Tigers tame Foxes to make it three wins on the spin
Pictures courtesy of Hull City
Hull City 2 - 1 Leicester City
Sky Bet Championship
MKM Stadium
Attendance: 20,211
Hull City made it three league wins in a row for the first time in more than a year after edging past Leicester City at the MKM Stadium – and in doing so climbed to a rather unfathomable seventh in the table.
Two big figures were missing from the starting picture: boss Sergej Jakirovic, serving a one-match touchline ban after collecting three yellows (the latest during that feisty win at Birmingham), and talisman Oli McBurnie, rested with a minor knee issue. But if anyone feared a dip, the Tigers quickly showed otherwise.
City could have led inside five minutes when Kyle Joseph side-footed goalwards after a fine cross from Liam Millar, forcing Jakub Stolarczyk into his first save of the night.
Leicester threatened briefly in response before City hit them with a seventh-minute blow.
After Amir Hadžiahmetović set Joe Gelhardt free on the right, Gelhardt crossed to Matt Crooks, who slipped – and it fell kindly for Millar. On his return to the first 11 after a year-long injury layoff, Millar curled a gorgeous strike into the far corner from just inside the area. What a start for him – and for the Tigers!
Leicester really should have levelled on 14 minutes when Jordan Ayew, given time and space, somehow failed to hit the target from inside the area, before Semi Ajayi saved City with a superb sliding block on Patson Daka.
Millar, relishing his starring role in McBurnie’s absence, laid another chance on a plate on 21 minutes, putting in a lovely cross for Joseph, whose header was saved by Stolarczyk. The Tigers looked sharp on the break, with Regan Slater everywhere – soon after he teed up Joseph, only for him to sky another big chance midway through the half.
City deservedly doubled their lead just after the half-hour, and it was another excellent assist to add to Ryan Giles’ growing tally – he crossed into the six-yard area, the Foxes were unable to deal with it, and it fell to Gelhardt to pop it in at the back post. Clinical stuff.
Newly relegated Leicester, having made a bit of a stuttering start to life back in the Championship, had no real answer to City’s energy and aggression. Apart from a looping Daka header and a strong Pandur save from Abdul Fatawu on 38 minutes, the Foxes carried little threat. It felt like a third for the Tigers would have killed the contest, but of course 2-0 always left a door ajar.
Leicester came out aggressively after the restart – they simply had to! – pinning City back with early corners, though still without seriously testing Pandur.
At the other end there were loud penalty appeals on 52 minutes when Gelhardt tumbled in the box, but instead of a spot-kick he was booked for simulation.
On 59 minutes Akin Famewo replaced Ryan Giles, who had taken a knock late in the first half. Aaron Ramsey, on as a Leicester substitute, headed wildly wide when unmarked – but this was a warning of what was to follow.
For in the 67th minute, Ramsey struck gold. Jannik Vestergaard played in Ayew, who trapped the ball well and laid it off for Ramsey 20 yards from goal; he dug out a brilliant looping effort that soared over Pandur. Out of almost nothing, it was 2-1, and suddenly the Foxes’ tails were up.
Moments later Fatawu lashed just over and then Hamza Choudhury sent one high into the North Stand as the Foxes pressed hard for a leveller.
City responded with changes: Joseph and Hadžiahmetović off, Destan and Gyabi on.
Gelhardt could have restored the cushion on 76 minutes after a great one-two with Destan slipped him through, but Stolarczyk came out well to deny him.
Leicester pushed and pushed, Ramsey blazed into the visiting fans, and in the 83rd minute Charlie Hughes made a brilliant, vital block in the six-yard area.
Slater and Gelhardt were then withdrawn for John Egan and Joel Ndala to see it out, though Leicester continued to pour forward. There were hearts-in-mouths moments galore in the closing minutes: Harry Winks crashed an effort off the underside of the bar, two Leicester penalty shouts were waved away (the second one… well… it might just have gone the other way on another day), and the MKM roared the Tigers home through seven very long minutes of added time.
This was a huge win, full of character and edge. And a win against Charlton on Saturday could put the Tigers right in the mix – remarkable, almost unthinkable, given that just a few months ago this club survived relegation on the final day before heading into a summer of transfer embargo controversy.
Just a note of caution, though – when we last won three on the spin, many thought Walterball had arrived at last. (Narrator: it hadn’t.)
But – this feels different, doesn’t it? Maybe Jakirovicball (technically Holdenball… or should we call it Holdenballs?) is here to stay – only time will tell.