Ipswich Town recorded their third consecutive victory by overcoming Portsmouth by a single goal this evening.
Michael Chopra's 12th-minute close-range effort was enough for Paul Jewell's men to edge ever further from the Championship's relegation zone.
The visiting Tractor Boys started the game on the front foot and Damien Delaney saw his header strike the crossbar before Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Chopra stung the palms of Stephen Henderson within the opening ten minutes.
Town were soon ahead when top scorer Chopra reacted quickest to smash home after Daryl Murphy's header hit the inside of the post.
Pompey responded well to going behind and Marko Futacs also levelled proceedings but saw his effort well blocked by Tommy Smith before Eric Huseklepp was denied by Arran Lee-Barrett.
After the break, the game resumed in a scrappy fashion with the first chance not arriving for 15 minutes, when Smith saw his header cleared off the line by Tal Ben Haim.
Portsmouth then thought they'd equalised after a long throw-in but Dave Kitson was adjudged to have fouled Lee-Barrett in the build up.
The visitors almost made it two when Lee Martin saw his drive bounce back off the post before they held out for the win.
The three points see Ipswich rise to 17th in the league while Portsmouth are leapfrogged by the East Anglian club and drop to 18th.
Pascal Lemesre
