Three things that we learnt: Hull City 0-2 Stoke City

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Tigers in terminal decline

The early season optimism that was prevalent amongst Hull City supporters following two wins in their opening two games of the season has faded. Only 18,522 supporters filtered inside the KCOM Stadium to witness their side play second fiddle to the visitors for long spells whilst struggling to create any significant goal scoring opportunities. Mike Phelan was only promoted from caretaker to permanent manager nine days ago, but he will know that there is an awful lot of work  to do if Hull are to maintain their place in the Premier League.

The Tigers have lost all of their last five league fixtures and have conceded nineteen goals during this period. Shaqiri’s first half strike seemed to drain the team of all confidence and there was a definitive lack of intelligence and creativity in the final third – Mike Phelan needed a ‘game changer’, unfortunately for him it came from on opposition player. One significant plus point for Hull will have been the return of club captain Michael Dawson from a knee injury. The former England international produced an impressive performance at the heart of the home side’s defence and maintaining his form and fitness will be key in their upcoming survival challenge.