Ipswich Town 6 Charlton 0

Promotion contenders Ipswich Town confidently dispatched Charlton as two of League One's form teams met at Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys sat top of the form table coming into the game, with Charlton third, but it was the home side that were able to impose themselves on the game right from the first whistle.

Dean Holden named an unchanged starting XI from the side that beat Burton Albion 3-2 on Bank Holiday Monday as the Addicks once again started in a 4-3-3 formation. Miles Leaburn and Steven Sessegnon returned to the bench after missing the victory.

It was an early onslaught from the home side and three early corners gave the Addicks a warning of what was to come.

Despite that, it was Charlton who had the first shot on target with Jes Rak-Sakyi setting up Albie Morgan whose driven shot was comfortably gathered by Christian Walton.

Ipswich took a seventh-minute lead when the dangerous Conor Chaplin collected a pass from Leif Davis that may not have been intended for him, advanced into the area and made no mistake with a powerful left-footed finish across goal.

It was 2-0 seven minutes later when Chaplin played a neat one-two with Nathan Broadhead to go clear of the Charlton defence, this time finishing with his right past the advancing Ashley Maynard-Brewer.

After the difficult start the Addicks began to grow into the game and after a nice move down the left wing Scott Fraser’s deep cross was met by the head of Macauley Bonne and well kept out by Walton just before the half-hour mark.

Minutes later Fraser’s shot from just outside the area curled agonisingly wide of the Ipswich goal.

After an impressive first-half performance from the home side, Luke Woolfenden handled an innocuous-looking Maynard-Brewer clearance with Bonne running in behind him potentially through on goal. Referee Samuel Barrott gave the defender a yellow card and Morgan blasted the resulting free-kick over as the Tractor Boys went in 2-0 up at half time.

To start the second half Broadhead skipped away from two Charlton midfielders and struck a powerful shot from outside the penalty box but Maynard-Brewer moved across his goal quickly to palm to safety before collecting.

Holden opted to bring on Sessegnon and Leaburn as Charlton chased the game and the Addicks could, and maybe should, have had a penalty in the 62nd minute when Rak-Sakyi got in behind Davis, who appeared to trip him in the area but referee Barrott turned down the Charlton appeals.

Chaplin completed his hat-trick with a tap-in when a chipped ball to the back post found Broadhead, who calmly squared across goal for the attacking midfielder to pass into the net.

Both sides made further changes and it was one of the substitutes that made it 4-0, when Sam Morsy won the ball in the Charlton half and fed Freddie Ladapo who had just come onto the pitch and he finished neatly past Maynard-Brewer.

The substitute added his second when he bundled into the box before smashing into the roof of the net from close range.

There was still time for Ryan Inniss to be sent off when referee Barrott adjudged the defender to have fouled Ladapo when the striker was advancing on goal.

Davis added a goal deep in stoppage time to seal Town's ninth win in 10 games on a difficult day for the Addicks.

Ipswich Town: Walton, Davis, Morsy (c), Woolfenden, Burns (Jackson 73), Chaplin, Burgess, Luongo (Ball 78), Hirst (Ladapo 73), Broadhead (Edwards 73), Clarke (Donacien 65)

Subs (not used): Hladky, Harness

Goals: Chaplin 7, 14, 70, Ladapo 74, 84, Davis 90+5

Assists: Davis 7, Broadhead 14, 70, Morsey 74

Booked: Woolfenden 45+2 (handball)

Charlton: Maynard-Brewer; Egbo (Sessegnon 60), Inniss, Hector, Thomas; Morgan (Kane 73), Dobson (c), Fraser; Rak-Sakyi (Henry 81), Bonne (Leaburn 60), Campbell (Kanu 73)

Subs (not used): Wollacott, Kilkenny

Booked: Hector 56 (foul on Luongo), Dobson 64 (push), Inniss 69 (foul on Hirst)

Sent-off: Inniss 87 (foul on Ladapo)

Referee: S Barrott

Attendance: 29,011 (1,113 from Charlton)