Ipswich Town 1 West Bromwich 5: Mowbray can profit from contribution of Pearson

For Nigel Pearson the honeymoon is over and he isn't even getting married. After five games in charge and no defeats, the man who stepped into Bryan Robson's shoes at West Bromwich Albion last month will be leaving the club once Tony Mowbray takes over on Wednesday.

That is almost a certainty and that is despite guiding the Baggies to their first away win since mid-January, when a Martin Albrechtsen goal was enough to beat Wigan Athletic. At Portman Road, the strikers did their duty, with Kevin Phillips scoring his first hat-trick since joining in the summer and Diomansy Kamara getting the others.

Pearson was reflecting on what he kept calling the "irony" of a performance like this with Mowbray, hired from Hibernian at the end of last week, watching in the stands. Pearson now seems set to leave with Mowbray bringing in Mark Venus as his assistant.

The truth is that Albion had not been playing too badly under Robson. They were moving up the Championship table with Pearson's hand on the tiller and are now fourth.

Mowbray did pop his head into his new club's dressing-room beforehand but preferred not to talk about the job ahead until he takes charge on Wednesday, after the game against Crystal Palace. All he would say was: "It's been a very interesting afternoon."

That it was, with Jason Koumas to the fore in Albion's midfield, apparently back to his play-making best after an unsettled couple of years. The combination of him and Phillips, with confidence restored, should now be a threat.

Albion's first came after a delightful volleyed pass from Koumas to Kamara, although the hosts equalised through a freakish Chris Perry own goal. Koumas supplied the cross for Phillips' first header and then found Zoltan Gera, who in turn picked out Phillips for his second header from eight yards. With Ipswich wilting fast, Kamara slipped his second home from a tight angle and Phillips wrapped up his hat-trick in injury-time, with his left foot. Mowbray might worry how he can top that.

Goals: Kamara (29) 0-1; Perry og (36) 1-1; Phillips (40) 1-2; Phillips (54) 1-3; Kamara (56) 1-4; Phillips (90) 1-5.

Ipswich Town (4-4-2): Price; Bruce, Naylor, De Vos, Harding; Noble, Walton (Richards, 80), Legwinski, Currie (Bowditch, 54); Clarke, Lee. Substitutes not used: Supple (gk), Castro, Macken.

West Bromwich Albion (4-4-2): Zuberbühler; Albrechtsen, Davies, Perry, Robinson; Gera (Ellington, 87), Carter, Koumas (Quashie, 80), Greening; Phillips, Kamara. Substitutes not used: Steele (gk), Watson.

Referee: A Woolmer (Northamptonshire).

Bookings: Ipswich Naylor, Noble, Walton; West Bromwich Greening, Carter, Koumas.

Man of the match: Koumas.

Attendance: 22,591.