Newcastle's Resilient Response Against Hull
Newcastle hit the pitch like a side with a point to prove.
Four days after being torn apart 4-1 by Leeds, they ripped into Hull and were in front before the visitors had even settled. Three minutes on the clock, one sharp move, one ruthless finish: Joe Willock took aim and drilled his shot past Konstantinos Tzolakis.
Hull’s £20 million summer signing had arrived with a reputation, and a record to back it up – just two goals conceded before this. Newcastle shredded that comfort in seven frantic minutes.
Lewis Hall made it 2-0 with a goal that oozed confidence. Recently recalled to the England squad, the defender burst forward, swapped slick passes with Harvey Barnes and wrapped a low, controlled effort into the far corner. Tzolakis went full stretch. No chance. Hull, and boss Nenad Jakirovic, looked stunned.
They did not collapse.
The newly promoted side steadied themselves, pushed higher and began to ask questions of a Newcastle team patched together by necessity. Matthias Jaissle’s injury list is already brutal. Tino Livramento’s hamstring problem on Friday added a ninth name to the absentee sheet and forced another reshuffle.
An 18-year-old, Sean Steur, anchored a youthful midfield. The risk was obvious. The reward, at least early on, was energy and aggression as Newcastle kept Hull pinned back and hunted a third.
Then came the twist that could have killed the contest before half-time.
Deep into stoppage time, Jacob Murphy darted into the box and Sorba Thomas clipped him. Penalty. Yoane Wissa stepped up with the chance to put Newcastle out of sight. His run-up was calm, the strike anything but. Tzolakis guessed right, plunged low and beat away a tame effort that summed up a wasted opportunity.
The save changed the mood. Hull, who had already threatened when Thomas slid in just inches short of turning in a Matt Crooks cross at the near post, jogged down the tunnel still alive.
Jaissle blinked first after the restart. With Steur tiring, Fabian Schär came on and Newcastle shifted into a back three. It was meant to add control. Instead, it opened the door.
A messy exchange at the back dragged Lewis Miley into trouble, and Mohamed Belloumi pounced. He robbed the youngster and fed substitute Mohamed-Ali Cho, who still had work to do but made it look simple. One touch to set, one to curl, his left-foot finish bent past Lukas Hornicek and into the corner.
Game on.
From there, Newcastle’s night turned into a grind. Hull sensed vulnerability and went for it, throwing bodies forward, slinging in crosses from both flanks and peppering the box with shots. Every clearance felt like a temporary fix. Every second ball dropped in dangerous areas.
Newcastle, so bold in the opening stages, retreated into survival mode. Blocks, headers, scrambles on the six-yard line – it was all hands on deck. The earlier swagger gave way to grit.
The whistle finally came, and with it a measure of redemption. Newcastle climbed to eighth on eight points, tucked just behind seventh-placed Hull on goal difference. The table says the gap is tiny. The mood, after Leeds and then this response, feels very different.
Now comes the international break, and a chance for Jaissle to count the walking wounded before Coventry City arrive. Hull, beaten for the first time after two wins and two draws, head into their own reset week with a sting that will not fade quickly.
Everton await Jakirovic’s side next. The question now is simple: was this just a stumble, or the first sign of how hard this league might really bite?
