Hull City Vs Derby County: Egan and Koumas fire Hull to 4-2 win at MKM Stadium

Hull City returned to winning ways in a frenetic hull city vs derby county clash, beating play-off rivals Derby County 4-2 at the MKM Stadium. The result, sealed by a late John Egan strike and a Lewis Koumas finish off the bench, has immediate implications for both clubs’ promotion ambitions.

Hull City Vs Derby County at the MKM Stadium

Hull built a two-goal cushion in a four-goal first half but were pegged back twice before late intervention decided the match. The game opened with Callum Elder’s own goal after nine minutes when a corner from Amir Hadziahmetovic, worked by Ryan Giles and Liam Millar, shaved off Elder’s back and into the net. Craig Forsyth then levelled for Derby seven minutes later; one account places that equaliser at 17 minutes. Oli McBurnie restored Hull’s lead with what was described as a brilliant finish inside the box and, by one count, his 13th of the campaign, only for Sammie Szmodics to make it 2-2 three minutes before half-time.

Callum Elder errors and McBurnie’s strike shaped the first half

Derby capitalised on a recurring weakness down Hull’s right: Szmodics recovered a deep corner and fed Lewis Travis, whose effort was parried by Ivor Pandur into the path of Forsyth for the equaliser. Hull’s second goal followed another mistake from Elder, whose cross-field pass was intercepted by Joe Gelhardt and led directly to McBurnie’s goal. Elder was substituted at half-time.

John Egan’s first goal since September and Koumas’ decisive entry

In the second half, Hull’s John Egan produced the breakthrough when a well-worked passing move finished with his fine spin and shot to make it 3-2; that intervention arrived with about 15 minutes remaining. Lewis Koumas then came off the bench and hammered in Hull’s fourth. Accounts differ on the precise timing: one description places Koumas’ finish two minutes after his introduction, another records it as five minutes from full-time. Regardless of the exact minute, his strike killed the contest and secured three points for Sergej Jakirovic’s side.

Injuries, discipline and managerial reaction

Hull lost Ryan Giles to what looked like a recurrence of a hamstring problem after he limped off and will be assessed. Derby’s Patrick Agyemang was booked early in the contest, a decision that drew criticism, and his contribution continued to be significant as he set up Szmodics for the leveller before half-time. Hull’s manager praised the group’s pragmatism on a difficult pitch, saying the team had been "very pragmatic" and aggressive in challenges and that he only cared about taking the three points. He also criticised the referee, naming Adam Herczeg and asserting that Forsyth’s first goal came from an offside position, adding: "Every time we concede it's a poor goal, but it's offside. " Derby’s manager described his side as deserving more from their chances and said he was disappointed to lose, believing his players had created "unbelievable chances" and could have scored five or six on another night.

Standings impact: play-off places and recent form

The victory consolidates Hull’s position in the chase for promotion and sees them leapfrog Millwall into fourth place. Hull’s result also closes a difficult spell: one account says the win ended a three-game winless run, while another notes the club had lost their last two league matches, including a 3-1 defeat to QPR at the weekend that dented top-two hopes. For Derby, the loss extends a poor run—they have lost three of their last four and now sit six points adrift of the play-off positions; another account frames the defeat as a second consecutive league loss, handing them back-to-back defeats.

What makes this notable is how individual errors and quick, decisive interventions shifted momentum repeatedly: Elder’s early mistakes handed Hull openings, while Egan’s first goal since September and Koumas’ instant impact from the bench directly produced the three points. The timing matters because those late contributions arrived when the match still felt in the balance, turning a volatile first half into a result that will recalibrate both teams’ promotion calculations.