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Ipswich Town managed their first win of the Championship season in resounding fashion over Sheffield United on Friday evening.
Things went from bad to worse for Ruben Selles as he witnessed his rock-bottom Blades receive a five-goal hammering at Portman Road.
Jaden Philogene scored a stunning hat-trick, with goals from George Hirst and substitute Jack Clarke compounding the Sheffield United misery.
Philogene sent Ipswich fans into dreamland courtesy of his outstanding display, and after the game, Selles admitted that Sheffield United had no answer.
Kieran McKenna was elated to see the Tractor Boys claim their first win of the season, and he revealed post-match which one was his favourite of the five-goal haul.
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Kieran McKenna chooses favourite Ipswich Town goal vs Sheffield United
Philogene’s dynamite hat-trick for Ipswich against Sheffield United stole the headlines, but it was substitute Clarke’s for the fifth of the evening.
Clarke has struggled under McKenna at Ipswich since his £15m move from Sunderland last season, having been used in various positions and playing more in the half-spaces rather than as an out-and-out winger.
Clarke will want to show McKenna his talents, which established him as one of the best widemen in the Championship during his time in red-and-white, and he went about that against the Blades with his second goal of the season.
After picking up a loose ball, Clarke went past Ben Godfrey with ease before slotting through Michael Cooper’s legs for Ipswich’s fifth, and McKenna revealed why that was his “favourite” of the five.
McKenna told the East Anglian Daily Times: “I’m delighted for Jack Clarke as well. I said to the boys downstairs, Jaden scored three great goals but my favourite goal was the fifth goal.
“Jack came on, worked so hard, was pressing, was tackling, was winning balls back. The good karma that gets him is a goal.
“That, for me, was the best goal of the night, that was the best bit of the night, and that was what I think is a really good sign for us going forward.
“The attitude of all the boys off the bench – Jack, Sam Szmodics, Ivan Azon, Sindre (Walle Egeli) and (Marcelino) Nunez – to help the team with the clean sheet, to press and to run and then to try and bring their bits to it at the end of the game really pleased me.”
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Jack Clarke will need to displace Jaden Philogene at Ipswich Town
Although Clarke will have been buzzing to see his team-mate score such an impressive hat-trick, he could be forgiven for a tinge of selfishness.
As all Sunderland fans will attest to, Clarke’s best position is on the left-wing, where Philogene tore Sheffield United apart on Friday.
McKenna said of Philogene: “We know he prefers to play on the left, but we had some big injuries on the right side in the Premier League so he had to play all his minutes on that side.
“He’s been working really hard and we’ve been working really hard with him through pre-season, especially with the balance of him and Jack (Clarke) being more natural wingers on that side and Leif (Davis)’s role for us and how we can try and make that effective.
“We know his qualities, what he can bring. It’s of course his best night for the club so far.”
Clarke desperately needs a consistent run of games to rediscover his 15-goal form at Sunderland from 2023/24, but McKenna may opt for hat-trick hero Philogene again on the left wing when Ipswich travel to Blackburn Rovers next weekend.