Derby County fell to a 1-0 defeat to Ipswich Town in Sky Bet League One action on Friday evening.
Wes Burns' goal just after the hour mark was enough to separate the two sides in what turned out to be a frustrating evening at Portman Road.
It was an extremely fast-paced, energetic start to the game which was fitting for a raucous atmosphere inside Portman Road.
Derby started on the front foot but it was the home side that had the first chance of any real note when Lee Evans whipped a wicked ball across the box that Joe Wildsmith did well to get in the way of and put behind for a corner.
There were huge shouts for a penalty by the home faithful soon after when Tyreece John-Jules went down under a challenge from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing but the referee was unmoved and waved play on.
Ipswich were playing down the flanks a lot and Eiran Cashin had to be at full stretch to slide in and deny a tap in for Marcus Harness following a low cross by Wes Burns down the right.
Up the other end and it was Luke Woolfenden providing the same for the Tractor Boys as he slid in to deny an inviting low ball from Mendez-Laing finding either William Osula or Lewis Dobbin in the centre of the box.
Cashin was in the right place after the break to put in a crucial block that stopped Harness’ effort finding the bottom corner whilst up the other end, Dobbin was inches away from getting on the end of a lovely through ball that would have seen him with just the keeper to beat.
From what had been a defensively sound performance all evening, it was a mistake that allowed the home side to take the lead after the hour mark.
A mis-placed back-pass from Curtis Davies left Wildsmith unsure whether to come or go and after initially hitting the post through Kayden Jackson, Burns found the back of the net with the rebound in what was Ipswich’s first shot-on-target all evening.
The Tractor Boys were then handed the opportunity to kill the game off when they were awarded a controversial spot-kick with less than 10 minutes to go.
Kayden Jackson stepped up but for the second consecutive week Wildsmith guessed the right way and kept it out brilliantly to the delight of the away end.
Buoyed by the save, the Rams went in search of an equaliser and nearly found it when substitute David McGoldrick's effort was tipped wide by Christian Walton.
Seven minutes of added time were indicated at the end of the game and Derby continued to push but failed to find the cutting-edge to breakdown what was an impressive defensive wall.
The Rams are back in League One action and back at home next Tuesday evening (7:45 kick-off) when Exeter City are the visitors to Pride Park.
Ipswich Town: Walton (GK), Davis, Edmundson, Morsy (C), Woolfenden, Burns, Evans (76' Ball), Harness, John-Jules (72’ Ladapo), Jackson, Donacien (90' Keogh)
Substitutes not used: Hladky (GK), Chaplin, Edwards, Humphreys
Derby County: Wildsmith (GK), Chester, Cashin, Barkhuizen (80' Forsyth), Bird, Mendez-Laing, Smith (80' Thompson), Sibley, Dobbin (59’ McGoldrick), Osula (64’ Hourihane), Davies (C)
Substitutes not used: Loach (GK), Roberts, Stearman
Attendance: 28,415 (Derby County fans: 1,777)
