City played well against the Lions, only to suffer a third home defeat in their last four games
Hull City produced a fine display despite losing at home to Millwall (Image: Greig Cowie/Shutterstock)
Football showed just how cruel it can be on Saturday afternoon, as Hull City produced a terrific performance against play-off rivals Millwall, only to somehow lose 3-1.
While it might look like a comfortable away win for Alex Neil’s men, the reality was anything but, with City dominating for long periods and hitting the woodwork twice.
The hosts also saw what appeared to be a perfectly good goal disallowed when the score was level at 1-1, and they also had calls for a penalty turned away in what was another questionable refereeing performance from referee David Webb.
Here, Tigers reporter Barry Cooper reflects on on a second defeat in the space of a few days for City…
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Take the positives
This was one of City’s best performances of the season, and while some may view that as something not to shout about, given they lost the game, it’s actually heartening.
Since the win at Preston North End, the Tigers haven’t been hugely convincing. Given the opposition, the way they performed for much of the game bodes well for the remaining weeks of the season.
And had the second goal been given, as it should have been, the contest may well have been different. In front, playing well, with the momentum and so on, it’s hard to make a case for the hosts not building on that.
As it was, they made two major errors and lost the game, but the quality of their performance up to that point was really good, and needs to be the standard moving forward, especially at home.
Encouraging performances
Skipper Lewie Coyle played despite his ankle problem, and Amir Hadziahmetovic, with his own ankle problem, was on in the second half. John Lundstram looked like the player we know he can be, and was, at times, before his injury against Sheffield United early in the campaign.
Cody Drameh was excellent, and hopefully he can now kick on given can expect an extended run in the side. Drameh’s talent has never been in question, but his consistency has. Now is the time for him to find that.
Joe Gelhardt looked more like the player we saw before his injury, and Kyle Joseph was just superb. His first half display was as good as any since he arrived last January, and was cruelly denied a perfectly good goal.
They may have lost the game, but City can take so much heart from so much of that performance, even if the result was disappointing. There have been games like that they’ve won this season, and they must take this one on the chin and bounce back.
Mistakes again
While injuries have been the major narrative of the season, it’s hard to ignore the sheer amount of mistakes that have been made defensively.
All three goals came because of City’s defensive frailties. Millwall’s first was from their first attack which was their trademark A free-kick into the box and target the big men. You could see it coming, players unmarked at the back post, free header and goal. The second and third were just schoolboy errors.
While you can criticise refereeing decisions, and rightly so, the consistent stream of critical mistakes remains a major Achilles heel for the Tigers, and continues, as it has done all season, to undermine their progress.
And while Ajayi and Pandur will take the flak for those errors, at the other end, hitting the target just five times out of 23 shots on goal is not enough. Given the amount they created, the game should have been put to bed.
A wonderful sight
It’s been a long time coming, and even longer for the player himself after a couple of setbacks, but it was wonderful to see Eliot Matazo back in a matchday squad.
He might be a long, long way from full fitness, and there might yet be hurdles to overcome like we’ve seen with Mo Belloumi and Liam Millar on the road ahead; however, to have Matazo back amongst the squad is a big boost.
The Belgian is a wonderful footballer and has been a huge loss to City since suffering that knee ligament injury in South Wales last February, so getting him amongst it is a real positive. Fingers crossed he can step up that comeback at the MKM Stadium on Tuesday afternoon when Sheffield United’s Under-21s visit.
The huge games keep coming for City
Wrexham haven’t been in Championship action this weekend, given they had the small matter of their FA Cup meeting with Chelsea and all that brings. It remains to be seen what, if any, impact that occasion had on them come Tuesday night, given that it went to extra time, and they put so much into it, emotionally and physically.
Given the season they’re having, on the back of the seasons they’ve had, Phil Parkinson will have them bang up for it to provide City with another stern test.
On the back of successive defeats, it’s imperative City go there and get something because they can ill-afford to lose more ground to another team in the top six.
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