LEEDS boss Thomas Christiansen felt his side deserved more from their Championship trip to Ipswich as they lost 1-0.

Bersant Celina's 25-yard strike midway through the second half was enough to seal a first victory since mid-December for the hosts.

Leeds saw Eunan O'Kane sent off in the 37th minute following an altercation with Town left-back Jonas Knudsen.

The Whites have now taken just one point from their last three games and stay just outside the play-off places in seventh.

Christiansen said: "I'm disappointed for the result. I'm sorry for my players that we didn't take something positive with us.

"I'm proud because the effort that they showed and everyone in the stadium also recognised that it was not right to lose this game.

"It was a nice goal, no doubt. Perhaps you can defend it better but okay.

"I'm happy with the response. At half-time my message was the same – we want to take the three points and that was the spirit of the team.

"I believe if we play 11 against 11, we take the three points, for sure."

Asked about the sending off, Christiansen said: "There is no evidence that he goes to him. It was provocation, he went for that and he got that.

"From the point of view – where the camera is – there is no sign of doing it and I take my conclusion from what I saw."

Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy hailed the battling qualities of his side, who remain 12th in the table table but are only four points off the play-off spots.

"I thought it was a really tough game against a team that's in good form with good players," he said.

"I haven't seen the sending off – someone said it was a headbutt. If that's the case, then he deserves to be sent off. That doesn't make it easy, we've scrapped away.

"We needed the result over and above anything because we've had three defeats on the bounce and we needed to get our fans back on side here.

"I think their fans have helped more than anything else because they were brilliant and they created an atmosphere that was brilliant to play in and to manage in.

"They're a good side but we've had to scrap it out and we've played well. I'm really pleased."