The chants from the away end about winning the league were sung in jest, but Hull continue to show they are here to stay. Sergej Jakirovic’s dogged, intelligent side are third in the Premier League after extending their unbeaten start to four games and can even count themselves unfortunate not to have beaten another of the Big Six after pushing Chelsea to the limit in an absorbing battle at a frustrated Stamford Bridge.
Hull were 2-1 up at half-time and they had the chances to snatch the points during the second half. It took two big saves from Emiliano Martínez to prevent an upset, but this was not a good day for the Chelsea goalkeeper or his new teammates. He was one of several at fault when Hull, having dusted themselves down after conceding from Morgan Rogers early on, went ahead through Mohamed Belloumi’s quickfire double. The ease with which Chelsea’s advantage was handed over left the normally calm and considered Xabi Alonso accusing his side of being “soft” without the ball.
Alonso craves the comfort of a forgettable win. Chelsea have been exhilarating in attack, but they cannot defend. They are conceding two goals per game and the basketball nature of Alonso’s approach has created chaos rather than control. “It’s all entertaining, but I hope that one day you say it was a boring game and we win,” he said. “It will take time. When we get the lead you still need to be competing and not to give the chance so easily for them to come back.
“Especially in the first goal, we can do much better. It was too soft to give them hope because until then we were controlling, we were creating chances, but that changed the mood. We will get better, but it’s having an impact on our performances.”
It is ridiculous that Rogers, Cole Palmer and João Pedro are having to do so much in attack. Chelsea led after seven minutes, surging forward when they left four players forward at a Hull corner. João Pedro’s pass reached Rogers and the £117m signing from Aston Villa drove past Regan Slater before beating Konstantinos Tzolaki at his near post with a low, hard and early shot from the left.
Chelsea should have pushed on after becoming the first side to breach Hull since their promotion. Pedro Neto tested Tzolakis from the right, but the hosts became vague and complacent. This was the first time they have dominated possession in a league game this season and the result was not convincing. Hull limited them to an xG of 0.89, highlighting Chelsea’s issues against low blocks, and were clinical when they attacked.
The soft defending Alonso referenced for the equaliser started with Malo Gusto failing to deal with a long punt from Tzolakis in the 28th minute. Ryan Giles outmuscled the right-back and hooked a cross to the far post. Jorrel Hato misread the Hull left-back’s delivery, leaving Belloumi to rap a shot past Martínez.
Chelsea are without a win against promoted sides in five home games. They do not smell danger, while Alonso’s decision to leave Maxence Lacroix out at centre-back and shift from a back three to a 4-2-3-1 system backfired. Hull had so much space on the flanks. They pushed again and Belloumi’s flick found Lewie Coyle, who ran off Rogers but saw his shot cleared off the line by Levi Colwill.
“The dynamic in terms of conceding, I don’t like it,” Alonso said. “Open play, set-pieces, long balls, this toughness, this competitive sense, we can do better.”
There was no response from Chelsea after Colwill turned Coyle’s shot wide. A corner came in from the left, Martínez flapped and Semi Ajayi’s header hit the bar. The ball came to Belloumi, whose shot flew in thanks to a deflection.
Alonso reacted at half-time, Hato making way for Pep Chavarría at left-back. Reece James drew a save from Tzolakis with a free-kick but Hull carried a threat on the break. They almost extended their lead when Martínez spilled a shot from Slater.
Martínez redeemed himself, blocking the rebound from McBurnie, and Chelsea soon levelled. Palmer, otherwise quiet, surprised Hull with a direct run. The No 10 drove down the left and picked out João Pedro, who lashed a shot into the roof of the net.
Hull refused to lie down. Ajayi, Giles and John Egan were outstanding at the back and the visitors maintained their shape when losing Nobel Mendy after a nasty collision with João Pedro.
Jakirovic made bold substitutions. Alonso threw Danny Welbeck on. Palmer scooped over from 20 yards and Tzolakis thwarted Rogers, but Hull had the best chance. Giles crossed again and Mohamed-Ali Cho shot straight at Martínez from close range.
Hull settled for a point. Jakirovic quashed talk of qualifying for Europe, insisting that survival remains the aim. The Bosnian has everyone pulling in the same direction. Before the start of the season he told his staff he would give them seven days off if Hull took eight points from their first five games. Mission completed with a game to spare.
