Report | Hull City 2-0 Argyle
Argyle fell to a two-goal defeat at the MKM Stadium on Tuesday night, courtesy of second-half strikes from Joe Gelhardt and Abu Kamara.
It was a moment of fortune for Gelhardt who thundered a shot past Conor Hazard minutes into the second half.
The Green’s misery was compounded when the hosts made it two shortly after, Kamara slotted into an empty net after unselfish play from strike-partner Joao Pedro.
Miron Muslic made three changes to the side that ran the top-flight champions close just three days prior to this game.
Tymoteusz Puchacz returned to the side in the place of Nathanael Ogbeta, Callum Wright dropped to the bench with Rami Al Hajj taking his place and, fresh from making his first Argyle start, Malachi Boateng was replaced by Jordan Houghton at the base of midfield.
With all this considered, it meant the Greens lined up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation with Hazard in goal, and a usual back three of Maksym Talovierov, Nikola Katic and Julio Pleguezuelo.
Ahead of them sat both Houghton and Darko Gyabi, with Matty Sorinola and Puchacz either side of them supplying the width.
After his impressive cameo higher up the pitch against Cardiff City, Bali Mumba was selected to play in that more advanced role alongside Al Hajj.
Mustapha Bundu was just ahead of that pair, and made it nine consecutive starts in all competitions for Argyle with this one.
Without getting into the semantics, the game started exactly how you might expect with two relegation candidates going toe-to-toe in a ‘six-pointer’.
Both Pleguezuelo and Houghton were quick to lay down markers on opposition players, with strong challenges within the opening ten minutes.
Gustavo Puerta had the first real chance of note in the game when Kyle Joseph’s overhit cross ran through to Lewie Coyle on the right touchline. The right back quickly sent the ball back where it came from, picking out Puerta inside the six-yard-box, his header both weak and wide.
Puerta had the chance to put things right in the 23rd minute when he had another headed effort from close range. Steven Alzate floated a cross towards the back post from the right flank where the Colombian was waiting.
This time he found the target from a tight angle, but fortunately Hazard was on hand to block with his legs and keep the game level.
The Greens’ best chance of the first-half came when Sorinola curled a pinpoint free-kick from distance into the penalty area that, if it had not been for a critical intervention from Alfie Jones, would have fallen directly into the path of Pleguezuelo just yards out – a sure goal.
When the referee Andy Davies blew his whistle to signal half-time, it was probably Ruben Selles who would’ve been the happier of two managers going into the break. This was because, despite his side not having the lead, they had controlled large periods of the first half and shown in glimpses the quality required to penetrate the Argyle backline.
Just three minutes into the second half, Argyle fell behind when Gelhardt received the ball on a plate following a blocked shot from teammate Sean McLoughlin.
The defender’s shot from the edge of the area bounced off an unsuspecting Katic and fell perfectly into the path of Gelhardt who took his chance, hammering the ball past Hazard from close range.
It was Hull who seemed the more likely side to find the second goal, Joseph seemed destined to tap the ball past Hazard but fortunately for Argyle, Pleguezuelo ensured his keeper’s intervention was not required.
On the hour mark, the Tigers’ pressure finally told when Pedro was played through on goal by the ever-involved Puerta, offside queried by both the Argyle fans and players but not granted by the linesman.
In acres of space, the striker unselfishly squared the ball to Kamara to poke into an empty net, and the hosts had the second goal their play had warranted.
Now with an even steeper mountain to climb, Muslic turned to his bench, selecting Michael Obafemi, Ogbeta and Boateng to be the players to lead a potential Argyle resurgence, Al Hajj, Puchacz and Houghton all made way.
With the game having not really altered its course with the triple substitution 15 minutes prior, there was another roll of the dice from Muslic. Callum Wright came on for Talovierov, an obvious attacking move.
With the addition of Wright, and the change in formation to 4-2-3-1 that came, Argyle seemed to find more of that attacking threat they had lacked for the majority of the time expended previously.
Both Ogbeta and Sorinola saw teasing deliveries defended well by the hosts who seemed determined to hold out for a clean sheet.
Despite this, the Greens were unable to produce anything capable of breaching Ivor Pandur in goal; the game ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Up next, Muslic’s side will need to put things right when they host Sheffield Wednesday at Home Park on Saturday afternoon.
Hull: 1 Ivor Pandur, 2 Lewie Coyle, 4 Charlie Hughes, 5 Alfie Jones, 6 Sean McLoughlin, 12 Joao Pedro, 19 Steven Alzate (45 Kasey Palmer, 84’), 20 Gustavo Puerta, 28 Kyle Joesph (27 Regan Slater, 84’), 30 Joe Gelhardt (48 Mason Burstow, 90’), 44 Abu Kamara (23 Cody Drameh, 90+3’). Substitutes: 32 Thimothee Lo-Tutala (gk), 15 John Egan, 16 Lincoln Henrique, 29 Matty Jacob, 37 Nordin Amrabat.
Goals: Gelhardt 48, Kamara 61
Booked: Hughes 36
Argyle: 21 Conor Hazard, 2 Bali Mumba (30 Michael Baidoo, 83’), 4 Jordan Houghton (19 Malachi Boateng, 62’), 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 15 Mustapha Bundu, 17 Tymoteusz Puchacz (3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 62’), 18 Darko Gyabi, 25 Nikola Katic, 28 Rami Al Hajj (14 Michael Obafemi, 62’), 29 Matty Sorinola, 40 Maksym Talovierov (11 Callum Wright, 79’). Substitutes: 31 Dan Grimshaw, 6 Kornel Szucs, 8 Joe Edwards, 44 Victor Pálsson
Booked: Talovierov 16, Puchacz 47, Sorinola 88
Referee: Andy Davies
