Hull City 0-2 Ipswich Town – Tractor Boys climb up to fourth

Hull went into the game without suspended Matt Crooks, while full-back Lewis Coyle made his 200th appearance for the club.

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, meanwhile, rotated almost his entire midfield and attack, making six changes to the starting line-up from their goalless draw with Wrexham at the weekend.

After a fairly nondescript opening 10 minutes, Hull’s Joe Gelhardt demonstrated the confidence of a player with six goals in his previous seven games by trying his luck from just beyond the centre circle, but although the ball cleared keeper Christian Walton it drifted wide.

Ipswich had plenty of possession around the home side’s box without producing anything resembling an incisive pass, and it was Hull who almost went in front when Coyle’s cross was only headed out as far as Ndala, whose shot was fingertipped on to the upright by the diving Walton.

Kyle Joseph dragged a shot wide, when he had time and space to do better, after Regan Slater won the ball in midfield, while the best Ipswich could offer in reply was a 20-yarder from Kasey McAteer which flew over the bar.

Town sent out Jack Taylor for the second half, replacing Jens Cajuste, who had picked up a knock, and they finally drew a save from Ivor Pandur with a volley from Nunez, though the keeper was not seriously discomfited, before McAteer was again too high with a near-post header from a free-kick.

They eventually took the lead when Philogene was given far too much time and space on the left and his perfectly weighted cross enabled Nunez to run in-between two defenders and give Pandur no chance.

The second followed from a corner as the Hull keeper blocked the initial header but Taylor laid it to Akpom – who had a loan spell at Hull in 2015-16 – to sidefoot in his first Ipswich goal from three yards as the home side appealed in vain for offside.

It could have been three when Philogene shot against the post with his left foot, but victory extended Ipswich’s unbeaten run to six games going into Friday evening’s trip to Oxford United, while Hull will next be in action on Saturday, away to Stoke City.