Mick McCarthy hailed a 'huge result' and a 'top tactical performance' after Ipswich earned a last-gasp win at Watford, the former leaders, to move back into the top six.

The game looked destined to end in a goalless draw before, deep into stoppage time, Freddie Sears dispossessed Ben Watson on the counterattack to set up Richard Chaplow to score the winner.

The result means Ipswich climb back to within five points of Watford in second place. 'With seven games to go, it's a huge result for us, it's fabulous and we're back in the top six,' McCarthy said.

'I thought it was a really top tactical performance as much as anything against a team that try and play through you.

'We had to change a couple of times to accommodate them and I thought we did it particularly well. It's a great victory in the last minute and it's a great finish by Chappers [Chaplow]. I thought all the subs contributed really well today.'

With the leaders, Bournemouth, only six points away and a home match against the Cherries on Friday, McCarthy was asked if his side were back in the title race. 'I ruled myself out two weeks ago. I keep saying to everybody it's how many points we end up with and who knows what we'll end up with?

'You've seen it today, Brentford scored in the last minute and Wolves would have been cock-a-hoop, then we've won. We've got Bournemouth next. I said with the next two games we could be really out of it or really back in it. At the moment we're back in it,' he said.

The defeat was Watford's first in seven games and the head coach, Slavisa Jokanovic, accepted responsibility for losing a game in trying to win it.

Jokanovic said: 'It's disappointing and with the game we lost today it's a normal emotion. We've won many games in the past in the last minute and today we lost the game.

'I accept, first of all, this is my responsibility because I don't want to close the game out and we're looking for a way to try and win it. I made a mistake, my team made a mistake in the last moments and we lost one point.

'We tried all the game to find a way to win it. It's definitely the wrong moment we don't decide to try to close the game out and attack one free-kick with so many players, and it's disappointing that we didn't get what I believe we deserved.'

Unusually Watford failed to produce a single on-target attempt and Jokanovic said: 'My team tried to find a way. We played against a physically very strong and very organised team.

'We made some chances, not some chances like we make in other games and this is part of the Championship too. I am disappointed with our last moment in the game, but we made some chances but we didn't make enough in the game.'

The Observer