Hull City’s Fearless Performance Against Chelsea
Hull’s fearless start rolls on. This time in west London, against one of the division’s supposed untouchables, they refused to blink.
They trailed early to a sharp Morgan Rogers finish, the kind of goal that usually cracks a newly promoted side on a big away day. It didn’t. It woke them up.
Mohamed Belloumi dragged Hull City into the contest and then turned it on its head. First he punished a loose touch from Jorrel Hato, racing in to level the game and stun the home crowd. Then he took aim again, his second effort clipping Levi Colwill and wrong-footing the goalkeeper as it flew in. Two chances, two goals, and suddenly the Tigers were prowling around west London with a 2-1 lead.
Chelsea, stung, inevitably came back. Cole Palmer began to dictate, finding pockets, probing. The pressure finally told after the break when Palmer slipped in Joao Pedro, who made no mistake with the equalizer. From there, the game swung wildly, Chelsea leaning forward, Hull refusing to fold.
On the touchline, Adnan Jakirovic watched his team trade blows with a heavyweight and loved almost every second of it.
“I feel good. We have to be happy. It's a huge result for us,” he told BBC Sport afterwards, pride written all over his assessment. He had every reason. Hull, back in the Premier League and supposedly there to cling on, are instead busy rewriting the script.
They opened with that stunning 2-0 dismantling of Manchester United, the kind of statement win that usually gets dismissed as an opening-day anomaly. Then came a gritty 1-0 victory over Coventry City, followed by a controlled, goalless draw against Aston Villa. Now this: a point at Chelsea, and another marker laid down.
“We took a point in a very demanding match. Eight points against very difficult opponents. We have to continue like this,” Jakirovic said, the numbers as impressive as the performances. Unbeaten. Organised. Dangerous.
This wasn’t a smash-and-grab either. Hull had their chances to kill it.
“We had 2-1 at half-time and we had a 100% chance with McBurnie but Martinez's save was excellent,” the manager explained, still replaying the moment in his mind. Later, another huge opening fell to Cho, and again Martinez stood firm. “We had an excellent chance for Cho - Martinez saved again. Player of the match.”
That was the other thread running through Jakirovic’s post-match thoughts: satisfaction laced with a coach’s frustration. For all Hull’s resilience, he knows this level punishes lapses.
“We have to control play better in the box because we can stop this [Chelsea goal],” he warned. The message was clear. Enjoy the point, but sharpen the details. If Hull want to stay near the top end of the table, they cannot rely only on spirit and sharp counter-punches. They need control, especially in their own area.
The only real cloud over the afternoon came with Nobel Mendy’s injury. A heavy collision left the defender visibly distressed as he made his way off, and the mood around the away end dipped.
“He went to hospital for a scan. He's dizzy and disorientated. We'll see. It's a concussion 100%,” Jakirovic confirmed, the tone suddenly more sober. For a squad riding the wave of a remarkable start, losing a key defender to a serious head knock is a jarring reminder of the league’s brutality.
Still, as the away fans sang themselves hoarse at full-time, the story of Hull’s return to the top flight continued to gather pace. Unbeaten. Unafraid. Taking points off giants and demanding more of themselves in the process.
If this is what their opening stretch looks like, what happens when they really click?
