Manchester City vs. Hull: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League Match
Hull City nearly caused the upset of the day on Saturday, drawing defending Premier League champions Manchester City 1-1 after leading for the bulk of the afternoon. James Milner scored a late goal from a free-kick to save the Citizens, who had an altogether horrific showing against a feisty Tigers squad.
The visitors surprised everyone by not digging in defensively and electing to commit players moving forward, and the first chance of the match fell to Hull after just three minutes, with Sone Aluko timing his run perfectly before firing a shot straight at Joe Hart.
City dominated possession, but like the home crowd, Manuel Pellegrini's squad came out of the gates flat. There was little creativity involved in the buildup and far too little pressure on the Tigers' back four.
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Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News was anything but impressed with City's early effort:
The better chances continued to fall to Hull. Robbie Brady was active and involved from the opening whistle, firing in a number of inviting crosses. Ahmed Elmohamady nearly converted one after 15 minutes, directing his effort straight onto the crossbar.
Samir Nasri tried to force the action with a number of pieces of skill, but nothing seemed to be working for City. David Silva's usual pinpoint passing also let him down, with the main danger from the hosts coming from the advancing full-backs.
It took until the 35th minute for the Etihad Stadium to see some real action, as the visitors stunned the Citizens by taking the lead through David Meyler. The midfielder reacted quickest to a shot that cannoned off the upright before blasting home from close range.
Brennan blamed Martin Demichelis for the initial shot, but just about everyone failed to react in time to deny Meyler:
Bleacher Report UK couldn't help itself:
The goal seemed to shake the hosts into action, with Silva finding Fernando with a clever ball. Nasri eventually had the chance to shoot but decided to cut it back, allowing the defenders to intervene.
Hull comfortably held onto their lead until the half-time whistle, and both teams made their way to the dressing room amid a chorus of boos. Brennan didn't hold back:
Pellegrini introduced Jesus Navas to add some much-needed pace to the City attack to start the second half, and it was clear the manager had told his troops to take more chances in an effort to find a quick goal.
Aluko fired another shot at Hart before Edin Dzeko nearly put the ball past Allan McGregor at the other end of the pitch, positioning himself well to meet the cross.
The Etihad wanted a penalty after Alex Bruce clearly bundled over Silva from behind, but the official didn't budge. The Press Association's Andy Hampson thought Tigers got off lucky:
Navas isolated Dzeko beautifully, and the Bosnian really should have done better when his marker was left flat-footed. The striker took too long to gather the ball, allowing McGregor to intervene in the nick of time.
City were by far the better team now, but Hull defended with discipline and always seemed to intercept the final pass. The Citizens gambled with 15 minutes left to play, bringing on Stevan Jovetic for Silva, who had an uncharacteristically poor outing.
Former Premier League star Jan Aage Fjortoft was surprised with the decision:
Hull never panicked in possession and did a good job playing the clock, but the defending Premier League champions were relentless with their pressure. Paul McShane's fine play deserves special mention, as the defender easily held his own against City's vaunted attack.
Aguero had a huge chance to steal a point for his club after he was left unmarked at the far post in the final minute of regulation, but the striker blasted his shot straight at the crossbar, with McGregor rooted at the spot.
Ultimately, it was Milner who saved the Citizens with a fantastic free-kick deep in stoppage time, curling the ball over the wall and into the bottom corner.
Relevant Player Grades
Sergio Aguero: F
No movement, hardly any involvement and an overall poor performance from the Argentina international. The star striker has set the bar high with a series of strong outings this season, which made his dreadful performance on Saturday all the more glaring.
Jesus Navas: C+
The Spaniard delivered a spark upon his introduction, as City pressed far better in the second half. Looked far better than Fernando, who was no better than Aguero.
Robert Brady: B+
The winger was the catalyst behind every chance for Hull, dominating Gael Clichy in the first half and tracking back well to help in the defensive department.
Post-Match Reaction
Brennan clearly wasn't satisfied with City's performance:
Goal's Ives Galarcep took it one step further, claiming Milner saved his club from an "embarrassing" loss:
Pellegrini expressed his frustration at Hull's defensive mindset in the second half, per Hampson:
Chelsea's win over Aston Villa means City now chase the league-leaders by seven points heading into Week 25, while Hull missed a golden opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the other clubs battling in the relegation zone.
The Citizens will play Stoke City next and need to rebound quickly, or the title race might be over for good. The absence of Yaya Toure has been really felt, but with AFCON as good as over, he and Wilfried Bony should rejoin the club very soon.
