Three quick-fire goals in six first-half minutes did the damage for Forest, whose victory saw it go within a point of second-placed Arsenal in the standings.

Nikola Milenkovic put Forest ahead with a fierce finish from inside the box, capitalising on Liam Delap's poor header as Ipswich failed to clear its lines from a corner.

The visitors doubled their advantage soon after when Anthony Elanga rounded off a lightning counter-attack with a superb left-footed finish into the bottom left-hand corner.

Elanga grabbed his second before the break, profiting from some more slack defending to race on to Milenkovic's long punt forward to place the ball beyond Alex Palmer.

Forest's solid defensive rearguard was eventually breached late on when Jens Cajuste neatly turned substitute Ryan Yates before curling a fine strike into the roof of the net.

But Nuno's side restored its three-goal advantage five minutes later through Jota Silva, who finished after being fed inside the box by the industrious Morgan Gibbs-White.

The scoring, however, was not done there. Ipswich substitute George Hirst restored some pride for the Tractor Boys in second-half stoppage-time with a well-taken header.

The result moves Forest on to 54 points in third, while Ipswich stays in 18th, now nine points adrift of safety after Wolverhampton Wanderers' 2-1 victory over Southampton.