Murphy on cloud nine with Ipswich

Nine was the magic number for Daryl Murphy this weekend as his brace in the 4-1 Championship win over Leeds made it nine goals in nine games for Ipswich’s number nine.

Mick McCarthy’s men fell behind early on but a stunning Murphy header levelled the tie after 12 minutes. A David McGoldrick penalty put Ipswich in front before Murphy grabbed his second on the stroke of half-time as the Tractors Boys maintained their promotion charge. Murphy’s brace means the previously goal-shy striker has already matched last season’s haul of 13 and is now the league’s leading marksman.

McCarthy has challenged Murphy to break the 20-goal barrier and believes the number on the 31-year-old’s back partly explains his rich vein of form.