Hull make move up standings with convincing win over Southampton

Hull climbed into the top half of the Championship table with a comfortable 3-1 win over Southampton at the MKM Stadium.

Kyle Joseph scored his first home goal for the Tigers to give them a first-half lead.

John Lundstram volleyed in a second on the hour before Oli McBurnie sealed the win with 20 minutes to go.

Southampton barely registered a meaningful effort on target before substitute Adam Armstrong scored a consolation in the last minute of stoppage time.

Jack Stephens got in an important tackle to deny McBurnie, who tried to get on the end of a low Ryan Giles cross from the left as Hull threatened early on.

A foul on Tom Fellows with nine minutes on the clock presented Southampton’s first chance but Ryan Manning’s 30-yard free-kick was straight at the Hull wall.

Mohamed Belloumi should have done better when sent clear by McBurnie but chose to pass instead of
taking a shot.

Hull grabbed the lead in the 22nd minute through Joseph who was in the right place, the ball hitting him and going over the line after Gavin Bazunu had palmed away a header by Joe Gelhardt from Lewie Coyle’s deep cross.

Southampton wasted their best chance so far when Damion Downs fired wide across goal on the half hour.

Fellows shanked a volley wide as nothing appeared to be going right for the Saints and Manning had to block a Belloumi shot as Hull looked for a second.

Ryan Fraser tried a snap shot, which bounced awkwardly in front of Ivor Pandur, but the Tigers kept their deserved lead intact at the break.

Hull soaked up plenty of pressure early in the second half and were lucky when a shot from Stephens deflected wide for a corner.

The home side were guilty of plying too deep and inviting pressure, and it was only Southampton’s poor finishing which kept them ahead, a missed kick by Shea Charles typical of the visitors.

The Tigers scored a fine second just before the hour as Coyle’s ball into the area was headed down by McBurnie for Lundstram to volley home.

Joseph was denied a chance of a second by Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ header and Pandur got down well to save as the game really started to open up.

Southampton were again wasteful with 20 minutes to go when Manning hit a long-range free-kick well over.

McBurnie made it 3-0 soon after as he climbed above the Southampton defence to head home a Giles free-kick.

Giles shot wide across goal as the Tigers looked for a fourth before Darko Gyabi saw his shot deflected out and Lundstram ballooned over from the corner.

Southampton fired in a late consolation with a volley by substitute Armstrong deep in stoppage time.