Kalvin Phillips scored his first goal since December 2023 as Ipswich beat Bristol Rovers 3-0 in the third round of the FA Cup at Portman Road.
The defensive midfielder showed signs of his best as his curling finish put Kieran McKenna's men on track to beat the Sky Bet League One visitors with further goals courtesy of Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor before half-time.
Town calmed down after the break, but wasted the opportunity to score the fourth goal when Ali Al Hammadi shot a penalty kick that went past the post after a handball inside the area.
Phillips' quality helped Ipswich control the ball in the early stages, and the ball was superbly turned over by the Manchester City loanee at the end to an unmarked Taylor, who swung wildly and allowed Rovers off the hook after 15 minutes.
Phillips' pedigree was on full display when he received the ball outside the penalty area and the England international responded to shouts of “fire” with a powerful shot past goalkeeper Josh Griffiths and into the bottom right corner.
Kalvin Phillips scored to give Ipswich the lead ahead of Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup
Ipswich's pressure forced Rovers to make constant errors as they defended from the front to claim another goal. Left-back Leno Sousa received the ball on the turn and took too long in possession, allowing the Blue Shirts to intercept his wayward back pass just as Clarke was about to score.
Rovers' backline was not at the right level to compete with their hosts in the Premier League.
Taylor appeared to be offside in Ipswich's third goal, but with no VAR in place and little attempt by the visitors to mark the striker, he ran to a loose ball through the middle and showed composure to finish alongside his foot.
The Tractor Boys' relentless style continued after the break when Massimo Luongo's shot struck Grant Ward's hand as they were awarded a penalty.
Al Hammadi stepped up and put the penalty kick away to save Rovers from conceding the fourth goal.
