Hull City Vs Derby County: Hull win 4-2 as late Egan and Koumas goals settle contest
Hull beat play-off rivals Derby 4-2 in a game that was in the balance until the 75th minute, a result that ended a three-game winless run and kept Hull's automatic promotion hopes alive after a frantic contest at MK Stadium in the Sky Bet Championship.
Hull City Vs Derby County: scoreline, late finishes and decisive substitutions
The final score was 4-2, decided by late goals from John Egan and Lewis Koumas. John Egan scored his first goal since September, finishing off a well-worked passing move to give Hull the lead for the third time, and Lewis Koumas sealed the points with a breakaway goal just two minutes after coming on as a substitute. The game was in the balance until the 75th minute, when Egan restored Hull's advantage, and Koumas' strike effectively ended the contest.
Four-goal first half: Elder own goal, McBurnie strike and Derby replies
The match featured a four-goal first half. Hull took the lead early when Amir Hadziahmetovic's swinging corner rebounded off Callum Elder into the net for an own goal. Craig Forsyth's cool side-footed finish levelled the scores after 17 minutes, before Ollie McBurnie's brilliant finish inside the box put Hull back in front. Derby then equalised again through Sammie Szmodics, leaving the teams level at the interval.
Derby response and John Eustace's assessment of the performance
Derby manager John Eustace said he was disappointed with the result but praised his players' effort and desire. He noted the team created "unbelievable chances" and added, "on another night we could have scored five or six. " Eustace said Derby had lacked effort and desire at Watford the previous week but rediscovered it for this match. He also warned the side did not defend the box well enough, saying "all four goals could have been stopped, for sure, " and pointed to injury disruption after saying the back four was playing out of position and "we are where we are with our injury situations. "
Jakirovic hails collective effort and pragmatic approach
Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic described the result as "a great victory for us, " saying "the lads fought as one, it was a great team effort. " He explained Hull played differently because of the pitch, calling the approach pragmatic and saying the team were "very aggressive, on the front foot. " Jakirovic called the match "a very nervous game" but added Hull were "very strong in the challenges, completely different from Saturday, " and that "scoring the fourth goal when we did was perfect as it ended the game. "
Individual contributions, recent form and table implications
Patrick Agyemang was singled out for his influence; he was described as a constant threat and set up Sammie Szmodics with a cross from the right that led to one of Derby's goals. The result saw Hull leapfrog Millwall into fourth and keep pressure on the automatic places — Hull remain six points behind Middlesbrough, who occupy the top two positions. Derby have now lost three of their last four and sit six points from the play-off spots. Both sides went into the match struggling for form and aware that victory could be vital to their promotion chances, and Hull's shock 3-1 loss to QPR over the weekend had earlier dented their hopes of reaching the top two.
Post-match reactions and voices from the dressing rooms
Derby defender Craig Forsyth provided post-match thoughts following Derby County's away clash with Hull City in the Sky Bet Championship. Managers' remarks framed the evening: Eustace emphasised positives despite the defeat and highlighted the team's injury problems, while Jakirovic celebrated a collective effort that ended a poor run of results for his side.
