Ipswich Town were beaten 5-1 in their training ground friendly with Arsenal this afternoon.

Sone Aluko scored the Blues’ goal, with Eddie Nketiah netting a hat-trick and Sambi Lokonga and Folarin Balogun scoring for the hosts.

Boss Kieran McKenna used different XIs in both halves, with Wes Burns returning to action for the first time following international duty with Wales.

George Edmundson, Kayden Jackson and Tyreece John-Jules were again not involved as they wait for their first minutes of pre-season.

Arsenal got off to a strong start and took the lead through Nketiah in the early stages. The Blues lost possession inside their own half, with the Gunners capitalising as Nketiah finished well.

McKenna's side had the next chance, but Pablo Mari got back in time to deny Freddie Ladapo following Conor Chaplin's lofted through ball.

Christian Walton produced a good double save in the 20th minute as he stopped Nketiah's header before improvising to clear the danger with his left leg as the striker looked to notch his and Arsenal's second on the rebound.

The Gunners' extended their lead midway through the first half as Lokonga fired in, before Nicholas Pepe almost found the back of the net with a curling effort.

Nketiah notched a quick double to complete his hat-trick, with his third coming ten minutes before the break.

Sam Morsy tested Leno just before the half-time whistle with the German keeper getting low to his right to stop the midfielder's drive from just outside the area.

Lee Evans forced Arthur Okonkwo, Arsenal's second-half goalkeeper, into a save just minutes into the second 45 as his curling strike from the corner of the area was tipped over the corner of the crossbar.

Greg Leigh got up well from the resulting corner, but his header dropped inches wide.

Kyle Edwards then went close after beating two Arsenal players; his improvised effort curling a yard wide of Okonkwo's right post.

Balogun added a fifth for Arsenal after his first strike had come back off the foot of the woodwork, with Aluko then drilling into the bottom corner from the edge of the box for Town.

Burns, Edwards and Joe Pigott continued to threaten for McKenna's men, but the score remained the same in the Blues' second pre-season outing.

Albie Armin got minutes for Town in both the first and second half.

Town head to Loughborough for a training camp next week, with their next pre-season match coming against West Ham on July 12.

Arsenal first half: Leno, Bellerin, White, Mari, Cedric, Partey, Maitland-Niles, Lokonga, Pepe, Nketiah, Nelson.

Arsenal second half: Okonkwo, Walters, Kirk, Awe, Sousa, Smith, Oulad-M'Hand, Patino, Hutchinson, Balogun, Flores.

Town first half: Walton, Donacien, Ball, Ndaba, Vincent-Young, Harper, Morsy, Penney, Chaplin, Hughes (Armin), Ladapo.

Town second half: Hladky, Woolfenden, Burgess, Leigh, Burns, El Mizouni, Evans, Humphreys (Armin), Edwards, Aluko, Pigott.