Hull City secured a decisive 3-1 victory against Millwall at The Den, showcasing their potential as they chase promotion in the Sky Bet Championship. Given Saturday’s match, that’s certainly an unfair comparison to a potential Kyle Joseph performance. He netted a brace inside the first three minutes to send Hull City on their way to a record ninth straight win. This win is all the more important, as it ensures Hull City remains comfortably in sixth place on the league table, the last playoff berth.
Hull City started the match with a thunderous opening three minutes! Only six minutes into play, Joseph put the Snow with the first goal on the board. A superb ball from Mohamed Belloumi set up Joseph perfectly, with the forward slotting home with precision. Hull City continued to apply pressure, with Millwall’s goalkeeper, Pandur, having an active start, making several crucial saves, including a rising shot from Ra’ees Bangura-Williams that was tipped over the bar.
A Dominant First Half
It was a compact shape from the home side, and Hull’s early dominance overtook plenty of the opening 45 minutes. Joseph’s second goal came shortly after his first, further establishing Hull’s authority on the pitch. It was an impressive showing of teamwork and composure from the visitors, and Millwall couldn’t seem to figure out how to respond.
From here Millwall did try to get back into it, but they were soon put under ferocious pressure from a lively Hull City. The hosts’ woes were compounded when their top scorer, Femi Azeez, received a straight red card in the second half for a foul, leaving Millwall with ten men. This incident sparked protests from Millwall’s manager Alex Neil, who was subsequently booked for his heated reactions to the referee’s decision.
“It’s the most blatant sending-off you’ll ever see, and I’m not really one who runs about going ‘we want bookings’, but it’s a sending-off whatever way you want to cut it.” – Millwall’s Alex Neil
Late Goals Seal the Match
Hull City truly took control of the game as it wore on. In the other play, in the 88th minute, they made it 3-0 when Scotland international Oli McBurnie tapped home from a peach of a cross by Lewie Coyle. That late strike seemed to ice the match for the favoritest of favorites. That all changed when Millwall’s Emakhu scored in the 80th minute, making it 3-1. Our own Alfie Doughty served up an inch-perfect pass to launch Emakhu’s goal. Unfortunately for the home side, this goal would come too late to count for anything.
Even with conceding a late match goal, this was a good overall performance from the Tigers. The visitors displayed resilience and tactical discipline that proved crucial in maintaining their lead and securing three vital points.
Post-Match Reflections
After the game, Hull City Tigers’ head coach Sergej Jakirovic emphasized the psychological value of the victory. He admitted the difficulty of playing away, up against a strong team in Millwall.
“Every time is a very important three points, especially here, Millwall away. It’s not easy; they’re a very demanding team.” – Hull’s Sergej Jakirovic
The win will bring a great deal of confidence to Hull City, and it strengthens their grip on the automatic promotion race. As they move forward to their next matches, they hope to continue this streak of good fortune. They’ll build on the momentum they’ve created through doing so.
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