Ipswich Town Move Into Championship Top Two After Oxford United Victory

Ipswich Town began 2026 with a vital Championship victory over Oxford United, climbing into second place. Jaden Philogene struck first at Portman Road with his ninth goal of the season. Will Lankshear levelled for Oxford shortly after the half-hour, but Chuba Akpom restored the advantage before half-time on Akpom’s first start in seven matches.

The result cut Championship leaders Coventry City’s advantage, though Coventry stayed eight points clear of Ipswich. Frank Lampard’s side drew 1-1 at Charlton Athletic after losing their previous match. That run of one draw and one defeat meant Coventry missed a chance to increase control at the top.

Coventry began strongly at The Valley when Ellis Simms scored inside three minutes, finishing Milan van

Ewijk’s pass. Charlton responded after the break and equalised in the 69th minute through Joe Rankin-Costello. Coventry therefore opened 2026 without a win, yet still retained a clear lead over the chasing pack.

Watford strengthened their Championship promotion push and kept close to Ipswich Town with a dominant home display. Tom Ince hit a hat-trick against Birmingham City as Watford extended a winning streak to four league matches. That run maintained Watford in fourth place, three points behind Ipswich in the standings.

Tom Incepic.twitter.com/i7qRqb3tduWatford Football Club (@WatfordFC) January 1, 2026

Hull City lost ground in the Championship promotion race on the same day. A 1-0 home defeat against Stoke City ended Hull’s five-game unbeaten sequence. The setback also dropped Hull to fifth place, below Watford, after a period where Hull had looked increasingly solid.

Middlesbrough suffered a setback away from the promotion places, losing 1-0 at Derby County. Bobby Clark’s goal in the 70th minute settled the contest at Pride Park. That defeat pushed Middlesbrough below Ipswich into third and continued a worrying run of four straight matches without scoring.

Back at Portman Road, Ipswich turned pressure into numbers that supported the scoreline. Ipswich generated 1.26 expected goals, with seven efforts on target from 19 total shots. Philogene maintained an impressive home streak, contributing either a goal or assist in four straight Portman Road appearances, with three goals and one assist.

Akpom’s decisive strike ensured Ipswich extended a strong pattern when taking the lead in Championship games. Ipswich have now gone 19 league matches without defeat after scoring first. The last time Ipswich lost a Championship match having opened the scoring was a 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City in March 2024.

The victory over Oxford established early momentum for Ipswich Town in 2026 and tightened the Championship title picture. With Coventry City dropping points, and Watford winning again, the leading group stayed compressed. Middlesbrough’s loss and Hull City’s setback further underlined how Ipswich capitalised best on the opening fixtures of the new year.

We start 2026 with three points. pic.twitter.com/8mI4mofblKIpswich Town (@IpswichTown) January 1, 2026