Hull City Vs Qpr: Bennie stunner and Kone finish secure 3-1 win at MKM Stadium
Hull City Vs Qpr ended 1-3 at the MKM Stadium as Daniel Bennie came off the bench to score a first Championship goal and Richard Kone added a late finish that wrapped up the visitors' win.
Late strikes turned the game in QPR’s favour
QPR took the lead when a Harvey Vale corner flew into the box and struck Paddy McNair, producing an own goal that put the visitors ahead at the MKM Stadium; Joe Gelhardt levelled for Hull with a close-range finish that was his 11th league goal of the season. Bennie, 19, entered as a substitute and rifled a first-time shot into the top corner within four minutes of his introduction to restore QPR's lead, and Richard Kone added a composed right-footed finish into the bottom corner deep into stoppage time to seal the 3-1 victory.
How the goals came about and key moments
The opening strike stemmed from an inswinging corner that caused confusion in the six-yard area, with goalkeeper Ivor Pandur and Oli McBurnie unable to connect before the ball deflected off McNair under pressure from Jimmy Dunne at the back post. Hull’s equaliser arrived after Yu Hirakawa beat Rhys Norrington-Davies to the byline and played a cross that deflected off Ronnie Edwards and onto QPR keeper Joe Walsh, before the loose ball fell for Gelhardt to finish. Bennie’s curled effort from the edge of the penalty area — his first goal at this level — gave the visitors control late on, and Kone had to wait until added time to make sure when he found space on the left and tucked his shot away.
Defensive errors cost Hull in the closing stages
With around 80 minutes on the clock the match was defined by mistakes at the back: Hull conceded from a set piece and then were exposed as they pushed forward, which opened gaps that QPR exploited on the counter-attack. Kone had earlier fluffed a golden chance when through on goal, chipping into the keeper’s arms and then seeing another attempt saved from a tight angle, but he kept his composure to finish late. The official attendance was 21, 928 at the MKM Stadium.
Standings impact and manager reaction
The defeat left Hull City fourth in the Championship table while QPR climbed to 10th and moved to within one point of the play-off positions. Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic said: "Bad game for us, especially the last 10 minutes. We lost our balance and discipline on the pitch. We conceded a really cheap goal from the corner, from a throw-in - there is nobody on the midfielder and it is unacceptable. "
The teams now head into the rest of the weekend's fixtures with Hull seeking to arrest a slide in home form and QPR buoyed by late-game finishing that handed them three points at the MKM Stadium.
