Hull City's fightback at St James' Park ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United. The Tigers conceded two early goals but pushed the hosts hard in a tense final quarter.
Newcastle took control inside the opening seven minutes. Harvey Barnes set up Joe Willock after three minutes, and the same provider found Lewis Hall for a second just four minutes later. Hull City, sitting eighth in the Premier League standings with eight points from five games, struggled to contain the early onslaught.
Matthias Jaissle, the Newcastle head coach, acknowledged his team's strong start. "The start was a high level and the right response," he said. "We totally dominated the first half. We should have killed the game."
The match turned after the interval. Hull grew into the contest and were handed a lifeline when Mohamed-Ali Cho finished from a Mohamed Belloumi pass in the 67th minute. Belloumi, the Tigers' top scorer this season with two goals according to the club's stats page, was instrumental in the build-up. The goal ignited a frantic final period, with Hull pressing for an equaliser.
They had a golden chance to level when Yoane Wissa stepped up for a penalty, but his effort was saved by Konstantinos Tzolakis. That missed opportunity proved decisive as Newcastle, despite what Jaissle described as "tired bodies on the pitch", held firm through nine minutes of added time.
Jaissle praised his team's resilience after a heavy defeat to Leeds United in their previous outing. "I’m overall really proud," he told reporters. "We needed to suffer. We defended with heart and commitment and that was exceptional."
For Hull, the result extends a mixed run of form. Their recent results include a creditable 2-2 draw at Chelsea and a 1-0 loss in the Humber derby against Sunderland. The current injuries list remains a significant concern, with Charlie Hughes, Darko Gyabi, Hidemasa Morita, Ilyas Ansah, Jack Butland and Nobel Mendy all sidelined.
The Tigers must now regroup during the international break. Their next challenge is a home fixtures against Everton at the MKM Stadium on October 11th.
First reported at Daily Mail Sport
