Surprise package Hull City passed their sternest test so far this season, coming away from Chelsea with a share of the spoils after an entertaining 2-2 draw.
The Tigers, who clinched promotion back to the top flight via the Championship play-offs, remain unbeaten with this stalemate moving them on to eight points from their opening four matches. City fans might well have been fearing the worst though, when they conceded the opener with barely seven minutes on the clock. England star Morgan Rogers once again lived up to his monster price tag as he collected the ball just outside the area, chopped inside on his left and rifled a ferocious shot past City stopper Konstantinos Tzolakis.
That was the first time Hull’s defence has been breached in the league this term and they were relieved not long after conceding when Pedro Neto – fresh from penning a new, long-term deal – came close to doubling the lead.
The visitors weren’t about to just lie down, however. They ventured forward more and more and eventually levelled the game up through a terrific strike from Mohamed Belloumi. He took advantage of some woefully misjudged defending by Chelsea’s Jorrel Hato as he allowed a high cross from Ryan Giles to bounce, and then mistimed an attempted header. That allowed Belloumi to brilliantly volley past Emi Martinez.
The momentum was now all with the Yorkshire side and Lewie Coyle forced a good save from Martinez as he tried his luck from distance after a free-flowing move. Not long after though, they did have a second goal to celebrate when Belloumi notched his second.
From a corner, Semi Ajayi headed against the woodwork and Oli McBurnie reacted quickest to prod the ball in the direction of the lurking Belloumi. His drive took not one but two deflections as it flew into the net through a sea of bodies. That goal put the Tigers, remarkably, top of the table for a brief time.
A combination of Tzolakis and the upright kept out a Reece James free-kick at the start of the second half before Regan Slater and McBurnie were then both denied in quick succession by Martinez.
The hosts then equalised midway through the half with Cole Palmer driving down the left before picking out Joao Pedro just a few yards out. The Brazilian then applied a thunderous finish high into the net to make it 2-2. Chances came and went for Xabi Alonso’s men, although Hull’s Mohamed-Ali Cho fashioned the best chance to steal a winner when his close-range effort was straight at Martinez.
In the end though, a frantic affair ended all-square and Hull’s Premier League adventure continues to hit new heights.
