Hull 2-0 Liverpool: Highlights and recap
Hull beat Liverpool 2-0 at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 4. Here are all the highlights from the match.
Recap
Liverpool’s listless, winless January extended into February in a dire performance at the KCOM Stadium Saturday, where they were beaten 2-0 by an excellent Hull side.
The pattern of play was troublingly familiar for the Reds, who dominated possession and spent most the match in Hull’s defensive third, and still couldn’t create any clear cut chances.
Hull’s renaissance under Marco Silva continues. The Tigers were excellent in defense, happy to force Liverpool out wide, where they had to settle for a string of underwhelming set pieces.
The home side opened the scoring in the 44th minute when Alfred N’Diaye tapped home after Simon Mignolet failed to handle under pressure from Abel Hernandez. The manner of the goal was as familiar as the Reds overall performance. Another day, another defensive error.
The second half was even more lopsided than the first, with the away side holding the ball over 75 percent of the time. Eldin Jakupovic saved well from a Sadio Mane header in the 56th minute, but that was the first time the Hull keeper had been truly tested.
That, as much as anything, has been the concern for Jurgen Klopp since the turn of the year. This Liverpool side were never going to have the best defense in the league, but the drop off in attack has been alarming.
When Hull doubled their lead on the 84th minute through Oumar Niasse — a single long ball took Liverpool’s entire defense out of the game — it didn’t feel particularly surprising. Hull were deserved winners.
The wait goes on for Liverpool’s first league win of 2017, and now Jurgen Klopp must begin to wonder whether his side have what it takes to finish in the top four.
Hull aren’t out of the relegation zone yet, but for the first time since the opening weeks of the season, relegation doesn’t feel like a foregone conclusion. The win made it seven points out of the last 10 available under Silva, who’s done a remarkable job over the past month.
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Highlights
Liverpool remain fourth, but will fall out of the top four if Manchester City beat Swansea on Sunday. Hull move to 18th, a point behind Swansea, Middlesbrough and Leicester, who have all yet to play.