Hull understood that their first Premier League defeat would eventually arrive, but they could hardly have done more to postpone that moment.
Going two goals down inside seven minutes might have caused Hull to collapse, yet they responded with impressive resilience. They also recognised the vulnerability of a talented Newcastle side weakened by injuries and heavily reliant on young players.
After Matthias Jaissle reluctantly changed to a back three and Mohamed-Ali Cho reduced the deficit, the visitors took command. Newcastle’s ability to hold on for a confidence-boosting win felt increasingly remarkable.
“I’m extremely proud of our performance, particularly in the second half,” Sergej Jakirovic said. “We made errors during the opening 10 minutes and Newcastle punished us clinically on the break. After that, however, we demonstrated our mentality and character. Judging the full 90 minutes, I believe we deserved a draw. This team proved it will be very difficult to beat.”
Jaissle had strongly criticised his players following Monday’s 4-1 loss at Leeds, and his message appeared to produce the required response. Joe Willock quickly drove the ball beyond Konstantinos Tzolakis after only three minutes, becoming just the third player to score against Hull’s £20m Greek goalkeeper since his move from Olympiakos.
John Egan blocked Willock’s first attempt, but Hull were unable to clear the danger, allowing Harvey Barnes to find the midfielder for another shot.
Barnes created another goal four minutes later, combining with the outstanding Lewis Hall before the left-back, recalled to the England squad on Friday, guided a precise low finish into the bottom-left corner. The move had started when Hall dispossessed Oli McBurnie deep inside Newcastle territory.
Tino Livramento was also selected in Thomas Tuchel’s latest squad, although the right-back’s hopes of reporting for England duty diminished after a training injury ruled him out of this match. Despite missing nine senior players, Newcastle’s youthful starting lineup initially performed with confidence.
Hull found it difficult to contain the energetic Willock and the impressive 18-year-old Sean Steur in Newcastle’s midfield, but they remained competitive. Sorba Thomas nearly cut the lead when he came close to converting Matt Crooks’s cross at the near post.
Late in first-half stoppage time, Thomas slipped and then grabbed the advancing Jacob Murphy by the ankle, resulting in a penalty. Yoane Wissa took the spot-kick, but Tzolakis stopped his weak effort.
Newcastle named five academy players among their substitutes, including winger Kyran Thompson, a first-year scholar who finished school this summer. Midway through the second half, Jaissle turned to the experience of 34-year-old Fabian Schär, replacing the tiring Steur.
The substitution led Newcastle to adopt a three-man defence with Schär in the central role. Jaissle has repeatedly made clear that it is not his preferred system, and those concerns were reinforced when Hull scored almost immediately.
Cho’s goal followed Lewis Miley losing possession after moving from right-back into midfield. Mohamed Belloumi took advantage and released the summer arrival from Nice. Cho, a former England youth international who now represents France at under-21 level, confidently fired a close-range left-footed shot beyond Lukas Hornicek.
Hull then subjected Newcastle’s penalty area to a relentless stream of crosses, corners and attempts from different positions. The hosts were forced into prolonged defensive resistance, while their goalkeeper made several important saves, most notably stretching out a foot to deflect Robinio Vaz’s half-volley.
“It was a demanding match,” said Jaissle, whose coaching staff also exchanged words with Hull’s bench. “We began at an excellent level and produced the response we wanted after Leeds. The missed penalty shifted the momentum, though. We became tired and had to endure considerable pressure, but the determination to win was exceptional. I was proud because it felt like a special result.”
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