Hull City's unbeaten start to life in the Premier League finally came to an end, but not without a fierce fight against a youthful and injury-depleted Newcastle side who held on for a hard-fought victory.
Newcastle raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening seven minutes, catching Hull cold before the visitors regrouped and pushed hard for an equalizer that never quite arrived. The result leaves Hull searching for their first defeat's silver lining, having shown resilience that impressed their manager despite the setback.
The hosts broke the deadlock after just three minutes when Joe Willock lashed home from close range, capitalizing on a loose ball after John Egan had initially blocked his effort. Hull failed to clear their lines, allowing Harvey Barnes to pick out the unmarked midfielder for a simple finish past goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, the Greek international who arrived from Olympiakos for a reported £20m fee.
Four minutes later, Newcastle doubled their advantage through a slick move again involving Barnes, who combined with Lewis Hall before the left-back curled a precise low shot into the bottom corner. The goal originated from Hall's own defensive work, winning the ball back from Oli McBurnie deep inside Newcastle's half. Hall's fine display came just days after his recall to the England squad, though fellow full-back Tino Livramento's international hopes suffered a blow when a training injury ruled him out of this fixture, one of nine absences for the hosts.
Despite the early setback, Hull refused to wilt. They came close to responding when Sorba Thomas nearly diverted a Matt Crooks delivery in at the near post, and were handed a golden opportunity in stoppage time at the end of the first half when Thomas fouled Jacob Murphy inside the box. However, Yoane Wissa's tame penalty was saved by Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, keeping the hosts' two-goal cushion intact heading into the interval.
Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle made changes in the second half, bringing on 34-year-old Fabian Schär for the tiring Sean Steur, which triggered a switch to a back three - a formation Jaissle has previously expressed reluctance to use. The shift nearly backfired immediately, as Hull pulled a goal back moments later. Lewis Miley, deployed in midfield after starting at right-back, was dispossessed, allowing Mohamed Belloumi to set up Mohamed-Ali Cho. The former Nice forward, who has previously represented England at youth level before switching allegiance to play for France's Under-21s, curled a left-footed finish beyond Hornicek.
The goal sparked a sustained Hull onslaught, with the visitors peppering Newcastle's box with crosses and shots. Hornicek was called into action again, producing a smart save to deny Robinio Vaz's goal-bound half-volley as Newcastle were forced into a grueling defensive effort to see out the win.
Speaking after the match, Newcastle boss Jaissle acknowledged the intensity of the contest and praised his side's response following their heavy 4-1 defeat at Leeds earlier in the week. "It was an intense game," he said. "We started at a really high level, it was the right reaction to Leeds. But the missed penalty changed momentum. We tired and we needed to suffer, but the commitment to win this game was exceptional. It made me proud. It was something special."
Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic, meanwhile, took pride in his side's fighting spirit despite suffering their first Premier League defeat. "I'm very proud of how we played this game, especially the second half," he said. "We made mistakes in the first 10 minutes and Newcastle were clinical on the counterattack, but after that, I think we showed our mentality and our character. Over 90 minutes, we deserved a point. My team showed they will not be beaten easily."
Based on reporting from The Guardian.