Hull City vs Barnsley. Sky Bet Championship.
MKM StadiumAttendance16,421.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Hull City and Barnsley at the MKM Stadium as goals from Callum Styles and Carlton Morris sealed a first away win of the season for the Tykes
Tuesday 22 February 2022 23:04, UK
Basement side Barnsley left Shota Arveladze's Hull side shellshocked as they won an away game for the first time this season.
Hull could have taken the lead on two minutes, but Keane Lewis-Potter's mishit set the tone for the Tigers as they could not get any sort of momentum in the game.
An error-strewn display by the home side saw Callum Styles score just before the half-hour mark, leaving keeper Harvey Cartwright with no chance on his full Championship debut.
Just as City looked to get back into the game before half-time, they were hit with a Carlton Morris thunderbolt which saw the away side double their lead.
Despite three substitutions, and Hull seeing most of the ball during the second half, Barnsley looked good value for their win. They may feel with a few more results like that their Championship status may not be in jeopardy just yet.
In front of the biggest crowd of the season, Barnsley started the game on the front foot. They pressed high and looked up for the challenge right from the off.
It was the home side who should have gone in front, however. A deep cross by Di'Shon Bernard found Lewis-Potter at the back post but he got his shot all wrong and fired wide of Bradley Collins' goal.
From then on, it was the away side who looked the most likely to score. Debutant Cartwright had to be on good form to deny Domingos Quina early in the half, but there was no stopping the opening goal as Styles put Barnsley ahead after the Tykes put the defence under pressure and forced the mistake.
Were it not for Cartwright, it could have been two soon after following a Barnsley counter-attack.
Just when Hull put some pressure on the visitors a minute before half time, a quick attack - stopped by Brandon Fleming for which he was duly booked - produced a free-kick that eventually saw the ball drop for Morris who made no mistake. He smashed the ball past Cartwright and a loud chorus of boos rang out across the stadium as the half-time whistle went.
Hull did up the urgency in the second half, particularly when Greg Docherty and Tyler Smith entered the fold on the hour mark - and the latter should have scored soon after, with Collins saving smartly with his feet.
Try as they might, City could not find a way through the packed Barnsley defence. The home fans started to exit the stadium long before the final whistle which will have disappointed watching owner Acun Illicali.
His £2-a-ticket offer saw the biggest crowd since 2017 at the MKM Stadium with an attendance of 16,421, but the displays will have to be much better to sustain those fans who came back for this game.
The Tykes held on for a priceless win that the small number of travelling fans will have celebrated long into the night.
Hull's Shota Arveladze: "Disappointed, very disappointed - especially first half. I wasn't expecting how slowly we played in that first half and that always makes it difficult. The boys, they know themselves. Sometimes you don't have to say too much. They are honest, nice boys and we did not play as a team. They don't need anyone to tell them that. The pressure was on us when you get this type of game at home. We get a good chance at the start from Keano but then we gave the ball away... it is always difficult.
"We have to all stay positive. It was a full house and the supporters helped us right until the last minute. We tried in the second half - maybe we could have tried a little bit more - we had a good chance with [Tyler] Smith and we gave the points away. When you are a striker, you may have 30 minutes and you get chances - [Smith] reads the game well and runs onto good balls but it is about the last touch and you need to make it. They are all young boys and they need to get used to the pressure. They must learn in big situations."
Barnsley's Poya Asbgahi: "First half is the best half we've played since I've arrived. We attacked and defended really well. We have showed in the last month that we don't concede too many chances. We have the position we have because we don't create too many chances but today, we showed we can do that too. First half very good - second half not so much but they didn't really threaten us at all. Today is one of those performances where it's difficult to choose one player that was the best. All the players on the pitch played well.
"I feel this was a victory for the fans. You really feel for them when we leave with zero points - but I hope they are happy. We have shown consistency in the last month. We have defended well. We have found how to defend and I hoping we can show more of our offensive side. The most important thing was the win today. As long as we are winning, we
still feel we can have something to say. We needed to adapt to what they did as they changed a lot in the second half.
This was a collective performance but especially happy with the midfield."
