Hull City need points.
Bottom of the lot in the Premier League, Mike Phelan could do with getting a few wins together if they’re to avoid what seems like an inevitable trip back to the Championship.
So, leading Everton by a single goal as their New Year’s Eve eve match approached half-time, what they didn’t need to do was concede an equaliser. Especially not one that could quite easily have been avoided.
With just a minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half, Leighton Baines played a corner into the Hull box.
Goalkeeper David Marshall should have come out and dealt with it. Indeed, when he managed to get above Romelu Lukaku and a couple of his defenders, he looked well positioned to do precisely that.
Instead of catching it, he opted to try and fist the ball clear of danger. Emphasis on the word ‘try’.
Mistiming the punch, the ball glanced off his arm and deflected into the Hull goal. A soft equaliser. The sort of thing you don’t want to see when your team’s embroiled in a bottom of the table scrap.
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