Kieran McKenna hails ‘brilliant result’ as Ipswich bag derby double over Norwich

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was delighted to be part of an historic win as his side triumphed 2-0 at East Anglian rivals Norwich to boost their hopes of automatic promotion.

The hard-fought victory not only took Town back into the Championship’s top two but also completed a first derby double for the visitors since the first season of the Premier League in 1992-93.

A controversial 11th-minute penalty set Ipswich on the road to victory, with Anis Ben Slimane punished when he caught Jack Taylor when attempting to clear his lines and Jaden Philogene slotted home the resultant spot-kick.

Town doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time when George Hurst fired home after a Darnell Furlong long throw had been flicked on, and then saw out of game in impressive fashion as Norwich penned them back.

“This is a brilliant result for the club,” said McKenna. “As soon as I came here I was told how important this fixture was and that it had been so long since we’d beaten them.

“We finally got a win at our place earlier in the season and now we’ve backed it up by completing a double. I know how much this means to everyone connected with the club and I am sure they will all be enjoying it.

“We came here with a game plan and the lads have done a brilliant job in what was a really tough game and delivered something special for the fans.

“We had to concede territory at times but we defended really well, got our headers and tackles in, and showed great resilience and togetherness to get the job done.

“It’s another important three points but there’s another game coming up on Tuesday (at Portsmouth) so we won’t have too long to enjoy it. Hopefully we can celebrate this properly in three weeks’ time.”

Norwich head coach Phillippe Clement felt his side were unlucky with the award of the early penalty.

“We started well but then we were hit by a penalty which was not a penalty,” said Clement.

“Anis goes to clear the ball, their player dives into him and Anis doesn’t touch his leg. We have a transition and then four or five seconds later the referee gives a penalty. That is why I support VAR – you have to get these decisions right.

“After that my players kept fighting, trying to play good football, but we didn’t finish it off, we didn’t create enough in the final third. That is something we will be working on in the coming weeks.”

Clement was also angry he received a yellow card late in the game, meaning he will face a touchline ban at Bristol City next week.

“The fourth official said too many of my staff got up at one stage and I was responsible for not controlling them, which is difficult when they are behind me,” he added.