20th September Saturday St James’s Park – City threw this game away. The two great goals netted by, first Jelavic (48′) and then Diame (68′) only got the Tigers a point. We are in a bad habit of going ahead and then…. a) giving the ball away needlessly, and 2) not shoring up the defence.
The game cried out for James Chester to be brought on as part three centre backs. That would have done it I am sure, and I think the manager maybe to blame for this one.
It appears Nikita Jelavic has scored 3 goals this season from just 4 shots on target (Opta Joe)
Hull City: Allan McGregor, Ahmed Elmohamady, Curtis Davies, Michael Dawson, Andy Robertson, (Liam Rosenior 88′) Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore, Stephen Quinn, Mohamed Diame. Abel Hernandez (Sone Aluko 56′), Nikica Jelavic (David Meyler 81′) Bench unused: Steve Harper, James Chester, Robbie Brady, Gaston Ramirez
Newcastle United:Tim Krul, Daryl Janmaat, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Paul Dummett, Cheick Tiote (Sammy Ameobi 85′), Jack Colback, Yoan Gouffran (Ayoze Perez 88′), Remy Cabella, Moussa Sissoko, Emmanuel Riviere (Papiss Cisse 69′). Bench Unused: Rob Elliot, Vurnon Anita, Massadio Haidara, Steven Taylor
Not a lot happened in the first half. The home side had the lions share of possession (64%) and moved the ball well but seemed unlikely to score. City had few chances with 4 shots and only 1 on target. Neither side managed a corner. Tiote seemed to want to kick anyone who wasn’t wearing black and white; we saw attempts at goal from a variety of Magpies, and City kept being caught offside – although sometimes by inches if anything at all. And we now know for double sure that Steven Quinn is a tireless midfielder who can run, block shots, pick a pass, deliver a cross and annoy the hell out of the opposition. So 0-0 and half time.
No changes at half time, but the match burst to life in the 48′ minute when Jelavic scored an outstanding goal via a cross by (do you have to ask) Elmohamady from the right. The strikers timing looked impeccable, and his left foot scissor strike was unstoppable as it rocketed past Tim Krul.
0-1, it seemed our good fortune at St James’s Park was set to continue. We have won the last 3 league games here and in competitive matches are unbeaten in 6 (4 wins and 2 draws).
On 56′ Aluko replaced the blowing Hernandez. He is nowhere near fit enough to play the role he has at the moment, but what a good player he is. Lots more to come from him.
In the 59′, the wonderful Andrew Robertson got a totally undeserved yellow card. He was fouled from behind as the ball went out of touch. That wasn’t given, but as he attempted to pick up the ball, he was pushed over by Sissoko who had been awarded a throw in. Robertson did not retaliate – Sissoko got a yellow for shoving and for some reason so did Robertson. It could only have been for picking up the ball – baffling.
Anyway shortly after that the Tigers got their second goal when Mohamed Diamé did what he does best, from a Quinn pass he ran at the defence with the ball, made a little room and hammered a left foot shot past Krul from outside the box within the 68′. 0-2 bloody wonderful.
However a late rally by Newcastle and City as ever put themselves under pressure. Keeping possession of the football is an ongoing weakness in this team. It seems to stem from a combination of wanting to get forward as quickly as possible and just careless passing. Having watched Bruces’s lads it seems to happen whoever he picks to play as if it’s part of being a City player. We nearly paid dearly for this trait today.
Within a minute of City’s second goal Pardew brought on Papa Cisse – a player thought to have not fully recovered from injury but fit enough to play 30 minutes – and this transformed the game.
Quinn gave the ball away for once and a pass from Tiote found Cisse whose right foot rifled it in low to McGregors left hand post. On another day maybe the keeper would have kept it out but it got between him and the post and it was 2-1.
The pressure mounted on the Tigers, Meyler came on for Jelavic on 81′ to shore up the midfield and an attempt to keep/gain possession, but it made little difference. In fact it was at the backline we needed more bodies, players who could block shots and close down attackers – players like James Chester who was sitting on the bench.
Cisse got his second in the 87′ as City failed to clear away from the danger areas Gouffran headed the ball on to Cisse whose right foot did the damage again from close in. 2-2 and there was time to lose this game. Rosenior (88′) came on for young Robertson – who had shown he does have a mistake in him – and eventually we saw the game out.
Davies had a good shot at winning it but his driven ball in the 4th minute of stoppage time was a bit high and a bit wide.
City are 9th tonight on 6 points after 5 games. There are 4 more matches tomorrow.
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