Hull City Vs Derby County: Egan and Koumas Secure a Frenetic 4-2 Home Win

In a frantic evening at the MKM Stadium, hull city vs derby county finished 4-2 as late goals from John Egan and Lewis Koumas sealed a home victory that ended a winless run and kept Hull's promotion hopes alive. The match featured a four-goal first half, late drama, a disciplinary controversy and fitness concerns for key players.

Hull City Vs Derby County — match timeline and scoreline

The scoring flood began early. A swinging corner from Amir Hadziahmetovic rebounded off Callum Elder and into his own net to hand Hull the lead. Craig Forsyth levelled after 17 minutes, before Oli McBurnie (also styled Ollie McBurnie in some coverage) restored Hull's advantage with a brilliant finish inside the box. Sammie Szmodics drew Derby level again three minutes before the break, making the first half a four-goal spectacle.

After a tense second-half opening, John Egan put Hull back in front with what was described as his first goal since September, finishing off a well-worked passing move; that strike came with around 15 minutes remaining. Lewis Koumas then sealed the win from the bench, with one account noting he struck two minutes after coming on and another noting the goal arrived five minutes from time.

Goals, key contributors and unusual incidents

• Hull goals: own goal by Callum Elder (from Hadziahmetovic corner), McBurnie, John Egan, Lewis Koumas.
• Derby goals: Craig Forsyth, Sammie Szmodics.
• Notable buildups: Ryan Giles and Liam Millar were influential in the opening goal sequence; Joe Gelhardt intercepted a cross-field pass from Elder later in the first half.
• Goalkeeping and reactions: Ivor Pandur parried a Lewis Travis strike into the path of Forsyth for Derby’s equaliser.

Managers’ reactions and officiating concerns

Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic praised the collective effort, calling it a pragmatic, aggressive performance shaped by pitch conditions. He highlighted the team’s commitment to challenges, front-foot play and a willingness to sacrifice aesthetic build-up for results. Jakirovic said the win was very important and stressed he only cared about taking the three points.

Jakirovic also expressed frustration with the referee Adam Herczeg, pointing to an early booking of Patrick Agyemang and describing Craig Forsyth’s goal as coming from an offside position. He judged the referee's overall display to have been poor and said both managers were frustrated by officiating decisions.

Derby manager John Eustace voiced disappointment at the defeat but praised his players' effort and the chances they created, suggesting on another night Derby might have scored more.

Form lines, standings impact and immediate context

Hull ended a three-game winless run and had also lost their last two league matches prior to this win; the victory consolidated their place in the play-off positions and leapfrogged them above Millwall into fourth. The result keeps Hull six points behind Middlesbrough, who occupy the top two positions in the Championship. Derby have lost three of their last four and now sit six points outside the play-off places.

Both clubs had arrived at this fixture under pressure: Hull’s shock 3-1 defeat to QPR over the weekend had dented their hopes of reaching the top two, while Derby had been beaten by fellow play-off challengers Watford at the weekend.

Injuries and squad concerns

Hull lost Ryan Giles to a hamstring problem when he limped off; the injury looked like a recurrence of one he had only recently recovered from and he will be assessed. Callum Elder was substituted at half-time after errors that contributed to two of Hull’s first-half goals, and he was replaced during the interval.

What this means next

The win provides a momentum boost for Hull as they chase automatic promotion and look to maintain a play-off position; Derby must address defensive lapses and recent form that has seen them slip away from the play-off places. Uncertainties remain: the full extent of Ryan Giles’s hamstring problem is unclear in the provided context, and views differ on the timing of Koumas’s decisive goal in the closing stages.