As a result of his industry on the edge of the box, the ball fell for Ranger, who held off one defender and skipped inside another, only to see his sidefoot shot pushed aside by Richard Wright.
Wright was far less assured on the quarter-hour, charging out of his area to collect a long ball launched down Newcastle’s left and being beaten to it by Carroll, only for the striker to be defeated by a narrowing angle as he shot towards an unguarded net.
Ipswich had their moments, but Newcastle were playing the more fluid football going forward, only to suffer for a lack of urgency in the final third.
The travelling fans entertained themselves by striking up the loudest recent rendition of their anti-Ashley chant.
And fate responded in a manner so emphatic as to suggest that Him upstairs – be that Sir Bobby or his maker – was listening.
For seconds later, Ryan Taylor drew a foul from Jon Walters down the right, and pinged a free kick onto the head of Nolan – rising above Damien Delaney, 15 yards out – to head home off the underside of the bar.
Cue an increase in volume of “Get out of our club . . .” Cue another goal.
Carroll, of all people, delivered a lofted through ball, Nolan broke beyond his front men, stepped inside Pim Balkestein, and shot inside the near post as Wright failed to cover his angles.
And there wasn’t even time for a jubilant away end to strike up its favourite song before, incredibly, it was 3-0.
Jack Colback, Newcastle-born but on loan from Sunderland, committed a rash foul out by the left-hand touchline.
And Ryan Taylor trotted across to launch a vicious, inswinging effort – whether cross or shot – into the top right-hand corner.
Wright had clearly reckoned on a cross, with his decision to creep off his line proving fatal as he could only help the ball into the net.
The only wonder was that Ipswich, by now a shell-shocked shambles, did not concede again before the break.
First, Ryan Taylor fired high and wide from another promisingly-positioned free kick.
Then Wright went full length to his length to again deny Ranger after the youngster had met Khizanishvili’s cross with an athletic header.
The events during the interval brought more lumps to the throat, and the restart – barring a token effort at a home comeback very early on – soon picked up where the first half left off.
After Walters had headed over at one end, Ryan Taylor and Khizanishvili combined brilliantly down the right to send United away at the other.
And after the overlapping Georgian laid the ball back to his team-mate, Taylor’s deep cross picked out Ranger for a downward header which bounced up perfectly for an onrushing Nolan to nod past Wright.
Things, inevitably, fell away after the hour mark, with Fabricio Coloccini’s groin injury forcing a reshuffle which saw Khizanishvili revert to centre-half, Ryan Taylor drop to right-back and Peter Lovenkrands come on.
Taylor – Ryan, that is – also gave Hughton an injury scare. Nolan got into an unnecessary squabble with Ipswich substitute Pablo Counago.
But all, by earlier standards and despite a two-footed lunge by a frustrated Grant Leadbitter on Steven Taylor, was quiet.
The ease with which United coasted home was never better underlined than by the huge applause which greeted an Ipswich shot – a wayward effort from Balkestein – 15 minutes from time.
The same player saw a point-blank but weak effort easily saved by Harper after a goalmouth scramble late on.
Yet in between it had been Newcastle, through a shot from Harewood which stung a smarting Wright’s palms, who went closest to having the final word.
Source Sunday Sun