Tigers staring relegation in the face after blowing chance to ensure safety
Pictures courtesy of Hull City
Hull City 0 - 1 Derby County
Sky Bet Championship
MKM Stadium
Attendance: 24,451
By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City Correspondent
On a beautiful spring afternoon, a sell-out crowd turned up for one last hurrah at the MKM Stadium – only to watch Hull City meekly surrender to relegation rivals Derby County and leave their Championship future hanging by a thread.
With Luton’s late winner against Coventry at lunchtime having nudged the Hatters above the Tigers, the pressure was immense. City knew a win would secure their status, but instead they now face a nerve-shredding trip to Portsmouth needing at least a point – and even that might not be enough.
Again, fans heeded calls to bring the atmosphere at the MKM Stadium, and it was buzzing before kick-off.
City made a lively start, too. Inside the first 45 seconds, Nordin Amrabat – the undoubted star of the Easter Monday victory over Preston, rightly rewarded with another start today – saw a deflected shot win a corner, and for the opening few minutes the Tigers pinned Derby firmly in their own half with some good pressing.
Soon after, Abu Kamara pickpocketed Ebou Adams before the ball went out for another corner, but it culminated in Regan Slater’s soft shot rolling into the arms of Rams keeper Josh Vickers.
However, just 10 minutes in, there was a blow as Slater went down injured near the halfway line. After a few minutes’ treatment, he was forced to limp off and be replaced by Steven Alzate, to warm applause and chants of “50 grand”.
A brief spell of Derby pressure around the quarter-hour mark was an early worrying sign – City had been largely dominant, but anyone who’s been paying attention this season would have been right to predict that the opposition would slowly gain a foothold and be allowed to dictate the pace.
And so it proved, as the half wore on – the initial urgency soon dissipated and there was something of a lull. Sondre Langås was booked for a tackle on Amrabat just before the half-hour – a challenge more befitting of the oval-ball game, though the resulting free kick by Gustavo Puerta (swapped in for João Pedro, the only change from the Preston game) was easily gathered by Vickers.
Sean McLoughlin had to be alert soon after to make a crucial challenge on Kane Wilson in the City box, while Joe Gelhardt saw another free kick from 25 yards chipped tamely into Vickers’ arms as the Tigers tried to reassert themselves.
Derby’s first corner, in the 37th minute, quickly led to a second and a period of pressure. Harrison Armstrong had a shot deflected wide, but was then booked for a dive in the box – a moment of relief for City.
A scrappy first half ended with John Egan firing over in stoppage time. It had been promising at times, but City desperately needed someone to light the touchpaper after the break.
Once again, the Tigers started the second half brightly. McLoughlin almost got on the end of a corner, then Puerta dragged a shot wide. But as time ticked on, Derby began to find their voice – and so did their fans.
Wilson forced a save from Pandur in the 54th minute and at the other end there were penalty appeals when Kamara, played in nicely by Amrabat, was challenged by Craig Forsyth, only for the referee to wave them away.
With half an hour to go, Alfie Jones replaced Egan, before Amrabat wasted a good chance shortly after, firing high over the bar, and then raising his hands apologetically to the crowd. Not that any blame should be directed at him, for once again he was a standout performer who never gave up hassling and harrying.
In the 65th minute, Gelhardt’s low drive forced a save from Vickers, briefly lifting the noise levels. From the resulting corner, the ball fell to Kamara but his wild effort was rendered moot by the referee already awarding a goal kick.
As the clock ran down and the tension increased, McLoughlin flicked a ball on that almost sent Jones through, then Gelhardt flashed a shot into the side netting from 10 yards.
Amrabat then broke clear but was just denied by Langås’s excellent recovery challenge, before Gelhardt’s cut-back narrowly missed Amrabat arriving in the area. The stadium fell into a nervous hush. This really was no good for either side.
With 11 minutes to go, Wilson shot wide from 18 yards – another obvious reminder that, not only was this a match the Tigers had to win, it was one they must not lose.
But six minutes from time, came the all-too-inevitable hammer blow.
Jones was booked for a mistimed tackle on Nathaniel Méndez-Laing, and from the resulting free kick, very well taken by Forsyth, Liverpool loanee Nat Phillips rose to thump a header past Ivor Pandur into the bottom-right corner.
The Rams fans erupted… and City had now slumped into the relegation zone.
Matt Crooks, Mason Burstow and João Pedro were all introduced in the 88th minute, but the damage had been done. The fans streamed out as four minutes of added time were announced, and those remaining let their frustrations be heard on the final whistle.
Questions will inevitably be asked about Rubén Sellés’ decision-making on the touchline. With the game crying out for fresh impetus, he seemed slow to make changes, and when they did come, they seemed too little, too late to have any real impact. Notably, Kasey Palmer – who has previously made a difference from the bench – was left unused.
This was a desperately poor, flat final curtain on what has been a painful season at the MKM Stadium. Deep down, maybe we knew better than to expect anything different – but with survival in their own hands, it felt like the least City owed their supporters was one last, convincing, rousing performance. Instead, they fell short when it mattered most.