Ipswich Town defeated Oxford United in their first game of 2026 to move up to second place in the Championship.

Jaden Philogene scored his ninth goal of the campaign to put the Tractor Boys ahead at Portman Road, but Will Lankshear equalised for the visitors shortly after the half-hour mark.

Kieran McKenna’s side, however, regained the lead and claimed all three points before the break, as Chuba Akpom fired in the winner in what was his first start in seven games.

Their rise up the standings came at the expense of Middlesbrough, who fell to a 1-0 loss at Derby County.

Bobby Clark’s 70th-minute strike was enough to separate the two sides, with Boro now failing to score in each of their last four games.

Championship leaders Coventry City, meanwhile, failed to get their year off to a winning start, after being held to a 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic.

Ellis Simms gave Frank Lampard's side the lead after just three minutes, sweeping home from Milan van Ewijk's pass, but Joe Rankin-Costello restored parity in the 69th minute.

Coventry are eight points ahead of Ipswich at the summit, though they have failed to win their last two matches (D1 L1).

Watford continued their fine run of form with Tom Ince scoring a hat-trick against Birmingham City to extend their winning run to four games, and keep them three points behind Ipswich in fourth place.

On the other hand, Hull City saw their five-game unbeaten run come to an end with a 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke City, with the Tigers dropping to fifth in the table.

Data Debrief: Home comforts for Philogene

It was a strong performance to start the year for Ipswich, who produced 1.26 expected goals (xG) as they hit the target seven times from their 19 shots.

Philogene has now contributed to goals in each of his last four games at Portman Road (three goals, one assist).

Ipswich have now avoided defeat in their last 19 matches when scoring first in the Championship, since a 2-1 loss to Cardiff City in March 2024.