Ipswich Town climbed into fourth place in the Championship after second-half goals from Marcelino Núñez and Chuba Akpom secured a third consecutive away victory against Hull City.
The breakthrough came when Chilean midfielder Núñez headed home a cross from Jaden Philogene, lifting Ipswich after a first half in which they failed to register a single shot on target at the MKM Stadium.
Hull had been aiming to stretch their unbeaten home run to seven matches, but their momentum was halted when substitute Akpom doubled Town’s lead just four minutes after the opener.
The closest the Tigers came to scoring was a first-half effort from Joel Ndala that struck the post. The defeat saw Hull drop two places to eighth in the standings, while Ipswich jumped four spots into the play-off positions.
Hull were without suspended midfielder Matt Crooks for the contest, while right-back Lewis Coyle marked his 200th appearance for the club.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna made extensive changes following the goalless draw with Wrexham, rotating much of his midfield and attack with six alterations to the starting line-up.
After a quiet opening spell, Hull’s Joe Gelhardt, full of confidence after six goals in his previous seven games, attempted an ambitious strike from just inside Ipswich’s half. Although his effort sailed over Christian Walton, it drifted narrowly wide.
Ipswich dominated possession around Hull’s area but lacked penetration, while the hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock when Coyle’s cross was only partially cleared, allowing Ndala to fire a shot that Walton managed to fingertip onto the post.
Kyle Joseph later dragged a shot wide after Regan Slater won back possession in midfield, while Ipswich’s best first-half attempt came from Kasey McAteer, whose long-range effort flew over the bar.
McKenna introduced Jack Taylor at half-time in place of the injured Jens Cajuste, and Ipswich began to show more threat. Núñez forced a save from Ivor Pandur with a volley, while McAteer again failed to hit the target, heading over from a free-kick.
Town eventually broke through when Philogene was given too much space on the left flank. His precise delivery picked out Núñez, who ran between two defenders and finished with a header past Pandur.
The second goal followed soon after from a corner. Hull goalkeeper Pandur saved the initial header, but Taylor reacted quickly to set up Akpom, who calmly side-footed in from close range for his first Ipswich goal. Hull’s players appealed for offside, but the goal stood.
Ipswich nearly added a third as Philogene struck the post with a left-footed effort.
The result extended Ipswich’s unbeaten run to six matches ahead of Friday night’s trip to Oxford United. Hull, meanwhile, will look to bounce back when they travel to face Stoke City on Saturday.
Post-match reaction
Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic felt his side were in control for much of the game:
“For 70 minutes, we were almost perfect. We controlled everything and Ipswich had no shots in the first half. But one mistake changed the game, and they punished it immediately. That’s their quality. We took more risks after that, but conceded again straight away.”
He added that his side should have defended the opening goal better and questioned whether the second goal was offside.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna praised his team’s resilience and work rate:
“It was a tough night on a difficult pitch. Our intensity and defending were excellent. We didn’t have as much control as we wanted early on, but we showed the hard work, organisation and resilience you need in this league. Once we scored, confidence grew, spaces opened up, and we looked a real threat in the final stages.”