Bolton rout Ipswich

Fredi Bobic grabbed a first-half hat-trick

Bolton 4-1 Ipswich
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German striker Fredi Bobic scored a hat-trick as Bolton plunged Ipswich deeper into the relegation mire.

Bolton scored all their goals in a first half in which they completely dominated their lacklustre visitors.

The win puts Sam Allardyce's side six points clear of the relegation zone and gives them some breathing space.

Ipswich, however, are in desperate trouble. They are two points adrift of Blackburn, who have two games in hand on them, and still need to play Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.

  Goals

2 mins: Bobic opens the scoring

30 mins: Bobic grabs his second

35 mins: Djorkaeff hits Bolton's third

38: Bobic completes his hat-trick

90 mins: Clapham scores a late consolation for Ipswich

The manner of this defeat will have given Ipswich boss George Burley little cause for optimism.

His side were shambolic in defence - keeper Andy Marshall was at fault for two of the goals - toothless in midfield and lacked a cutting edge in attack.

Bolton got off to a dream start, scoring their first goal after just 71 seconds.

Bobic picked up a low shot from team-mate Kevin Nolan and turned sharply before firing past Marshall.

The visitors had a good chance to equalise when Finidi George sent in an excellent cross from the right for Sixto Peralta, but Anthony Barness made a superb last-ditch tackle to deny the Italian.

That was as good as anything I've seen this year

Sam Allardyce
Bolton manager

Bolton then capitalised on the first of Marshall's calamitous errors to go further ahead.

The Ipswich keeper came way off his line to meet a long ball from Djorkaeff but failed to do so.

Rod Wallace stole in, and although his shot was pushed away by Marshall, Bobic was on hand to head in.

Just five minutes later Marshall kicked a clearance straight at Bobic, who crossed to Wallace from the edge of the area.

Wallace's header was off target but fell straight into the path of Djorkaeff, who made no mistake.

The rout was completed on the cusp of half-time, when Bobic turned Ricardo Gardner's corner in.

At the end of the day we've made terrible errors and if you look at the four goals, Bolton haven't had to work hard to score any of them

George Burley
Ipswich manager

The second-half was a non-event. Bolton took their foot off the gas and dejected Ipswich did not seem to have the ability or desire to find a way back into the game.

They grabbed a late goal through substitute Jamie Clapham, but it was of little consolation on a miserable afternoon for the Suffolk side.

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Bolton: Jaaskelainen, N'Gotty, Barness, Whitlow, Charlton, Warhurst, Gardner, Nolan, Djorkaeff, Bobic, Wallace. Subs: Poole, Frandsen, Holdsworth, Ricketts, Konstantinidis.

Ipswich: Marshall, Wilnis, McGreal, Venus, Hreidarsson, Peralta, Holland, Tommy Miller, George, Marcus Bent, Armstrong. Subs: Salmon, Stewart, Reuser, Clapham, Bramble.

Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).