Ipswich Town revived their hopes of automatic promotion as Sindre Walle Egeli and George Hirst gave them victory over Watford at Vicarage Road.

After conceding five goals at Wrexham on Saturday, Town boss Kieran McKenna got the response he wanted from his players as they secured a sixth away win of the campaign to move back up to third place.

Egeli volleyed them in front after a first half free-kick rebounded to him off the wall and Hirst sealed the outcome when he bundled the ball home three minutes after being sent on as a substitute.

Tom Ince had the chance to reduce the deficit from the penalty spot, but was denied by keeper Christian Walton as Ed Still suffered his first defeat as Watford boss, having taken four points from his first two games in charge.

Both teams showed four changes from their weekend starting line-ups, with wing-back Leif Davis absent from the Ipswich squad because of a knock and talented winger Othmane Maamma missing for Watford.

Marcelino Nunez caused early consternation for the home defence with a couple of inswinging corners, the first punched away under pressure by Egil Selvik and the second curling just past the far post as the Norwegian keeper fell backwards on his line.

The Hornets found themselves pinned in their own half, with eight or nine men behind the ball at times, and Still urgently needed to find a way to disrupt Ipswich's passing rhythm.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between at either end until a Watford break saw Stephen Mfuni cross for Luca Kjerrumgaard who was unable to direct his near-post header on target.

Ipswich's pressure finally told as a Nunez free-kick struck the wall and flew to Egeli, who sent a bouncing volley beyond Selvik and into the far corner.

After just a few minutes on the pitch in his Watford debut 10 days earlier, Italian midfielder Edoardo Bove was sent on for the second half in place of Giorgi Chakvetadze, a tall order to replace the team's main playmaker.

Ipswich's Cedric Kipre was booked for bringing down Nestory Irankunda as the Hornets began to threaten down their right flank but Nunez flashed a shot just wide from 20 yards at the other end after being given far too much space in midfield.

And Hirst sealed the points when he used his torso to force home Jacob Greaves' cross for his first goal since early December after Jack Clarke's initial effort had been blocked.

Bove – who suffered a cardiac arrest during a game in Italy in 2024 - was inches wide as he looked for his first goal in a yellow shirt before Ince was pulled back by Darnell Furlong in the box, but Walton dived to his left to push away his spot-kick.

There was time for one last chance for the home side but Walton beat away Irankunda's left-foot shot in added time for the personal reward of a clean sheet.

Watford are next away to Bristol City on Friday evening, with Ipswich - who are six points behind second-placed Middlesbrough after the Teessiders were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester - taking on Swansea City at Portman Road the following day.

Watford head coach Ed Still told BBC Three Counties Radio:

"I was very disappointed with how we weren't aggressive in the first half, we didn't execute the pressing triggers that we wanted and were much more passive than we wanted to be.

"Despite that, we haven't conceded any big chances in the first half apart from the free-kick - and I don't know in what world that is a foul against Mattie Pollock and it was disappointing to concede off a rebound.

"The second half, we came out much better, we put them under pressure and made it difficult for them and had a really good spell for 20-25 minutes.

"We should have been a bit more clinical in the final third to be able to create a chance or two more than we did and then we were unlucky on the break for the second goal."

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk:

"We've had a lot of travelling and it was important to get the performance tonight first and foremost - we were disappointed after Saturday [at Wrexham] so we need to come out and show the right ingredients.

"I thought it was a thoroughly deserved win and we're looking forward now to getting back to Portman Road on Saturday and it'll be great to do so after a win like that.

"Our intensity in duels was really good, and it's so important in away games, we won the 50-50s, the headers, the second balls and if you don't manage to do that in this division the momentum of the game is always going to be against you.

"When you do it, you get a chance to show the quality you have and we did that from the start of the game and that allowed us to impose ourselves on the ball and we created lots of pressure."