Newcastle hold off Hull fightback to end Tigers’ unbeaten Premier League start

Newcastle United returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Hull City, ending the visitors’ unbeaten start to life in the Premier League after a frantic opening and a tense second half.

Newcastle United players celebrate during their Premier League match against Hull City

Newcastle strike early

Joe Willock opened the scoring after only three minutes. John Egan blocked his first attempt, but Hull failed to clear and Harvey Barnes picked out the midfielder, who lashed the ball beyond Konstantinos Tzolakis.

Newcastle doubled their advantage four minutes later. Barnes combined with Lewis Hall, and the left-back swept a low shot into the bottom-left corner after winning possession from Oli McBurnie deep in Newcastle territory. Hall had been recalled to the England squad on Friday, while Tino Livramento was absent after suffering an injury in training.

Despite Newcastle’s injury problems and a youthful starting lineup, Hull remained dangerous. Sorba Thomas narrowly missed a chance from Matt Crooks’s cross, before Thomas brought down Jacob Murphy in first-half stoppage time to concede a penalty. Yoane Wissa’s underpowered effort was saved by Tzolakis, keeping Hull within reach.

Hull seize control after the break

Newcastle’s lead came under severe pressure midway through the second half when Matthias Jaissle introduced Fabian Schär for the tiring Sean Steur and switched to a back three. The change unsettled the hosts, and Hull immediately capitalised.

Lewis Miley was caught in possession after moving from right-back into midfield, allowing Mohamed Belloumi to release Mohamed-Ali Cho. The forward, a former England youth international now playing for France Under-21s, fired a close-range left-foot shot past Lukas Hornicek to make it 2-1.

Hull then subjected Newcastle to a sustained barrage of crosses, corners and efforts from around the penalty area. Hornicek made several important interventions, including a fine foot save to divert Robinio Vaz’s half-volley, as Newcastle battled to protect their lead.

Managers praise character

Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic felt his side deserved more from the contest. “Over 90 minutes, we deserved a point,” he said, while praising a team that “will not be beaten easily”.

Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle acknowledged that his side had to withstand the late pressure after a fast start. “We needed to suffer, but the commitment to win this game was exceptional,” he said. “It made me proud.”