Hull City Vs Derby County: McBurnie, Egan and Koumas fire Hull to 4-2 win
Hull City Vs Derby County produced a high-scoring, come-and-go night at the MKM Stadium as Hull claimed a 4-2 victory that moved them back into the automatic-promotion conversation and left Derby lamenting a glut of missed opportunities. The result ended a poor run for Hull and underlined Derby’s injury disruptions and defensive lapses.
MKM Stadium first-half flurry
The match produced four first-half goals. Hull took the lead early when Amir Hadziahmetovic’s corner shaved off Callum Elder’s back and looped into the net; one account places that opener after nine minutes. Craig Forsyth levelled for Derby shortly after — Sky Sport coverage notes the equaliser came seven minutes later, while another account places it after 17 minutes (unclear in the provided context). Hull regained the advantage when Oli McBurnie (also written as Ollie McBurnie) converted a chance created from another Elder error; one report records that strike as McBurnie’s 13th goal of the campaign. Sammie Szmodics restored parity for the visitors three minutes before the break, leaving the teams level at half-time.
Hull City Vs Derby County: Egan ends drought, Koumas seals it
After a tense start to the second half the game remained in the balance until the 75th minute, when John Egan scored what was described as his first goal since September to give Hull the lead for the third time in the match. That goal was finished off from a well-worked passing move. Lewis Koumas, introduced as a second-half substitute, struck two minutes after coming on to break Derby’s resistance and secure all three points for Sergej Jakirovic’s side.
Sergej Jakirovic on tactical change and Hull's promotion push
Hull’s manager, Sergej Jakirovic, described the win as a “great victory” and flagged tactical adjustment tied to pitch conditions: he said the team had played a little differently, pragmatically, been more aggressive and on the front foot. Jakirovic highlighted the side’s physical challenges in the match and suggested the fourth goal effectively ended the contest. The victory kept Hull six points behind Middlesbrough, who occupy places inside the Championship top two, and lifted the Tigers above Millwall into fourth; reports also state the result consolidated Hull’s place in the Sky Bet Championship play-offs. Earlier form notes in the coverage show Hull had lost to QPR by 3-1 over the weekend, a defeat that was said to have dented their hopes of reaching the top two, and some accounts describe Hull as having ended a three-game winless run and as having lost their last two league games prior to this match.
John Eustace on Derby's effort, chances and injury issues
Derby manager John Eustace praised his players’ effort and desire but expressed disappointment at the final score. He said the team created “unbelievable chances” and that “on another night we could have scored five or six. ” Eustace added that Derby did not defend the box well enough and that all four conceded goals could have been stopped. He also explained his side had to make many changes for the match, that the back four were playing out of position and that the situation reflected existing injury issues. Derby have now lost three of their last four matches and are reported as sitting six points from the play-off positions.
Match moments and player actions
Several individual actions shaped the contest. Ryan Giles and Liam Millar were credited with engineering Hull’s opening, with Giles attempting to catch Josh Vickers at his near post before Hadziahmetovic’s corner led to the own goal. Sky coverage detailed how Lewis Travis bustled into the penalty area after a recovered corner by Szmodics and struck at goal; Ivor Pandur could only parry the attempt into the path of Forsyth. Patrick Agyemang, identified as a USA international, was a persistent threat for Derby — a weaving run down the right ended with an effort that flew just over the crossbar. Callum Elder was later substituted at half-time after being implicated in two early errors, one described as a reckless cross-field pass that Joe Gelhardt intercepted. Ivor Pandur’s intervention, Joe Gelhardt’s interception and McBurnie’s clinical finish from an opponent’s mistake were cited as turning points in the first half.
Bodo/Glimt, Brook and other headlines present alongside match coverage
Additional editorial items appearing on the same coverage page included the following headlines: 'The day Brook showed he is an England leader'; '"Historical moment" as Bodo/Glimt succeed against all odds'; '"Bring it on" – Newcastle's message to Chelsea and Barcelona'; 'Snoozing wars, copycat siblings and the chaos of robot hoovers'; 'Hannah Fry delves into extraordinary human stories around AI'; 'Noel Titheradge uncovers the hidden harms of prescription drugs'; 'It would be catastrophic - are Spurs too big to go down?'; '"Equal in decay" - Mayweather v Pacquiao is another boxing "carnival"'; 'Why Champions League return is crucial to Man Utd'; 'Why has it gone so wrong for Aston Martin?'; and 'Five reasons for England's Six Nations slide. '
The night at the MKM Stadium combined a flurry of first-half goals, late decisive strikes and a sharp post-match focus from both managers on the small margins that separated the result — what makes this notable is how individual errors and swift substitutes reshaped a game that had swung repeatedly before the 75th minute.
