IPSWICH Town boss Paul Lambert was banished to the stands as his side suffered more derby-day misery, sliding to a 3-0 defeat at title-chasing rivals Norwich City.

The Scot, back at his former club, was given his marching orders along with the Canaries' head of performance, Chris Domogalla.

Both were shown red cards after a mass confrontation just before half-time.

It was the chief talking point of a feisty, often ill-tempered affair.

But while Town would undoubtedly have been disappointed with the score, they can be proud of their battling, spirited performance amid the white-hot atmosphere at Carrow Road.

The scoreline undoubtedly painted an unfair picture but, in many ways, it was a microcosm of the visitors' season - tidy, slick passing but no cutting edge.

Because for all their possession and high pressing, they produced very few genuine scoring opportunities.

Town's other big failing this season has been in defence.

However, despite the score, it seems unfair to apportion too much blame on those at the back.

No-one could question their spirit, heart or desire and while relegation seems a certainty, they are undoubtedly going down a fight.

Town were given a boost before kick-off when skipper and talisman Luke Chambers was named in their starting line-up, having recovered from a foot injury. He replaced Toto Nsiala.

James Collins remained unavailable due to his hamstring injury.

Left-back Jonas Knudsen was surprisingly drafted back into the team while Trevoh Chalobah, Jon Nolan and Will Keane also returned at the expense of Myles Kenlock, Teddy Bishop, Flynn Downes and Collin Quaner.

Bottom-of-the-league Town were looking for their first derby win in nearly ten years and their first victory at Carrow Road since 2006.

They knew that in order to get something from the game, they had to start positively.

Unfortunately, the exact opposite applied as they fell behind in the second minute.

The Blues failed to clear Max Aarons’s cross from the right, Onel Hernandez’s shot was blocked but the ball was headed back across the box by Mario Vrancic.

Hernandez turned home from close range.

Norwich, second in the Championship, were pushed onto the back foot for the remainder of the half.

Town had more possession but could not hurt their hosts - a failing which cost them dear in the second period.

Teemu Pukki grabbed their second on a counter-attack, having been slid in by Emiliano Buendia.

The same pair then combined again nine minutes from time when Buendia slipped the ball through to Pukki.

The Finn produced a cool finish to put the gloss on what looked a comfortable victory for the hosts.

However, it was less convincing than the score suggests.

Town had more possession and shots but that will come as scant consolation for their fans, who were left licking their wounds once again.