A bright start from Ipswich saw Nathan Broadhead’s effort blocked by Tosin Adarabioyo, yet it wouldn’t take long for the Tractor Boys to race into an early lead, breaking the deadlock in the 12th minute.
Making just his second PL appearance, Filip Jorgensen was at fault when he upended Liam Delap in the box, allowing the hosts’ top scorer to bury the resulting spot-kick – his first goal in seven games.
Delap could have doubled his tally with a fierce strike moments later, but Jorgensen’s strong hand kept him at bay as the tide soon turned.
Chasing the game, Chelsea carved out several first-half chances, with Cole Palmer bending a free-kick onto the upright before picking out Joao Felix at the back post for what appeared to be the equaliser.
However, after an unnecessarily long VAR check, Felix’s sweeping strike was rather predictably ruled out for offside. As the half drew to a close, Moisés Caicedo lashed a shot over the bar, shortly before Christian Walton – also playing his second Premier League match – produced an impressive save to tip Palmer’s first-time shot onto the crossbar.
The Blues continued where they left off after the restart, but after Wes Burns cleared Felix’s tame header, Ipswich doubled their advantage against the run of play.
Another individual error cost Chelsea, as this time Axel Disasi’s careless pass was intercepted by Delap, allowing him to charge towards goal before laying off to Omari Hutchinson, who stroked a low effort into the net against his former club.
Staring at just a second away league defeat in 13 outings (W8, D3), the visitors continued to dominate possession but ultimately had no response as Ipswich held firm.
After a disastrous late collapse against Fulham on boxing day, another defeat here suggests that Enzo Maresca’s doubts over a title challenge are well-founded.
A disappointing festive period leaves the Blues fourth in the PL table, 10 points behind league leaders Liverpool with a game extra played.
As for Ipswich, a second win in seven PL matches isn’t enough to lift Kieran McKenna’s side out of the relegation zone just yet, although it does cut the gap to safety to just one point heading into the second half of the season.