Ipswich Town 2, Albion 3

Albion's fourth win out of five by the odd goal in their flying start to the season was comfortably the most significant.

Not because it took them back to the top of the table. There are still over 40 games to go in the draining Championship.

Not because they scored three goals away from home for the first time since drawing with Ipswich's East Anglian rivals Norwich last November.

Not because they managed that without Elvis Manu, the latest addition to Chris Hughton's attacking options.

And not because Bobby Zamora was back in an Albion shirt for the last 12 minutes, 12 years after leaving.

It was significant because it hinted at the possibility that Hughton's drastically revised squad might just have enough about them to sustain a challenge.

It remains very early days to draw any firm conclusions but Ipswich are more likely to be competing for the play-offs than Albion's previous victims Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Blackburn, or Huddersfield where they collected a point.

Locals are of the opinion that Mick McCarthy has a stronger squad with more pace and direct menace than last season, when Ipswich finished in the top six.

In playing them off the park at Portman Road, certainly in another vibrant first half, Albion demonstrated they are currently where they deserve to be.

They are making the most of their breaks. Blackburn were without goal machine Jordan Rhodes and a proper right-back, injuries deprived Ipswich of last season's leading goalscorer in the Championship Daryl Murphy and Christophe Berra, one of the Scotland centre-half rivals to captain Gordon Greer.

The result might have been different if Uwe Huenemeier had been sent-off, as he should have been, late in the first half.

But Albion's position on top of the pile is no fluke. It is no exaggeration to say they could easily have doubled their tally.

They looked capable of scoring every time they counter-attacked in scintillating style.

As Hughton, not known for hyperbole, remarked: "We have still gone through quite close games and nicked them by the one goal but I thought we looked a real threat, particularly working through the thirds and on the break.

"Ipswich are a very good side and they get the ball forward at times very quickly. You need to compensate for that by being able to break at them and I thought we did that very well."

Kazenga LuaLua is on fire at the moment. His opener was his fourth goal already this season, matching his tally in the whole of last season.

Central midfielders Dale Stephens and Beram Kayal are a danger breaking deep into opposition territory.

Front pair Tomer Hemed and Sam Baldock are terrorising defences with a combination of pace, movement and relentless industry.

Albion's customary problem, scoring goals, has not been a problem at all so far this season.

They have yet to draw a blank in seven league and Capital One Cup outings. Importantly, this has been accompanied by a continuation of the defensive solidity which has under-pinned their general success throughout the Amex era.

They stunned a leaden-footed Ipswich with two goals in as many minutes in the first 12 of the match.

The instant understanding struck up between Gaetan Bong and LuaLua was demonstrated again by the new permanent left-back's through ball and the winger's quickly taken angled drive under pressure from two Ipswich defenders.

The home crowd sniggered when LuaLua lost his footing at the end of his multi-somersault celebration.

Stephens soon wiped the smiles of their faces with a 35-yard free-kick which appeared to beat everyone but which brushed in off the head of Hemed.

The Israeli striker said: "I am not a player that likes to steal goals if I haven't touched it. I'd never say it was mine."

It should have been 3-0 and game over in the opening quarter of the contest, the sprightly Baldock toe-poking just wide when Bong again released him through the inside left channel of a sleepy Ipswich rearguard.

Huenemeier was fortunate not to offer them a route back into contention late in the first half. The German centre-half, already harshly booked by referee Keith Hill for an innocuous foul, caught the diminutive Ryan Fraser with a high boot as he covered.

It is a measure of the improvement in the strength in depth of the squad that Hughton was able to turn to a £5 million rated replacement in Lewis Dunk as Huenemeier was sensibly withdrawn at the break.

Emphasising the point further was the eyecatching bench Dunk was part of, containing not only Zamora but also England under-21s Jake Forster-Caskey and Solly March, £1.5 million wing capture Jamie Murphy (whose starting spot was taken by Liam Rosenior), Finland international goalkeeper Niki Maenpaa and Rohan Ince.

A response from Ipswich and their canny manager Mick McCarthy was inevitable. He revised the defence and attack, introducing new Polish central defender Piotr Malarczyk and striker David McGoldrick for Josh Emmanuel, who was caught napping for LuaLua's breakthrough, and 18-year-old Maitland-Niles.

Within 20 minutes, after Stephens had struck a post, Albion were pegged back.

Freddie Sears slotted the rebound after Brett Pitman's shot struck both posts and McGoldrick converted a dubiously awarded spot-kick.

You sensed the next big decision made by Hill was bound to go Ipswich's way following Huenemeier's red card esacpe and an unintentional handball by Dunk inside his own box which went unpunished.

Bruno was penalised for bumping Fraser from behind just inside the area, prompting another encouraging attribute apparent in Hughton's revamped squad.

Rather than wilting and losing, as could so easily have happened, they showed character again to win, as they did at Fulham.

Hemed, last-gasp penalty hero on that occasion, headed in LuaLua's cross from six yards. Ipswich's unwarranted parity lasted only two minutes and there was no confusion about the goalscorer this time clinching a result which will reverberate around the Championship.

When Ipswich return at the end of 2015 to the Amex, where they were beaten last season by the same score, it will mark the first anniversary of Hughton's appointment. Albion look in so much better shape now than when he took over.