A spirited Everton comeback fell just short as Hull held on to record a vital 3-2 home win.
First-half masterclass just enough to secure Tigers win
Fast-starting Hull City were forced to fend off a second-half barrage from Everton but hung on to claim a vital 3-2 win at the KC Stadium.
The Tigers took the lead with less than 10 minutes gone as Stephen Hunt drilled home a rebound after Tim Howard had saved brilliantly from Jozy Altidore.
The advantage was doubled soon after when left-back Andy Dawson smashed a stunning free-kick into the top corner, giving Howard no chance.
Dean Marney then made it 3-0 before half-time when his shot was deflected in by Tim Cahill after some great work by Hunt on the left.
Kamil Zayatte handed Everton a lifeline four minutes after the break when he sliced a harmless cross from John Heitinga over his own goalkeeper Matt Duke and into the net.
Zayatte was at fault again when he hacked down Louis Saha in-front of goal, gifting Everton a penalty that Saha converted to give the visitors hope of an unlikely draw.
But the Toffees had given themselves too much work to do and remain 14th in the Premier League table, level on points with a resurgent Hull.
Both sides looked nervous in the opening minutes and Zayatte needed two attempts to clear a Leighton Baines cross after miskicking.
Shaky
But it was Everton who looked the shakier at the back and Hull set the tone for the first half as they broke forward to take a ninth-minute lead.
Geovanni, looking hungry after a suspension and then being left out for Saturday's draw against West Ham, pegged the visitors back by combining well with Hunt on the left.
The Irishman's cross then took a big deflection off Joseph Yobo but Howard reacted well to save at point-blank range as Altidore controlled and hit a fierce shot.
The danger was still not clear and Hunt was the first to react, racing in to blast home his third of the season from six yards.
Geovanni shot at Howard from long range soon after and the hosts then doubled their advantage on 20 minutes after Yobo fouled Zayatte on the edge of the area.
Left-back Dawson stepped up to curl a superb free-kick over the wall and into the top corner.
Everton almost pulled one back instantly as Sylvain Distin met a Baines corner with a powerful header but it flew just over the bar.
Rampant
That proved a rare foray forward for the Toffees, who were caught out by another Hull break just before the half-hour.
Baines failed to stop the rampant Hunt crossing from the right and the first of two fortunate deflections in quick succession diverted the ball into Marney's path.
The midfielder struck his shot first time but Howard was wrong-footed as the ball bounced in off Cahill.
It almost got worse for Everton before the break as Altidore created a shooting opportunity with a strong run but shot over.
The tone of the game changed within four minutes of the restart as Everton were gifted a goal back.
Repeating his fluffed clearance from the opening minutes of the game, Zayatte this time sliced Heitinga's cross and the ball spun over Matt Duke into the Hull goal.
Hull almost caught Everton on the break in search of a fourth as Hunt and then Geovanni surged forward but the Brazilian was unable to pick out Altidore.
Everton instantly made the most of that reprieve as they launched a long ball forward and claimed a crucial penalty after 64 minutes.
Zayatte was again the guilty party with a clumsy challenge on Saha and the Frenchman stepped up to convert from the spot.
Despite the double setback, Hull still refused to sit back and Howard saved well from Richard Garcia's fierce left-foot drive.
It looked like the game could go either way as Cahill blasted over and Duke anxiously grabbed the ball in a goalmouth scramble.
Hull looked shaky late on but Everton squandered their last chance when Baines shot tamely into the wall from a free-kick on the edge of the area.
| Hull City |
Team Statistics |
Everton |
| 3 |
Goals |
2 |
| 3 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 6 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 1 |
Shots off Target |
2 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 3 |
Corners |
4 |
| 19 |
Fouls |
23 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
4 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 67.6 |
Passing Success |
71.4 |
| 9 |
Tackles |
24 |
| 77.8 |
Tackles Success |
58.3 |
| 43.5 |
Possession |
56.5 |
| 45.9 |
Territorial Advantage |
54.1 |
|
