Tigers turn on the style to maul Millers

Pictures courtesy of Hull City

Hull City 4 - 1 Rotherham

Sky Bet Championship

MKM Stadium

Attendance: 18,766

By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City Correspondent

Hull City put four past managerless Rotherham as the Tigers finally delivered the thumping home victory that fans had long been craving.

This match had all the makings of TypicalCity, though. Rotherham, propping up the table along with rivals Sheffield Wednesday, hadn’t won away since July, and they had suffered a fair few bruising defeats this season before Matt Taylor was sacked just ahead of the international break. The Tigers have been known for being only too happy to oblige in circumstances such as these… but not today.

After a minute’s applause for legendary England manager Terry Venables, who died on Friday, aged 80, the game got under way, and the Millers’ Christ Tiehi nodded wide inside the first minute.

But it would be a while before Rotherham would pose any further threat at all – for the Tigers went on the rampage, and, unusually for City, the rout began as early as the fifth minute.

After a poor backpass sold Millers keeper Viktor Johansson short, he tripped up the advancing Liam Delap, and Tyler Morton latched on to the follow-up, slamming it deliciously into an empty net.

Had he not done this, surely a penalty would have been given by referee Rebecca Welch – thought to be the first “woman in the middle” of a first-team Hull City match at the MKM Stadium.

The home fans had barely stopped celebrating before City had doubled their lead – and in what style.

Jason Lokilo lofted a ball into the area, and Rotherham’s defence utterly failed to clear the danger. They could only stand like statues as Jaden Philogene seemed to take all the time in the world to backheel it, cheekily, outrageously – filthily, even – into the far corner of the net. One of the best goals ever seen at the MKM Stadium, or indeed anywhere. Well worth seeking out on Twitter and watching on a loop every time you may feel a bit down.

On the 15th minute, moving applause rang out all around the stadium, while an orange smoke bomb was let off in E4, as fans paid tribute to young City fan Alfie Walmsley, who tragically died recently, aged just 15.

Just five minutes later, the Tigers were in dreamland – 3-0 up after a little over 20 minutes.

Morton picked up the ball on the edge of the area and, with a clever backheel of his own, crossed into the path of Delap, who smashed a shot at Johansson. The keeper took the sting out of the shot, and it was looking like it would just bounce in the opposite direction of the goal line… before Scott Twine popped up to make sure it went in, scoring his first goal for City – and the easiest he’ll get all season, from what must have been just a couple of feet out. 

The spectre of TypicalCity was now writhing in agony in the wings, as the home stands indulged in a lusty, and this time entirely justified, rendition of “Mauled by the Tigers”.

It was almost all City for the remainder of the half, with the olés coming out around the 37th minute as the Tigers knocked the ball around with ease.

Moments later it was very nearly 4-0 as Twine threaded another brilliant ball through to Jacob Greaves, who had found himself in the area after taking on man after man. He turned, shot from about six yards – and drew a great save from Johannson. There had been a touch of hesitancy from Greaves, which had given the Millers keeper a chance, as though the centre-half couldn’t quite believe he’d ventured so far forward.

Into the second half, and City went on the attack from the moment the whistle blew, with Delap having a shot blocked. It would be just another four minutes before the Tigers did make it 4-0.

Lokilo picked up the ball, raced down the right, and sidefooted it into the box. It hit Delap, and Johannson came out to challenge him – but the ball only fell into the path of Philogene about 12 yards out. This lad knows how to find the net – and he did, clinically bagging his second of the night. 

In the 54th minute, there were ironic cheers as Hull City keeper Ryan Allsop enjoyed a rare touch of the ball from Rotherham’s first corner of the game.

But Johannson was by far the busier of the two shotstoppers, and he kept it from being five in the 55th minute when he palmed away a 10-yard shot from Lokilo.

However, in the 59th minute, the Millers managed to grab one back after winning another corner. Grant Hall’s header looped over Allsop – to ruin the clean sheet and prompt some more ironic cheers from the home fans. Those who were still in the away end, and had not beaten a retreat from the increasingly bitter cold, and even more bitter defeat, enjoyed a few ironic olés of their own for a very brief period as the Millers put together a few triangles in their own half.

Philogene had one last go at trying for a hat-trick, having a shot blocked – shortly before leaving the field to a standing ovation, replaced by Ozan Tufan. Job done!

Jean Michael Seri was also substituted for Adama Traore – as the Tigers continued to attack and won two corners in quick succession. Johansson was called into action time and again, at one point denying Twine at the back post.

In the 66th minute, “Eeeeeeeeeeeaaves” began to ring around the stand – which announced the imminent arrival of City’s popular former number nine, Tom Eaves.

Every time the big ponytailed striker got the ball, the chant echoed around. He might have only scored 14 goals in his three years at City, but he was a grafter – a hugely likeable character who earned himself talisman status.

Delap was replaced by Aaron Connolly as the game began to peter out, and City – rightly – took their foot off the gas. In the 82nd minute, though, Tufan dragged a shot just wide of the left post – before the final change of the night, and another standing ovation, as Morton was replaced by Regan Slater, returning from injury.

Allsop was drawn into another save a couple of minutes later, batting away a powerful 20-yard effort from Millers substitute Jamie Lindsay.

As play was halted after a clash in the box, the North Stand implored, “Eavesy, give us a wave” – but the big Liverpudlian refused to oblige. There then followed a less-than-complimentary chant comparing him unfavourably to Andy Carroll…  all good fun, though – fun that you can have in spades when you’re 4-1 up.

This was a convincing home victory that had been a long time coming. Yes, it was “just  Rotherham”, and yes, we were expected to beat them comfortably. But so often we’ve failed to live up to these expectations, so this – and the fact that we edge into the top six again – should be a huge morale-booster as we head into the congested festive fixture period.