Nottingham Forest 2-0 Ipswich Town: Lewis Grabban scores double as Reds cruise to win

Lewis Grabban took his goal tally to 15 for the season with a double against bottom side Ipswich to lift Nottingham Forest to fifth in the table.

Bartosz Bialkowski's inability to hold Tendayi Darikwa's shot allowed Grabban to fire home the opener on the rebound.

Gil Dias saw a headed effort come off the inside of the post for the Reds before Grabban met a Darikwa cross to tap-in from close range before the break.

Forest hit the woodwork twice more after half-time, Michael Hefele sending another header against the post before Grabban was denied a hat-trick by the crossbar.

Forest's eighth league win of season lifted them above Sheffield United in the table after the Blades were beaten 1-0 by Championship high-flyers Leeds United earlier in the day.

Ipswich's 11th league defeat of the season leaves them seven points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Grabban, who scored twice in Forest's remarkable 5-5 midweek draw with Aston Villa, continued his fine run of form with another brace to go top of the second-tier's goalscoring chart.

Ipswich's biggest threat before the break was Kayden Jackson, who sent a close-range header wide before calling goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon into action with a low shot.

Hefele went close to adding a third for Aitor Karanka's Forest, only for the German to direct a finely-weighted free-kick from Joao Carvalho against the post and into the relieved arms of Bialkowski.

Grabban had two big chances to complete his first hat-trick for Forest, the first he curled onto the bar after beating Bialkowski to a long ball and the second was excellently blocked by Matthew Pennington.

Ipswich failed to make the most of the near misses, with Jack Lankester's low shot which tested Pantilimon the closest they came to pulling a goal back.

Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka:

"We could have won 5-0 or 6-0 but a 2-0 win finished an amazing week for us. It was important for us to finish well and I think we did that.

"I said before the game that it was going to be tough - and it was. But we started really well; we approached it in the right way.

"It was important for us to start well, but with this group of players we can go wherever we want, because they are amazing."

Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert:

"If we can stay in the fight, I think we are in a seven-team league at the bottom. If we can get a little bit of help in January, let's see what happens.

"Confidence is not an issue. The lads have been great and there is a real good spirit at the club. We will never let that go.

"You cannot just blame the defence or the keeper, it is a collective thing. We cannot give away sloppy goals against a side of the calibre of Forest, who have invested well."