Daryl Murphy ends drought with treble as Ipswich add to Millers' misery
Daryl Murphy finally got his season up and running as his hat-trick fired Ipswich to the easiest of 5-2 wins over stricken Rotherham in the Sky Bet Championship.
The striker, who won the division's golden boot last season with 27 goals, had failed to scale those heights again so far this season, but he found his range in South Yorkshire with a maiden career treble.
His first goals of the season were added to by Brett Pitman and Jonathan Douglas as Mick McCarthy's men ran riot at the rock-bottom Millers, stretching their unbeaten run to four games.
Things went from bad to worse for Rotherham boss Neil Redfearn as, even though they briefly threatened a comeback through goals from Brandon Barker and Matt Derbyshire, they looked a side destined for the drop, with a fifth defeat in their last six games.
The writing was on the wall for the Millers inside the opening minute when Freddie Sears found space at the far post, but with the goal at his mercy he shot straight at the legs of Lee Camp.
The hosts did not heed that early warning and it was little surprise when they fell behind in the eighth minute after poor defending from Paul Green allowed Kevin Bru to whip in a cross which Pitman sent into the bottom corner.
It got better for Ipswich in the 22nd minute and worse for Green as another error from the Millers midfielder led to a second goal.
After controlling a high ball, Green was robbed of possession by Douglas, who advanced and thumped a 25-yard shot low into the bottom corner.
The Millers were all at sea and Ipswich could easily have racked up more as Camp produced a superb save to keep out Murphy's deflected effort before tipping over Pitman's lobbed attempt.
Murphy eventually did break his duck for the season two minutes before the break after more poor defending allowed the striker to slam home from eight yards.
Redfearn will have been desperate for his side to show some sort of reaction, but it was a familiar story just three minutes after the restart as Murphy capitalised on more generous defending and drilled home from an angle.
That Rotherham response eventually did come as the complexion of the match changed with two home goals in the space of three second-half minutes.
The first was a beauty as debutant Barker cut inside and sent an arrowing shot into the top corner from 20 yards and then Derbyshire superbly volleyed home from the edge of the area.
There was to be no comeback, though, as Ipswich sealed the win with Murphy completing his personal glory with a low finish in the 72nd minute.
Source: PA
