Express & Star

Ipswich 0 Wolves 2.

Wolves somehow picked up their second win in five days in a strange game at Portman Road.

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Wolves somehow picked up their second win in five days in a strange game at Portman Road.

A wretched first half was followed by a bizarre own goal from Tommy Smith to put Stale Solbakken's side ahead in the 68th minute before substitute Tongo Doumbia's 25-yard drive sealed Wolves' first away win since QPR in February.

The impressive Kevin Doyle drilled against the base of the post in the 62nd minute to herald the start of a better second-half display from the visitors.

But Wolves' first clean sheet of the season didn't tell the whole story.

Their goal led a charmed life as Ipswich midfielder Lee Martin was denied by Carl Ikeme and missed a sitter in the first half, while Daryl Murphy, Massimo Luongo and Smith wasted chances after the break.

Solbakken made three changes from the side that beat Leicester 2-1 on Sunday.

Razak Boukari and Bjorn Sigurdarson made their first Championship starts and Dave Edwards was recalled to the line up in place of Slawomir Peszko, Doumbia and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake as Solbakken rotated his squad.

All three dropped to the bench, where there was a first appearance of the season for Stephen Hunt after illness, which meant no place for David Davis.

The game got off to a slow start – and it pretty much remained that way, until five minutes before the break.

Ipswich had the first real chance on 32 when Martin's free kick forced a diving save from Ikeme at his near post.

Within seconds, Boukari's snapshot at the other end whistled inches wide from 22 yards.

But Martin should have put the Tractor Boys ahead four minutes from the break when he was presented with a glorious chance from Michael Chopra's cut back.

Fortunately for Wolves, Martin placed his shot straight at Ikeme from seven yards out when either side of the keeper and it surely would have resulted in a goal.

If the first half was uneventful and poor, the second was a vast improvement with a much improved tempo and chances at both ends.

Murphy lashed wide first time after Edwards executed a superb goalline clearance to keep the ball out when it hit Chopra from Aaron Cresswell's free kick on 55 minutes.

Four minutes later, Sigurdarson missed Wolves' first serious chance when he shovelled disappointingly wide from Boukari's pull back from the left.

But Wolves had stepped up a gear and the industrious Doyle forced keeper Scott Loach into a diving save to parry away before he volleyed against the base of the post from Edwards' excellent headed knock down from Boukari's cross.

Wolves had to be alert though as substitute Jason Scotland's cross squirted off Richard Stearman and Martin fired over from a good position.

Ipswich were made to rue their misses however as Wolves took the lead in bizarre fashion in keeping with a shoddy game.

Smith lost his balance trying to defend Sako's free kick and ended up throwing the ball into the net under no real pressure.

Ipswich were their own worst enemies as they continued to create shooting chances, only to waste them.

The impressive Luongo, on loan from Tottenham, lashed wide and Smith lofted one over the bar after Martin beat Stearman in the air to head down a cross.

But Wolves made the game safe with a 25-yard drive from Doumbia, which Loach seemed slow to get down to before it nestled in the bottom corner.

The second visitors' goal extinguished Ipswich's fire and Wolves picked up their second win in five days.

It wasn't pretty from Wolves – but three points was all that mattered.

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