Hull City 1 – 2 Everton [70′]
The Premier League is finally back in action this weekend and Everton travel to the other end of the M62 for a meeting with new boys Hull City, who are doing almost as well in their first season back in the bigtime. The game kicks off in the MKM Stadium at 2 pm BST and is on Sky Sports Premier League in the UK.
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Team News
Mykolenko does not make it and Norgaard is on the bench along with Dibling and George. Everton avoiding any clash (!) by donning their Tottingham-style what and dark blue second kit.
Tim Iroegbunam on the bench for Hull City.
First Half
The visitors kicked off, back tp Pickford for the hoof, Barry underneath it. Thomas fouled MN early on but Everton couldn’t make it work. A poor pass almost sent Hull away but they recovered. A free-kick saw Garner try and float one into the top corner but Tzolakis had it covered.
Everton tried to work it slow with Grealish doing his walking football thing to kill any impetus. Grealish tried again with Dewsbury-Hall help but stalled to a standstill. Grealish drew another foul off Crooks. They git it out to Grealish who eventually had a feeble shot at goal.
Hull countered with a long ball but Pickford took it out of the air when it come his way. But a decent Hull counter almost had Everton in trouble, Armstrong giving away the corner. That was repelled but Tarkowski had to head the next cross behind, Armstrong with the clearing header from the corner.
Crooks fouled Grealish again for an early yellow card. Build-up play from Everton was painfully slow and the forward ball was a bit scrappy but Hull were very much up for it, Tarkowski having to stop McBurnie as he wanted to shoot.
Everton did get forward, Maitland-Niles crossing well but Barry had ambled offside. McBurnie was next for a yellow after barging into Tarkowski after the ball had gone, and he was not a little upset. A quick pass let Hull break but Gelhardt’s effort was weak.
Grealish worked to set up Garner but he lost the ball too easily, and Hull countered again, but to little effect. Everton back to the slow build-up until Grealish got forward but his shot was blocked behind.
Garner’s corner came back out of the scrum, and Branthwaite’s reaction cross went through everyone and out for a throw. Keane tried to release somebody but it was overhit. Gelhardt naughtily shoved Branthwaite as he was about to head the ball. Tarkowski was ten called for a foul on Thomas.
Barry headed down a nice Pickford clearance to Dewsbury-Hall and he played in Barry but the defender Ajayi was too clever for him. Maitland-Niles had to give up a corner and Crooks got it back in where Trakowski battled to clear the danger.
There was a decent attack, Grealish playing it back to Btranthwaite whose teasing cross was caught by Tzolakis and he dropped the ball as he bumped into Dewsbury-Hall (no foul). Armstrong shot it goalward but it rebounded off a defender on the line and Brennan Johnson (35′) was there to poke it home off the defender’s attempted clearance. But somehow VAR decided he was offside. How on earth he can be offside in that situation is just baffling with two defenders in front of him!
Armstrong drove through and played in Barry but his shot was blocked behind, Tzolakis, punching the corner half-clear. It was worked for another corner, this time caught cleanly by Tzolakis and Hull counter at pace again, winning a corner. A really good delivery was headed clear by Barry on the near post.
Hull were very tricky customers, McBurnnie doing his best before Geldhart curled one toward the far post, a brilliant touch from Pickford or Tarkowski turning it past the post. The corner was powered over by Mendy. A long ball over Keane got behind the line from Hull, Gelhardt poking it at Pickford.
The best move of the game saw Grealish dance around and put over a peach of a cross that Barry had all the time in the world to pick his spot but he jumped a fraction too early and headed it well over.
A superb pass from Armstrong picked out Johnson but his shot wasn’t good enough in response, though ot won a corner, again delivered straight to Tzolakis to end the half. Honours even but really… why was that goal disallowed?
SECOND Half
The second half began with more walking football in the sunshine as Everton tried keep-ball. But McBurnnie easily played through Branthwaite for a trunover that saw Hull counter and a terrible tocuh from Maitland-Niles saw Gelhardt played through by Thomas and able to tap the ball past Pickford. Absolutely shocking defending by all three Everton players.
A corner was headed away well by Tarkowski. A great move from a free-kick saw a perfect cross from Johnson to Barry, the whole game to aim at and it’s headed straight at the keeper.
Johnson’s ball in was cleared beind by Egan. From the workarond, Maitland-Niles plays in a cross to the far post and Dewsbury-Hall (54′) nods it in at close range, bounncing off the ground past Tzolakis.
A great run from Grealish saw his cross almost find Armstong on the penalty spot as Everton realised they had to play with more intensity. A fantastic piece of play ended with a fantastic low ross from Branthwaite that you could have wafted in with yer cap but Barry let it run through his legs. Utterly hopeless.
Another good cross from Branthwaite, who had shown well as an advanceing left back, was plucked out of the air by Tzolakis’
Barry got himself offside again before George replaced Johnson. A ball broke nicely fromDewsbury-Hall to pounce on and he played it through to Thierno Barry (67′) who this time nmade absolutely no mistake, thumping the ball past the keeper and into the Hull net.
Lineups
Hull City: Tzolakis; Ajayi, Egan, Mendy; Coyle, Crooks [Y:12′], Slater, Giles; Gelhardt, McBurnie [Y:20′], Thomas.
Subs: Phillips, Morita, Belloumi, McNair, Norton-Cuffy, Stroud, Herrington, Iroegbunam, Vaz.
Everton: Pickford, Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Keane, Branthwaite, Garner, Armstrong, Dewsbury-Hall, Johnson (66′ George), Grealish, Barry.
Subs: Travers, O’Brien, Dibling, Nørgaard, Alcaraz, Hackney, Röhl, Graham.
Match Officials
Referee: Michael Salisbury
Video Assistant Referee: Timothy Wood
Assistant Referee 1: Adrian Holmes
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Long
Fourth Official: Will Finnie
Assistant VAR: Matt Wilkes