Aidy Boothroyd's style of play may not be pretty or popular but it is effective. Victory at the previously impregnable Portman Road put his Watford side top of the Championship.
Ipswich, unbeaten at home since March last year, had the Championship's best home record, but a week after winning their first away game in 11 months, defeat ended that proud boast.
Watford, with 10 wins and three draws, have the best away record and they had scored more than anyone else on their travels. Each reached those heights in their own way but the contrasting styles did not go down well with Ipswich fans that have been brought up on free-flowing attacking football, even if it does fall short in the final third.
The home crowd chanted "Boring, boring Watford" at Boothroyd's side's direct approach and later their time wasting, but in truth their side were not much more exciting or effective.
The abuse and the manner of the win did not bother Boothroyd, although he was not as happy about going top as you might expect. The manager said: "If you judge the performance by winning, it was up there as a 10. If you judge it on the ability to be stylish and nice I would give it a five.
"The result was fair and we are the first team to beat them here, which is an incredible record and credit to Jim [Magilton, the Ipswich manager]. If people want us to come here and go toe-to-toe with the team with the best home record in the division and go home black-eyed and having lost, then say that is okay because we did right for the game - then that is not going to happen."
Neither goalkeeper had anything of note to do in the first half hour. There was not a shot on target, or any worthwhile going wide and no corners. When it came, the first corner was poorly taken by Matt Sadler and it went straight out for another.
This time he put in a decent ball and Tommy Smith pulled away from Stephen Bywater and rose unchallenged to turn his header in from three yards, which was anything but a boring finish.
Danny Shittu, back from playing in the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria, was formidable at the back and epitomised Watford's physical but effective manner.
Magilton made a tactical substitution at half-time putting Alan Lee up front alongside Pablo Counago. It almost worked after only five minutes as David Wright picked the ball up in his own half and played a sublime pass into Lee's path and he chipped the onrushing Richard Lee but the ball came back off the crossbar.
Magilton felt if that had gone in, things may have been different but accepted defeat in good grace. He said: "The better team won. They physically dominated us and didn't allow us to play. They started better than us.
"We were second best all afternoon. Watford are a good side and any team that finishes above them in the table will get promoted. They did a very professional job and we didn't have enough courage in our conviction. We didn't have enough people believing we could win the game or wanting to get on the ball. To lose our home record like that was disappointing."
Substitute Jordan Stewart worked a cross that eventually fell for Nathan Ellington and he cracked in from 10 yards. Ipswich set up a thrilling finish when Jonathan Walters pulled a goal back. Wright delivered the free kick for skipper Jason de Vos to head back across goal and Walters poked in from six yards. Walters also went close with a dipping shot across goal that went narrowly wide.
Boothroyd admitted the home side had not made it easy for his players. "We had to defend for long periods and be resilient and, thankfully, we managed to hang on," he said.
"We scored at the right time and it was important that when we had decent spells in the game we used them well. The players I've got here have got fantastic strengths and work hard for each other. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing."
Star man: Danny Shittu (Watford)
Player ratings: Ipswich Town: Bywater 6, Wright 7, Bruce 6, De Vos 6, Harding 6, Norris 6, Garvan 5, (Sumulikoski, 59min) Miller 5, (A Lee, 46min), Quinn 6, Counago 5, (Haynes 59min) Walters 7
Watford: R Lee 6, Mariappa 7, Bromby 7, Shittu 7, Sadler 7, Smith 7, Eustace 6, Bangura 6, Ainsworth 5 (Stewart 54min) 7, Henderson 6, Ellington 6
Scorers: Ipswich: Walters 71
Watford: T Smith 32, N Ellington 56
Referee: A D'Urso
Attendance: 24,227
Watford breach Ipswich fortress to go top
Ipswich 1 Watford 2