Harry Wilson, Rodrigo Muniz and captain Tom Cairney got the goals as Fulham cruised to a comfortable win at Championship high-fliers Ipswich Town and reached the last eight of the League Cup for the first time in nineteen years.

Marco Silva’s side inflicted only Ipswich’s second defeat of a stunning season despite rotating their squad with Saturday’s lunchtime meeting with Manchester United looming large. The Londoners handed a first-team debut to the 18 year-old defender Luc de Fougerolles, who looked composed in the middle of the back more, as part of eight changes to the eleven that battled to a bitty draw at Brighton on Sunday. They never seemed seriously in danger of an upset at Portman Road despite Town’s strong start to life back in the second tier.

The Premier League outfit needed just eight minutes to assert their authority as they clinically punished poor defending from Town’s second string. Rodrigo Muniz held the ball up brilliantly on the half way line to find Bobby De Cordova-Reid, with the Jamaican international spotting Harry Wilson entirely free on the right wing. The Welsh winger gobbled out the chance gleefully after Christian Walton, making his first start after a lengthy injury lay-off, made a doomed dash out of his penalty area.

Fode Ballo-Toure, who impressed on debut in this competition against Tottenham, then saw his deflected left-wing cross cannon off the crossbar and, barring a hairy moment when Marek Rodak saved superbly from Kayden Jackson after fluffing his clearance, the visitors were in complete command. Ipswich, skippered by former Fulham forward Sone Aluko, showed eleven alterations from the side that started a five-goal thriller against Plymouth Argyle at the weekend with Cameron Burgess, who had made his senior debut here as a defensive midfielder at the start of that forgettable Felix Magath Championship campaign, in the centre of defence but they barely made any inroads at all.

Andreas Pereira nearly conjured up a stunning second from nearly 30 yards out and Calvin Bassey came even closer at the very end of the first half, embarking on a languid run down field before seeing his strike from distance pushed onto the post by Walton. Silva’s side continued to take the attack to the hosts after the interval and it took only five minutes for the critical second goal to arrive. Muniz turned in a lovely low ball from Pereira – on his 50th Fulham appearance – at the back post before taking his leave as part of a treble substitution five minutes later.

The Cottagers extended their advantage with a wonderfully worked third goal. Timothy Castagne’s ball down the right was flicked into the path of the onrushing De Cordova-Reid by substitute Raul Jimenez and Cairney tucked home a pinpoint cross from the edge of the box. Walton will feel like he could have done more to keep it out on a disappointing night for the experienced Ipswich goalkeeper – but the gulf in class between these sides was evident.

McKenna’s side did get a consolation when Indonesian defender Elkan Baggott bulleted in a back post header with eleven minutes remaining. Walton did deny De Cordova-Reid from a clever short corner before Omari Hutchinson drilled over from eleven yards right on the ninety minute mark. Devan Tanton, who was on the bench for a second successive game after being named in the squad for the trip to the AMEX, got a late reward for his fine under-21 performances at right back by replacing Castagne to make his Fulham debut deep into stoppage time as the Whites completed a professional display at one of the country’s form sides.

IPSWICH TOWN (4-2-3-1): Walton; Donacien (Hutchinson 69), Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess (Baggott 60); Ball, Taylor; Jackson, Harness, Aluko (Humphreys 61); Ladapo (Hirst 69). Subs (not used): Slicker, Carr, Luongo, Edmonson, Chaplin.

BOOKED: Taylor, Harness.

GOAL: Baggott (79).

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Rodak; Castagne (Tanton 90+5), Ballo-Toure, de Fougerolles, Bassey; Lukic, Cairney; Wilson (Iwobi 69), De Cordova-Reid, Pereira (Reed 69); Muniz (Jimenez 69). Subs (not used): Benda, Ream, A. Robinson, Palhinha, Vinicius.

BOOKED: Lukic, Muniz, Pereira.

GOALS: Wilson (8), Muniz (50), Cairney (77).

REFEREE: Lewis Smith (Greater Manchester).

ATTENDANCE: 28,211.