Middlesbrough missed the chance to move level on points with Championship leaders Coventry City after they were thrashed 3-0 by Watford at Vicarage Road. 

Having seen Coventry fall to their first league defeat of the season to Wrexham on Friday, Rob Edwards was made to endure an unhappy return to his former club. 

Watford captain Imran Louza opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Luca Kjerrumgaard doubled the hosts' advantage just after the half-hour mark. 

And the win was sealed four minutes after the restart as Kjerrumgaard brought up his brace, moving Javi Gracia's team up to 10th in the Championship standings. 

The Hornets have now won four successive home league fixtures, while also picking up their first clean sheet of the season at the 13th attempt. 

Middlesbrough's slip-up allowed the chasing pack to edge closer, something Stoke City did emphatically as they thumped fellow play-off hopefuls Bristol City 5-1. 

Divin Mubama starred for Mark Robins' team, scoring a hat-trick while also assisting Million Manhoef as the Potters raced into a three-goal lead after just 25 minutes. 

Stoke increased their advantage two minutes after the restart through Junior Tchamadeu, before Mubama completed his treble with a fierce finish into the roof of the net. 

Mark Sykes's 82nd-minute goal proved to be just a consolation for the Robins, who dropped down to fifth. Stoke, meanwhile, are just a point adrift of the automatic spots. 

Birmingham City also pushed themselves back into contention for a top-six finish after putting Portsmouth to the sword in a much-needed 4-0 victory at St. Andrew's. 

Blues had failed to win in front of their home supporters since September 20, but got off to a flying start when Paik Seung-Ho opened the scoring with nine minutes gone. 

Jay Stansfield had also seen a penalty saved inside the opening 10 minutes, but Birmingham doubled their lead just before the hour through Tomoki Iwata's brilliant header. 

Birmingham put the result beyond doubt when Christoph Klarer met Alex Cochrane's inviting free-kick, before Keshi Anderson added further gloss to the scoreline late on. 

A pair of braces from Marcelino Nunez and George Hirst propelled Ipswich Town up to ninth in the Championship after cruising to a 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers. 

George Hirst's second-minute opener was quickly cancelled out by Rumarn Burrell, but two goals in 10 second-half minutes saw Kieran McKenna's team take control. 

Nunez sent a stunning free-kick beyond Christian Walton before Hirst grabbed his second later. The Chilean midfielder was, however, not done there. 

He repeated the trick with another goal from a set-piece in an almost identical position, though his strike did take a deflection on its way into the QPR net. 

At the opposite end of the table, a Carlton Morris hat-trick moved Derby County eight points clear of the relegation zone as they picked up a 3-1 win away to Sheffield United.

Derby had lost each of their last four league visits to Bramall Lane, but Morris sent them on their way in the 24th minute as he fired the ball past Michael Cooper. 

Morris doubled his and Derby's lead a minute after half-time with a dinked finish into the net, with Alex Matos then handling the ball inside the area just after the hour. 

And Morris made no mistake from the spot, and while Callum O'Hare's late goal offered the Blades hope, Derby held on for their third successive league victory. 

Data Debrief: Hornets sting Boro as Morris continues fine form

The managerial merry-go-round at Watford threatened to derail the Hornets' season after Paulo Pezzolano's dismissal last month, but Gracia's return has provided some stability at Vicarage Road as his team are now looking up. 

Watford have won each of their three league games against Boro for the first time in their EFL history, and they did so with ease despite registering an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.9 from their nine shots, compared to their opponents 0.75 from their 14 attempts. 

Another side now trying to make a charge into the top half is John Eustace's Derby, with the Rams led by Morris once again. Indeed, in the Championship this season, only Coventry's Brandon Thomas-Asante (nine) has scored more goals than the former Luton Town captain (eight).