Hull City 2 Norwich City 1: Tigers top the table

For the second successive home game to start this season, Hull City’s players strolled around three packed sides of the ground after a 2-1 win, sharing hugs and high-fives, applauding the fans and soaking in the sound of “I can’t help falling in love with you” wafting from the PA and those delirious supporters. 

It won’t be like this every week. Not even most weeks but with the sun shining, the lush green MKM Stadium pitch defying the rest of our brown and yellow country, over 17,000 fans creating an atmosphere we feared we wouldn’t see again for a long, long time, this was special.

City had more injury woes to deal with for the visit of Norwich – recently relegated and much fancied to win the Championship, again. Talisman Jean Michael Seri was missing after picking up an injury at Preston, weakening an already depleted squad. Shota Arveladze chose to replace him with Alfie Jones and to switch to 4-3-3 rather than replace Jones in defence. Both decisions were masterful.

City: Ingram, Coyle, Elder, Figueiredo, Greaves, Jones, Slater, Tufan (Williams), Sayyadmanesh, Estupiñán (Covil), Tetteh (Cannon).

Norwich are a good outfit. They’ve got quality everywhere and, unlike City, a bench full of players who can make a difference. They’re exceptionally well organised and know their jobs in and out of possession and they have exceptional pace and movement. They really looked the part, despite their new third kit, which looks like a Zap Ice Cream. For ten minutes, they battered City. They forced two corners in the first minute. Matt Ingram made four saves in as many minutes. After Tobias Figueiredo gave Jones a suicidal pass and Teemu Pukki robbed him in the penalty area, Ingram made a fantastic double save with his feet, deflecting the second shot wide as the corner count climbed. City struggled to get hold of the ball, couldn’t get near Pukki and had Todd Cantwell drifting all over the front line looking like the player who was on the verge of England honours and a big money move a couple of years ago. Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for Cantwell, it didn’t last.

Lewie Coyle was generally free on the right-hand side and Jacob Greaves’ diagonal cross field balls started to find him and allow a link up with Allahyar. Jones and Regan Slater found more composure and stayed on the ball in midfield, committing players and opening gaps. Slowly but surely, City pushed the visitors back and the attacks, while still dangerous, became more sporadic and Ingram’s saves easier. With City enjoying more of the ball, Ozan Tufan shone. A few weeks ago, fans feared he'd be a white elephant. His fitness levels scorned. His motives doubted. His ability questioned. That only lasted one “proper” game and he’s already showing just how good he is, even if his fitness is still a way off. They’re terrified when he gets a sight of goal and in open play, his footwork saw him spin out of one challenge only to immediately nutmeg the next and he then skipped clear on the left before Omobamidele took him out and took a yellow.

Clear cut chances were clearly missing from City’s performance but the front three were working hard, particularly Estupiñán who we’ve not seen much of so far, and Tetteh volleyed well over from a Coyle delivery while Allahyar got himself into promising positions on the right numerous times but his crossing is pretty terrible. The fussy ref was winding everyone up and peaked when he allowed Norwich to play-on with Max Aarons down injured, which they were entitled to do, only to immediately blow-up once Estupiñán stole possession and launched a counter. Do you believe in karma? I’m not sure I do, but regardless, once Aarons was attended to, City scored from the drop-ball. The ball was launched forward towards Tetteh, the returning Aarons crashed into his back but the big man continued anyway and put the ball forward towards Estupiñán. Aarons was involved again, recovering the ball only for him to proceed to smash at it at his mate and it dropped for Estupiñán to poach his first City goal [1-0].

City went into the break in front thanks to another fine save by Ingram from Pukki. The 4-3-3 had been a huge success. The front players were nowhere near as isolated as last week at Preston, the spaces wide were exploited by pushing on the full backs, Coyle particularly, Jones brilliantly anchored the midfield in front of his excellent central defenders, Figueiredo’s early pass aside, and Slater buzzed everywhere allowing Tufan to pull the strings.

