Ruben Selles pays Jaden Philogene tribute as Ipswich thrash Sheffield United

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As Jaden Philogene rattled in his third of the night – the hat-trick hero during Ipswich Town’s 5-0 dismantling of Sheffield United – Ruben Selles was powerless to watch his side crumble once again.

A sixth defeat in a row across all competitions.

Sheffield United had suffered their worst Championship start already – not since 1995/96 had they lost four league matches in succession – but the worst was yet to come.

As Jaden Philogene fired the Ipswich fans into dreamland, two rasping finishes on his left and then an explosive third from his right, Sheffield United’s embattled head coach Ruben Selles slipped ever closer to the precipice.

Ipswich Town 5-0 Sheffield United. Even Houdini himself would struggle to survive this one.

Before George Hirst and Jack Clarke added to Sheffield United’s misery, Philogene scored as many goals in 48 minutes as he did across his previous 15 Tractor Boys appearances combined.

Ruben Selles admits Sheffield United ‘struggled to stop’ Ipswich Town star Jaden Philogene

Even Selles, during a tense post-match autopsy, had to admit that the former Aston Villa, Stoke, Cardiff and Hull City winger was bordering on the undefendable, albeit his Blades side offered precious little resistance.

“Well, I think he did an excellent job,” Selles sighed. “And then we obviously struggled to to stop him.”

Opposite number Kieran McKenna, meanwhile, was delighted to see that all of Philogene’s hard work on the training pitch had paid off. In pretty spectacular style, too.

A long-awaited first win of the new season lifts pre-season title favourites Ipswich into the top half. As former Blades midfielder Lee Hendrie tipped the Tractor Boys to kick on from a performance which will strike fear into their Championship rivals, Sheffield United may already be in salvage mode.

Selles defends Tyrese Campbell and Gus Hamer omissions at Portman Road

Speaking to The Star, Selles defended his decision to leave star striker Tyrese Campbell and talisman Gus Hamer out of his starting XI while rueing the fact a solid first-half display counted for nothing in the end.

“As you say, it’s a very tough evening,” Selles said. “We came here with our intention to try to be dominant, try to go after the game. I think in the first half we saw the team that we want to be. We put the opposition under pressure. The first goal comes from a deflection 70 metres away from the goal.

“It’s the type of situation that has been against us this season and in the last couple of games. But I think we were competitive and then we started the second half with the idea of being competitive. The second goal was the thing that changed the game.

“I think we can analyse about the changes and the personal and the shape. I think we were competitive, as I say, in the first half and then the second half until we conceded that second goal in that transition.

I think we were the team that we want to be. We were intense, we were front footed, we were vertical, with the biggest spaces. We missed the final pass, the final situation in the final third. And I agree with you that after the second goal, the team is nothing that you can recognise.”