Championship: Ipswich Town 2 - 1 Wigan Athletic

Ipswich go into Christmas in pole position for promotion to the Premiership after a superbly taken goal by Darren Bent in the 89th minute took Joe Royle's team to the top at the expense of Wigan in their summit meeting last night.

A thick mist swirling around the ground could not obscure the message the quality of this game sent out to the rest of the Championship; these teams will probably be first and second at the end of the season, but in what order remains open to question.

A fine headed goal from the centre-half saw Richard Naylor equalise after Wigan had taken the lead with a 30-yard shot of breathtaking quality from their full-back Leighton Baines, and the spirit and skill shown by both sides suggests the battle to be champions will go all the way.

Of the two teams, it was Ipswich who had to demonstrate an ability to cope with the loss of important players. Kevin Horlock has arguably been their most influential midfielder this season, but the suspension that forced him to miss his first game since arriving at Portman Road in the close season at least enabled Royle to give a home debut to Darren Currie, recently signed from Brighton.

Injury to Drissa Dialo gave Matt Richards a chance to stake his claim at full-back ahead of the young American Daniel Karbassiyoon, whom Royle, no doubt conscious of the fact this was the first of five games in 14 days, has just taken on a month's loan from Arsenal.

Wigan, in contrast, were at full strength and must have relished the prospect of playing on the best pitch in the division. While their strikers Jason Roberts and Nathan Ellington tend to attract the headlines - they came into the game having scored 11 and 14 league goals respectively - the real strength of Paul Jewell's side is in midfield, where Alan Mahon, Jimmy Bullard, Lee McCulloch and Gary Teale pass the ball short and long better than any other quartet in the Championship. None are big men - if there is a criticism of the Latics midfield it is that is may be too lightweight - which makes their record on a poor surface at the JJB Stadium all the more admirable.

Ipswich's Jim Magilton can pass the ball a bit too. And shoot, as he proved with a dipping left-foot volley which grazed the roof of the Wigan net as early as the second minute. Wigan had a better chance moments later, when Roberts outmuscled Naylor and cut the ball back into the path of Teale. The midfielder looked odds-on to score, but Kelvin Davis produced a fine block.

If the pattern of the game was predictable - Ipswich enjoying the majority of possession but Wigan looking very dangerous on the break - it did not detract from the quality of some of the football being played, though at times the relentless pace did, especially in the final third. Roberts headed a Baines cross just over and was wrongly flagged offside after being put clear by Mahon, while at the other end Currie curled a free-kick straight at the Wigan goalkeeper John Filan.

The best chances of the half though went to Ipswich's giant striker Shefki Kuqi. Shortly after Bent, put clear by Currie down the right, had hit an unconvincing left-foot shot high from just inside the area, Kuqi did the same from even closer range with his right. He then looked certain to make amends when Currie produced a fine cross from the left, but put his header just wide.

Encouraged, Ipswich came out for the second period and pinned the visitors back. Bent, always happier on his right foot, thumped a drive just wide, but having conceded only 15 goals in their previous 23 games, Wigan's defence is as mean as their attack is fecund, and Matt Jackson and Ian Breckin stood firm.

When Baines, out of nothing, sent the cleanest shot that will be seen in the Championship all season rifling past Davis, Ipswich heads might have dropped. Instead they lifted the pace another notch, and got a deserved equaliser when Naylor back-headed Currie's floated free-kick past the stranded Filan.

Kuqi might, perhaps should, have won it when with quarter of an hour remaining he failed to beat Filan with another close-range header, but an Ellington snap-shot from 22 yards forced Davis to dive smartly to his left to save as Wigan proved equally as determined to take all three points.

Ipswich
Town (4-4-2); Davis; Wilnis, Naylor, De Vos, Richards; Miller, Westlake, Magilton, Currie; Bent, Kuqi.

Booked: Wilnis, Westlake.

Wigan Athletic (4-4-2); Filan; Eaden, Breckin, Jackson, Baines; McCulloch, Mahon (Wright, 80), Bullard, Teale (Graham, 88); Roberts, Ellington.

Booked: Roberts.

Referee: R Beeby.