Half time: Hull City 1 Norwich City 0

The second half took a while to get going. Mainly due to Mr Fussy in the middle gifting Norwich free-kicks every time someone breathed near them. They struggled to dominate like the first half though and were the first to make changes, including €9.5m USA striker Josh Sargent. With City’s bench severely depleted and the visitors throwing on players of this expense, it looked most likely that their subs would affect the game. But with Andy Cannon, who ended last season on loan to Stockport, readied to come on for The Tigers, they struck again. An exchange from a throw in saw Estupiñán free Coyle, who found Jones. His cut back was well struck by Tufan but blocked, as was a follow-up from Tetteh, which deflected for a corner. Tufan delivered the corner, it fell to Jones, was saved by Tim Krul, a follow-up was blocked on the line and poked in by Estupiñán for this second of the game [2-0]. The noise was glorious. 8,000 people watching miserable home games in the cold last season are a distant memory.

More Norwich subs followed while City slipped further back in protection of their lead. More corners were clocked up (count ended up 2-11) and well defended, particularly by Allahyar who has a real knack for it. City were defiant in open play and Ingram had almost got bored having not made a save for about 2 minutes. Then Callum Elder clumsily caught Sargent who rolled about 5 yards and they dragged the ball another 5 to create a create shooting opportunity. It was taken by Nunez who curled an absolute beauty, a reverse Andy Holt vs. Scunthorpe, beyond Ingram [2-1].

From there, it was back to attack vs. defence. Williams and Covil came on to partner Allahyar up front but despite the intention of fresh legs pressurising their defenders, they ended up as additional full backs in a back six half the time. They missed an absolute sitter sliding in at the back post and Greaves headed magnificently off the line. Imagine any oof the morons online questioning Greaves’s commitment this week? The kid is incredible. He’s been outstanding in every league game this season. Despite the seeming inevitability of an equaliser and having to negotiate seven (!!) minutes of stoppage time, City held on for a tremendous win and top the Championship – until Blackburn play next, anyway.

Full-time: Hull City 2 Norwich City 1

Seven points from three games, one a tricky away fixture and another against promotion favourites, is a great return for a side still clearly finding fitness and familiarity and seriously lacking in depth. Arveladze used his substitutes very well today but was fortunate that we never needed anything to change a game in which we trailed because there wasn’t anyone available to do so. But, in spite of those issues, what City have shown is incredible fight in the games, determination not to concede goals from our outstanding back line and defensive midfielders and found a way to score goals – at home anyway.

Callum Elder made this 100^th start for City today and had a very solid game, though they did really get at our left side as he tired. Ingram and Jones were clear man of the match candidates but Slater was good again and Estupiñán had his moments. I love how Coyle has started the season too. He’s led brilliantly as skipper.

The games keep coming thick and fast and Burnley away on Tuesday night is about as tough as it gets for a side that’s just put in an incredible amount of graft in baking conditions. There aren’t really the fresh legs available to make the changes Arveladze would want to make after such an effort but Seri could come back into contention and Ryan Woods is said to be close to arriving from Birmingham. It’s hard to see where either fits in to the side, on merit anyway, on the back of today’s performance. Both the system, and the personnel, deserve to be seen again so the decisions for Shota to make are big ones. He’ll perhaps sacrifice an attacker for an additional midfielder to revert to 3-5-2 or 5-4-1 to try and take something at Turf Moor. Then it’s on to WBA (a) on Saturday, just in case you’d forgotten that treat!

Being top of the league is nice, but it doesn’t really matter. Taking 7 points so far is nice, but it doesn’t really matter. New signings starting to look the part is nice, but it doesn’t really matter. Having Hull City back. That matters. The people in seats. The black and amber everywhere. The queues to get in, to buy shirts, to get a beer. The kids everywhere. The girls and women everywhere. The smiles everywhere. Remember when this football lark used to be fun? You’d have to remember all the way back to about…. 5pm this afternoon.