Newcastle's Urgent Response Secures Victory Against Hull
Newcastle hit back with bite and urgency, shaking off the bruises of their 4-1 defeat to Leeds by tearing into Hull from the first whistle.
The response was instant. After just three minutes, Willock drove Newcastle in front, drilling his finish past Konstantinos Tzolakis. Hull’s £20 million summer signing, so secure so far with only two goals conceded before this game, was suddenly exposed.
Newcastle smelled weakness and went again.
Four minutes later, Hall made it 2-0. Recently recalled to the England squad, the defender surged forward, linked sharply with Harvey Barnes in a neat one-two, and swept a low shot into the far corner. Two attacks, two goals, and Jakirovic’s newly promoted side were reeling.
They did not fold. They could have. They didn’t.
Jaissle, though, had problems of his own. Tino Livramento’s hamstring injury on Friday added another name to an already swollen absentee list, leaving Newcastle without eight senior players. The reshuffle pushed 18-year-old Sean Steur into a youthful midfield, but the hosts still dictated the tempo for long spells.
Newcastle kept Hull penned back and thought they had the chance to kill the game on the stroke of half-time. Deep into stoppage time, Jacob Murphy burst into the box and Sorba Thomas clipped him, the challenge bringing a penalty. Yoane Wissa stepped up, but his tame effort lacked conviction and Tzolakis guessed right, dropping low to his side to push it away.
That save changed the mood. Hull grew from it.
Thomas almost made immediate amends at the other end, darting to the near post to meet a Matt Crooks cross and flashing his effort just wide. Newcastle, once cruising, suddenly looked less certain.
The tension only increased after the break.
With Steur tiring, Jaissle turned to experience, sending on Fabian Schär and switching to a back three. The idea was control. The reality was chaos. The new shape malfunctioned almost straight away as a mix-up at the back left Lewis Miley in trouble. Mohamed Belloumi pounced, robbed him, and slipped in substitute Mohamed-Ali Cho.
The former England youth international did the rest, curling a precise left-footed finish beyond Lukas Hornicek from close range to drag Hull back into the contest.
From there, the pattern flipped. Newcastle, so dominant early on, were forced deep. Hull poured forward, wave after wave, slinging crosses into the box and peppering the area with shots. The home side’s slick start gave way to grit and last-ditch defending as they clung to their lead in a frantic finale.
When the whistle finally went, relief matched the roar.
The win lifts Newcastle to eighth on eight points, tucked just behind seventh-placed Hull on goal difference. After the international break, Jaissle’s patched-up squad will try to turn this hard-fought response into a genuine run when they meet Coventry City.
Hull, beaten for the first time after two wins and two draws, now have to show their own powers of recovery. Everton await, and the question is simple: was this just a stumble, or the first sign of a tougher stretch ahead?
