LEEDS United set up a potential Sky Bet Championship blockbuster at Cardiff on Tuesday with a thrilling victory against Ipswich Town at Elland Road.

Thomas Christiansen's men edged out the Tractor Boys 3-2 in front on another 30,000-plus crowd to stay top of the table on goal difference from Wolves and the Bluebirds.

The mouthwatering trip to Wales will reveal more about United's promotion credentials, which were tested to the full by improving Ipswich.

Town mixed muscle with craft to stretch the Whites, who won the game despite having just two shots on target.

It was the style of match which Elland Road regulars may come to expect, with Christiansen's side believing attack is the best form of defence. It is a high-risk strategy but Leeds got away with it on Saturday.

Home midfield duo Kalvin Phillips and Eunan O'Kane were not able to grab the game by the throat to bring in the dangerous Leeds attackers.

Ipswich used an old-style 4-4-2 formation to press the Leeds defenders, who tried to play the ball out – a tactic which saw them surrender possession to allow the Tractor Boys to get their game into gear.

It set up an exciting game but Leeds just had the edge, with Samuel Saiz's footwork and movement sprinkling drops of magic here and there.

Ipswich had no-one of that ilk in their ranks but their drive and determination kept them well in the game.

United were rewarded for a dominant opening when Pierre-Michel Lasogga drove in Conor Shaughnessy's through-ball with just 12 minutes on the clock.

The visitors responded well to the setback, pressurising the Whites into defensive mistakes that led to a succession of free-kicks and corners.

Mick McCarthy's side, noted for their well-drilled set-pieces, drew level when an unmarked Eddie McGoldrick headed in the equaliser after half an hour.

About a minute later, Leeds restored their lead when Phillips latched on to Saiz's neat header to sweep the ball home in front of the South Stand.

It needed a Vurnon Anita clearance off the goal-line to prevent a second equaliser just before the interval to maintain United's advantage.

The game ebbed and flowed in the second period, with the points seemingly destined for the leaders before keeper Bartosz Bia?kowski spilled Pablo Hernandez's 68th-minute corner into the net.

Yet Ipswich refused to cave in and responded immediately when Felix Wiedwald failed to deal with Dominic Iorfa's cross and the ball squirted into the path of Joe Garner, who reduced the arrears.

Both sides had chances in the final frantic 20 minutes, with Luke Ayling's crucial interventions saving Leeds on a couple of occasions to keep them top of the pile.

Leeds boss Christiansen admitted: "It was an intense game that had everything.

"Ipswich were only two points away from us, so we knew it was a six-point game that we had to face. The response was good and the result was better."