Play-off hopes hit as woeful City beaten by Stoke
Pictures courtesy of Hull City
Hull City 0 - 2 Stoke City
Sky Bet Championship
MKM Stadium
Attendance: 24,601
By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City Correspondent
Hull City utterly capitulated against Stoke in front of another sell-out crowd at the MKM Stadium – an abysmal display putting perhaps the final nail in the coffin of their play-off hopes, as all three of the chasing pack picked up vital victories.
Perhaps the worst thing was the inevitability of it all. The Tigers’ home form has been underwhelming at best this season – and they’ve consistently under-delivered in front of huge crowds and against lowly opposition. In hindsight, why would today be any different? As they say, it’s the hope that kills you…
It was shirt-sleeves and sunhats in the East Stand, and four layers and bobble-hats in the West, for this Good Friday clash that turned out to be anything but good for the Tigers, supposedly fresh and raring to go after a break in Turkey.
There is always the worry that a spell of time away from the intensifying competition breaks the momentum – but then City hadn’t had much momentum before they went on their trip to Antalya, taking a group of 50 lucky members with them for some fun in the sun. Four draws on the bounce had suggested a lack of killer instinct… and today’s showing proves they didn’t pick any up while on their travels.
The first half was, by and large, uneventful and strangely subdued – but the warning signs were there from the start as Stoke were the ones who looked like they had a gameplan. Hovering not far above the relegation positions, they were fighting to get out of the mire – and looking like they meant business. City, on the other hand, did not remotely perform like a team battling to seal a play-off place.
There were two changes from the far more entertaining 2-2 draw against Leicester, as Noah Ohio made his first start up front for the Tigers and Sean McLoughlin came in for the suspended – and much-missed – Jacob Greaves.
Stoke won a corner as early as the second minute, but it was easily cleared – and in the opening few minutes it was the Potters who were enjoying the bulk of the time in City’s half.
Josh Laurent shot well wide in the eighth minute, and a few minutes later at the other end, a long-range effort from Anass Zaroury went even higher and wider, to derision from the packed North East corner.
The first 15 minutes came and went, and the match had yet to come alive. A couple of quick corners for the Tigers came to nothing before Luke McNally was booked for a challenge on Zaroury 25 yards out in the 18th minute.
Ryan Giles’s free kick was floated towards Jaden Philogene on the right-hand side of the box, but he couldn’t connect with it – before Lewie Coyle crossed to McLoughlin on the other side of the area, but he headed over from close range. This wasn’t the lit touchpaper the home fans were desperate for.
In the 28th minute, Michael Rose was booked for bringing down Regan Slater about 25 yards out on the right – and this time, Zaroury’s resulting free kick was deflected out for a corner.
Still, though, no breakthrough – and just after the half-hour there was yet another booking for Stoke, Laurent carded for a trip on Fabio Carvalho.
In the 36th minute, a ball in from Philogene nearly found Ohio eight yards out, but he attempted to flick it goalwards… and, let’s just say… it didn’t come off.
Then another foul brought another free kick 25 yards out on the right – and Zaroury lofted it in. It was flicked on by Alfie Jones before going harmlessly towards Daniel Iversen in goal – who had thus far been as untroubled by shots as his Tigers counterpart, Ryan Allsop.
About five minutes before the break, Stoke enjoyed another prolonged period in the Tigers’ box – City being forced to hoof clear a couple of times. The ball ping-ponged around the area for a bit, and there was an appeal by the Potters for a Tigers’ handball – but eventually it was punted well over and the referee waved their pleas away. It was not great to watch, to put it mildly.
Moments later, a dangerous cross into the area only just missed Laurent a yard from goal. Yet again, there began to creep in the nagging fear that City might just mess this one up royally. There was no urgency, no sense at all that this was a must-win match – as indeed they all are at this stage.
City did begin the second half more positively, though – spending much of the first 10 minutes or so in the Stoke area, yet there remained no clear-cut shots. It was cross after cross after cross…
The North Stand attempted to raise the atmosphere with a rendition of I’m Into Something Good as the Tigers kept up the pressure – and in the 58th minute, a free header from Ohio went wide.
On the hour, Zaroury was replaced by Abduş Ömür and Slater by Tyler Morton, and seconds later Morton was the initiator of a promising attack that ended with Philogene fizzing a shot across goal – after perhaps taking one too many touches.
That was pretty much the last moment of excitement before the inevitable set-piece calamity came on 70 minutes. The Tigers went 1-0 behind – and in desperately poor fashion.
From a corner, Ryan Mmaee rose highest to head the ball towards the bottom left-hand corner of the net. Laurent snuck in, unmarked – almost unnoticed – by Philogene, who was closest to him, and popped it in from about a yard. A real sickener, but it had been coming.
Billy Sharp was later introduced, but it was desperation stations by that point. He had a slight whiff of a chance in the dying minutes, heading wide from a few yards, but the match had long fizzled out, along with City’s play-off ambitions.
In the end, Stoke killed it off in the 93rd minute, a bouncing shot from Ki-Jana Hoever completely going through Allsop – and prompting the Tigers fans who were left inside the stadium to exit in droves. They say the stats don’t lie – and “zero shots on target” says it all, really.
The season’s not over till it’s over, of course – and, if you are a believer in the laws of TypicalCity, you could do worse than having a small punt on us turning Leeds over at Elland Road on Bank Holiday Monday. Stranger things have happened – and we have already beaten Southampton and Leicester on their own patch.
The question is, though… is the Tigers’ lack of killer instinct temporary, or a troubling symptom of Liam Rosenior’s style of play? We now have eight games in which to find out, before the inquests can begin in earnest.
