that. You don’t have to ask me that question.

“Of course, it’s never good to have back-to-back defeats, especially now when we had the chance to get back into the top six.

“We’ve played a day later than them, we’ll now get back at half two in the morning and we have Brentford on Saturday.

“There was an opportunity to get back in to the top six tonight and we have p***ed it away unfortunately.”

Asked if his team selection – strikers Murphy and Sears dropped to the bench – was with Saturday’s visit of Brentford in mind, he replied: “Brentford left their main centre-forward on the bench last night strangely enough. I had no problem with the team changes whatsoever, I thought (Luke) Varney and (Chris) Wood played well. They were a real handful. Varns was unlucky with his header (in the third minute). If it was offside that was marginal.

“The two lads (Murphy and Sears) will be fresh for Saturday. They’ll start on Saturday. That’s not cost us the game by any stretch of the imagination.”

Asked if match-winner Sharp was a player he had tried to sign on loan earlier in the season, McCarthy simply said: “You know he is. He’s a goalscorer.”

Had Varney – booed by the Leeds fans due to his acrimonious exit from Elland Road – been in the manager’s ear, wanting to start this match?

“Not at all,” snapped McCarthy. “I wouldn’t take anybody being in my ear. I’m slightly, no actually very disappointed and offended that you think I might be influenced by a player in my ear hole. You play if you warrant playing and I think he did.”