Report: Saints fall to defeat at Hull

Goals from Kyle Joseph, John Lundstram and Oliver McBurnie gave the hosts the points on a dreary day at MKM Stadium, with Adam Armstrong scoring a very late consolation for Saints.

Both sides came into the game with one win in their opening five matches, with Hull taking five points in that time, while Saints were one better than them at kick off.

Will Still made two changes from the team that started against Portsmouth six days earlier, with midfielder Caspar Jander being handed a full debut and striker Damion Downs making his first start in the league. They replaced Flynn Downes and Cameron Archer, who were both named among the substitutes.

Caspar Jander's shirt in the dressing room ahead of kick off (Photo: Matt Watson)

Conditions were wet as the game got under way, which perhaps contributed to a scrappy start to the contest.

The home side produced the first moment of danger, as Ryan Giles sent a low, first-time cross from the left towards McBurnie in the box, but a sliding Jack Stephens made an excellent interception to prevent the ball reaching the Hull striker.

Saints’ first chance came ten minutes into the game when Tom Fellows was fouled by Amir Hadžiahmetović 30 yards out, only for Ryan Manning to hit the wall with the subsequent free-kick.

There wasn’t a great sign of a goal coming from either side, but the breakthrough did arrive at the midpoint of the half, as Hull took the lead with their first efforts of the match.

Lewie Coyle’s looping cross from a deep position on the right was met by Joe Gelhardt at the back post, with his header across goal being parried away by Gavin Bazunu. However, the save sent the ball into the path of Joseph a few yards out, who bundled it back into the empty net.

Saints could have equalised on the half-hour mark, as Shea Charles’s sharp pass through the lines found Finn Azaz, who in turn sent Downs racing clear, but the striker fired his low shot wide of the far post after shifting it onto his left foot as he burst towards the edge of the area.

Damion Downs had Saints' best chance of the first half (Photo: Matt Watson)

It was a big opportunity missed, but a sign of some genuine threat from the visitors.

They had another chance on 34 minutes when a cross was cleared to Fellows 18 yards out, but he bounced his volley wide.

Hull then reestablished a bit of pressure, with a couple of good blocks from Saints before Gelhardt put a shot over from the edge of the D.

Back at the other end, Ryan Fraser had an effort from a Fellows cutback, only for it to be deflected and end up in a comfortable save for Ivor Pandur in goal, as Joseph’s earlier effort proved to be the difference heading into half time.

Saints were on the front foot after the restart, pinning Hull back in the early stages of the second period, and they almost levelled in the 52nd minute when Jack Stephens sent in a low shot from distance that took a deflection and whistled just wide of the post with Pandur beaten.

It felt like Still’s side might be building up to an equaliser, only for them to be hit on the counter attack on 59 minutes, as the hosts doubled their lead.

A misplaced pass from Taylor Harwood-Bellis on halfway turned the ball over to Gelhardt, who in turn found Coyle to his right. He sent an angled ball from deep towards McBurnie, who nodded it into the area and the path of Lundstram, who had sprinted through the middle unmarked, and he side-footed a first-time finish past Bazunu to make it 2-0.

Saints players react to falling two goals behind (Photo: Matt Watson)

A triple Saints change followed, as Archer, Léo Scienza and Armstrong came on for Downs, Mads Roerslev and Fellows.

But it didn’t change the path of the game, as Hull added a third on 70 minutes.

After Harwood-Bellis was booked for a foul on Joseph out on the left, Giles swung in a free-kick, with McBurnie rising to meet it and planting a header firmly into the bottom corner.

McBurnie almost added another on 84 minutes, sliding in to meet a cross at the back post, but he couldn't quite make proper contact and Saints managed to scrambled it clear.

Saints did pull one back deep into added time when Armstrong turned and fired home from inside the area after Fraser nodded the ball to him, but the result was well beyond doubt by that point, and the final whistle soon brought to an end a miserable day on the road for Still's side.

Hull City: Pandur, Giles, Hughes, Egan, Coyle (captain), Lundstram (Destan 81), Hadžiahmetović (Slater 62), Joseph (Palmer 82), Gelhardt (Akintola 62), Belloumi (Gyabi 45), McBurnie.

Unused substitutes: Phillips, Drameh, Ndala, Famewo.

Goals: Joseph (22’), Lundstram (59’), McBurnie (70’).

Booked: Lundstram, Giles, Destan, Slater, Pandur.

Southampton: Bazunu, Roerslev (Scienza 62), Harwood-Bellis, Stephens (captain), Manning (Jelert 83), Jander, Charles, Fellows (Armstrong 63), Azaz (Stewart 75), Fraser, Downs (Archer 62).

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Wood, Downes, Robinson.

Goals: Armstrong (90+5')

Booked: Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Stewart.

Referee: Anthony Backhouse.

Attendance: 22,085