Southampton 1-2 Hull City: Tigers into top six, Saints miss chance to go second

Hull City moved back into the Championship play-off places and put a dent in Southampton’s automatic promotion hopes by winning at St Mary’s.

Substitute Joe Aribo pulled a goal back for Saints late in the game but it was not enough to prevent a fourth consecutive away victory for Liam Rosenior’s side, a run that has helped them back in the top six.

Southampton, who had not lost at home to Hull since 1951, have lost two of their past three games following their club-record 25-match unbeaten run.

The Saints had eyes on second place at the start of the evening, after Friday’s win at West Bromwich Albion had seen them bounce straight back from the defeat at Bristol City which had brought their historic unbeaten sequence to an end.

Hull, however, have been one of the Championship’s form teams. This was their fifth win in their past six outings and was fully deserved as they repeatedly caused problems on the counter-attack and then dug in defensively to see the result over the line in the second half.

Hull’s Premier League loanees were to the fore in the first half, and they gave ample warning of their threat on the break as Burnley’s Morocco winger Zaroury whistled a shot narrowly past the post from Lewie Coyle’s break.

The warning went unheeded as Luton loanee Ryan Giles strode forward and fed Liverpool man Carvalho, who in turn moved the ball sideways to Jaden Philogene. His shot was parried by Saints keeper Gavin Bazunu and Zaroury snapped up the rebound.

Stuart Armstrong fired over the bar as Southampton tried to hit back, but Hull looked more likely to score another as Philogene and Abdulkadir Omur both went close to doubling the lead.

They did grab a second in the 36th minute, Hull’s press catching Saints out as they played out from the back.

Joe Rothwell got the ball from Bazunu and ran along the edge of his own box, before Philogene stepped in to take it and slipped a pass to Carvalho, who made no mistake.

Saints had trailed by two goals in their previous home game against Huddersfield and stormed back to win 5-3, but there was no revival this time, even though manager Russell Martin shook things up with a triple substitution during the break.

Jacob Greaves and Coyle came up with fantastic blocks as the inevitable Southampton charge started, while Will Smallbone sliced a chance wide and Che Adams went close from another opportunity.

Home fans hoped for another late turnaround as Aribo, one of those second-half substitutes, finished after Adams had laid the ball off with two minutes remaining.

But Hull stood form to claim the points, move up to sixth place and clinch their first win at Southampton in 15 visits.

Southampton manager Russell Martin told BBC Radio Solent:

“In the first half we went with a gameplan, which I felt we learned from the first game against them and had a lot of success in the second half, so that’s on me.

“We started well but didn’t score and the first goal we conceded was really rubbish, especially considering we worked in training on that exact move because you see Hull do it a lot.

“At Bristol City we lacked aggression and intensity, but tonight we lacked courage in the first half in a big, big way. Hull were very good and much braver than us.

“The biggest difference is that Hull were all-in in what they were doing, and we weren’t.”

Hull manager Liam Rosenior told BBC Radio Humberside:

“I’m proud, [it was] a really good performance. To come here against what is a fantastic team at this level, with an outstanding manager, and for the players to show the appetite to run, to press and to play with the quality we played with at times – I’m very, very happy.

“I wanted tonight to be a benchmark for the players to have a little more belief in what we’re doing, and show what we’re about, to combine spirit with quality. They showed me that in bucketloads.

“People might say it’s a great performance tactically but it’s not tactics, it’s an appetite to run and fight, and a bravery to play.”