Hat-trick hero Oscar makes it three home wins in a row for City

Pictures by Hull City

Hull City 3 - 2 Coventry City

Sky Bet Championship

MKM Stadium

Attendance: 17,874

By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City correspondent

Hat-trick hero Oscar Estupiñán led Hull City to their third home win in a row against a bottom-placed Coventry who haven’t even kicked a ball inside their own stadium yet this season.

While the Tigers put to bed any fears that the bubble may have burst after last week’s 5-2 reverse at West Brom, the Sky Blues, for the most part, belied their lowly position and the fact they’ve had a less-than-satisfactory start to their season. The pitch at the Coventry Building Society Arena was ruled unplayable after the rugby sevens gave it a hammering in the Commonwealth Games, forcing them to reschedule matches.

It seemed that City were about to take full advantage of their unsettled opponents. They started very brightly and pushed them back almost from the off, winning their first corner in the fifth minute. And Coventry hardly had a chance to steady the ship before the Tigers took the lead.

Jacob Greaves did well to power through down the left and play in Callum Elder on the left-hand side of the box. Elder lofted it to Lewie Coyle, on the right-hand side of the box, and his strong cross back in left the Sky Blues at sixes and sevens.

Hanging around in the goalmouth was Oscar, who popped the ball in inches from the line. It might have gone in of its own accord, who knows… but the Colombian wasn’t taking any chances - and bagged his fifth goal of the season for the Tigers, in just the 11th minute of the game.

This fired Coventry up, though, and there would follow quite a few dangerous moments at the other end. In the 16th minute, Kasey Palmer played in Matt Godden, who shot from close range, but it was well held by Matt Ingram. Just two minutes later, Godden had the ball in the net, though his powerful header was ruled offside.

Then the Tigers suffered yet another injury blow to add to their long list of key players on the sidelines, when 19-year-old Vaughn Covil, making his first Championship start, pulled up in the 24th minute and limped down the tunnel, looking crestfallen. He was replaced by Andy Cannon.

Coventry levelled matters in the 29th minute, after Tobias Figueiredo fouled Palmer in the area - and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Godden stepped up – and there was no doubt about this one, as he blasted his penalty past Matt Ingram.

In the 35th minute, Regan Slater tested Simon Moore with a 25-yard volley that was well-struck, but straight at the keeper.

Coventry certainly looked like they had potential to get the better of City’s defence – but they ended up going behind in clumsy fashion once more, and just three minutes before half-time.

Moore failed to deal with Coyle’s cross, and Oscar was, yet again, lurking around the goalmouth. He bundled it over from barely a yard or two out - make that six goals this season.

Five minutes of added time were announced, after which City won a free kick in a promising position on the right. The ball eventually came back out to Cannon, who swivelled dramatically… and cannoned it into the fans in the North Stand, who were, by now, goading Moore every time he shaped up to clear the ball.

The second half started with a goalmouth melee following a City corner, which resulted in Alfie Jones heading just over from about six yards.

But City were to put more distance between themselves and Coventry when, in the 56th minute, Oscar bagged his third, in what is the most unattractive hat-trick he’ll probably ever get – not that he, or the deafeningly loud City fans, will remotely care.

Coventry could be forgiven for a feeling a sharp sense of déjà vu as another cross from Coyle was only half-cleared, and it fell to the feet of that man Oscar, who was, yet again, hanging around the right-hand post. He put it in from close range, for a magnificent seven goals from five matches, and the first hat-trick at the MKM Stadium since Abel Hernandez did it in August 2017.

But Coventry weren’t done. In the 67th minute, Ingram made a huge save, diving full-stretch to his right to deny Jake Bidwell - and moments later the Sky Blues were back in the game when Godden got his second, heading in from close range from a corner.

The momentum was, in the last 15 minutes, very much with Coventry, as they threw everything they had at the Tigers in search of the equaliser.

In the 77th minute, Jamie Allen shot well over, after another period of good pressure from the Sky Blues, moments before a standing ovation for Oscar, who was replaced by Ryan Longman. Then Viktor Gyökeres struck from long-range, a daisy-cutter that forced Ingram to dive low to his left.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, the atmosphere was tense, to say the least. After Kyle McFadzean was booked for a clumsy block on Benjamin Tetteh, Coyle’s long-range free kick led to a brief spell of possession for the Tigers, but the attack was snuffed out by Coventry.

Five minutes to go. A corner for Coventry. It was smothered by Ingram, to the relief of the home fans… could the Tigers hang on?

Hang on? They nearly made it four in the 88th minute, when Tetteh played Longman clean through on goal. One-on-one with Moore, Longman somehow scuffed his shot, put it wide from about eight yards, and faceplanted the turf in frustration.

Back at the other end, and there was another Coventry corner. Again, it was cleared, not before appeals for a penalty from the Sky Blues.

Then the referee announced a further six minutes of added time, during which Coventry substitute – and former Tigers loanee - Martyn Waghorn shot just wide, before the Tigers made their final substitute, bringing on new man Cyrus Christie, who had started his boyhood career at Coventry.

At long, long last, the whistle blew, and it was another three points after another hugely entertaining contest.

While that growing injury list may still be a big worry, being boring is one thing that City can’t be accused of at the moment, and Oscar looks like he might go on to notch up well over 20 goals this season, if he carries on in this vein. Someone please order a consignment of cotton wool to wrap him in…