Jules Ahoka Dominates in Debut Performance Against Hull
Jules Ahoka owned the night on his debut, dictating everything in the middle of the pitch as his side calmly saw off Hull in a controlled, professional display.
The scoreline never truly flattered them. If anything, it underlined just how secure they looked, built on a midfield performance that knitted together possession, pressing and poise.
Ahoka runs the show
From the first whistle, Ahoka looked like he’d been in this side for years. Rated 9/10, he constantly offered himself for the ball, kept it moving and repeatedly picked the right pass, whether that was a sharp ball through the centre or a sweeping diagonal to the flanks. Out of possession, he read danger early, stepped in to break things up and won his duels in the air.
He even came close to capping it with a debut goal, rising well from a corner and forcing the goalkeeper into a sharp save to claw his header away. Everything his team did with any rhythm or purpose seemed to flow through him. On this evidence, he’s not just filling a gap – he’s raising the level.
Talbi’s touch of class
Just ahead of him, in the No.10 role, Chemsdine Talbi played like a man on a mission. Given licence to drift across the line, he repeatedly found pockets of space and tortured Hull between the lines, earning an 8/10.
The standout moment was pure composure. Released by substitute Thomas Meunier on the break, Talbi sized up the advancing goalkeeper and coolly lifted a delicate chip over him, a brilliant finish that matched the move. He almost repeated the trick later, breaking again, cutting inside and forcing another excellent save. On another night, he walks away with a brace.
Solid platform at the back
Behind them, there were no dramas – just steady, often understated work.
In goal, Melker Ellborg (6/10) had a largely quiet evening but did what was required, making one tidy save from a free kick and pushing it wide. A couple of slightly slow reactions when sweeping up behind his centre-backs didn’t cost him, and Hull never truly punished those hesitant moments.
Captain Luke O’Nien (6/10) had an early scare when a clumsy challenge in the box could easily have led to a penalty. Once he escaped that, he settled, used his experience and cruised through the rest of the game without fuss.
Alongside him, Omar Alderete (6/10) was far more convincing defensively than with the ball. He dominated plenty in the air and stood up well at the back, but his passing radar was off. A series of overhit crosses drifted out of play, and a late underhit ball to Trai Hume sparked a Hull counter that could have been costly.
On the right, Dayann Methalie (7/10) played with an aggressive edge. He got tight to his man, rarely gave him room to breathe and defended with real bite. Nerves showed in possession before the break, yet he grew into the game and, after half-time, started to drive forward with purpose, carrying the ball well before his substitution.
Hume himself (7/10) enjoyed a quietly impressive night. Starting at right-back and then shifting to left-back after Methalie went off, he handled both roles comfortably. His best attacking moment came from that left side, bursting forward after neat work from Malick Fofana and whipping in a dangerous cross. He offered balance, energy and reliability in both phases.
Midfield engine and wide threat
Chris Rigg (7/10) dovetailed nicely with Ahoka in central midfield. He didn’t just sit – he broke forward regularly down the right to link with Jocelin Ta Bi and helped trigger the press high up the pitch. When he did get a sight of goal from a free kick in a promising position, his effort had power but flew over the bar.
Ta Bi (6/10) endured a frustrating first half. He struggled to receive the ball in dangerous areas and, when Rigg finally found him with a good pass, he lashed his shot well over. The second half told a different story. Once he started running at Hull, they resorted to hauling him down, and he won a string of free kicks by twisting defenders inside out.
Fofana (6/10) barely featured in the attacking story before the break, but the game opened up for him once Methalie went off and Hume switched sides. Suddenly he was combining more fluently, showing quick feet under pressure and then threading a lovely ball into Hume’s overlapping run. Deep in his own half, he also played his part in the goal, winning an important header on the edge of the box that helped launch the counter.
Up front, Wilson Isidor (6/10) ran the channels and worked selflessly, but the clear chances never really came. He glanced a floated cross just over the bar and later skewed another half-chance wide. It was an industrious, rather than explosive, outing.
Bench impact
The substitutes did exactly what was asked of them.
Meunier (7/10) made an instant impact, stepping on and almost immediately dropping a precise ball over the top for Talbi to race onto and finish. It was the kind of experienced, high-quality contribution that changes the tone of a game in a single touch.
Alan Browne (6/10) arrived with the brief to help see the game out and did just that, keeping the ball sensibly and calming things down in midfield. Timur Tutierov (6/10) offered an outlet on the break, even if his one big effort flew wildly over from a tight angle. Tom Proctor (6/10) made sure Hull’s defenders knew he was there, competing physically and using the ball well when it came his way.
Man of the Match
Talbi’s goal and intent caught the eye, but the night belonged to Jules Ahoka. On debut, he set the tempo, linked every department and patrolled the pitch as if he owned it. He won headers in both boxes, nearly scored from one, and rarely wasted a touch.
If this is the standard he brings from day one, the question isn’t whether he keeps his place. It’s how far he can drag this team with him over the course of the season.
