Ruben Selles wants Hull’s standards to keep rising after a 1-0 win at promotion-chasing Sunderland boosted his side’s fight for survival.
Black Cats goalkeeper Anthony Patterson fumbled Joe Gelhardt’s corner into his own net in the 18th minute and Sunderland were frustrated by an impressive display from the Tigers, earning Selles’ side a fourth win from their last five away matches.
The focus for Hull now is on Tuesday when Selles hopes his players can secure back-to-back wins for the first time since he took over in December, against a Cardiff side sitting just below them in the table.
Selles said: “It is about us, the next game, our attention to win the game. This was a fantastic job and we had to show character, be good defensively.
“The situation is always more difficult if you concede first but the application from the beginning here, we showed we were a threat. It is exceptional and we tried to put them under pressure and we did.
“We have to be ruthless. If we keep defending as we do, especially away from home, then we will do well.
“Now we have a challenge. We have not been able to back up our results by taking three points in consecutive games. We need to go on Tuesday, perform well, show character and then the score will take care of itself.
“Things happen in football but if we go there with personality and saying ‘nobody wants three points more than us’, that should be the mentality.”
Having withstood some early pressure from Sunderland, which did not result in goalkeeper Ivor Pandur being tested, the visitors quickly gained in attacking confidence.
Patterson, who had team-mate Patrick Roberts in front of him, made a complete hash of his attempt to catch Gelhardt’s corner soon after and could only help the ball in – though he did make a strong save to keep another Gelhardt corner from curling straight in minutes later.
The nearest Sunderland came to levelling before the break was when Dan Ballard headed into the arms of Pandur from Chris Rigg’s delivery into the area.
Sunderland should have been level just before the hour when striker Wilson Isidor headed wide at the back post after he had been picked out unmarked by Trai Hume. Eliezer Mayenda and Roberts also had late chances but Hull did enough to stay in front and give their survival chances a lift.
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris was left frustrated with the outcome and he wants his young squad to learn quickly so they can finish the campaign strongly.
Le Bris, who will be assessing hamstring issues to Enzo Le Fee and Ballard, said: “The own goal changed the dynamic of the game because after that the opponent provided different problems. We tried to break the low block and didn’t find the solution.
“It is a shame because in this kind of game, silly mistakes can change many things. We have to think about these mistakes to improve our game.
“It is not a coincidence (conceding from a set-piece), we have to ask the questions.
“After that the energy of the group was OK. We tried but it wasn’t enough.
“This was the 34th game of the season. We have a small group. That can be a positive, because everyone is really involved, but at the same time, when we have injuries, we know that we can have a bit of a lack of depth in certain positions.
“That is just the characteristic of the squad this year. There are positives and negatives, we just have to try to manage things properly.
“I hope to see a reaction. I hope to have the capacity to react.”
Ange Postecoglou insisted his controversial cupped ear celebration to Tottenham fans in a 1-0 loss at Chelsea had been misinterpreted on another bad night for the Australian.Spurs slipped to a 16th defeat in the Premier League this season thanks to a 50th-minute header by Enzo Fernandez, but it only told half the story of a typically frenzied London derby.VAR was required to rule out a fine strike...
Chelsea climbed back into the Premier League’s top four as Enzo Fernandez’s header early in the second half earned a 1-0 derby win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.Enzo Maresca’s side were under pressure after limping into the international break playing football that had ceased to excite home fans, but they largely had the better of a disappointing Spurs team that failed to tak...
David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid a red card for his reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal, which Moyes claimed should have been ruled out for offside, gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were...
Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...
David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...
Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...
Southampton boss Ivan Juric vowed to keep fighting as relegation moved sharply into focus after Crystal Palace denied them only a third Premier League win of the season.Substitute Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time header, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Eagles, means Saints will be down at the weekend if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich.If relegation is confirmed on Sunday, Southampt...
Derby boss John Eustace insists his side are reaping the rewards for the hard work they have put in since he was appointed as manager after the Rams earned a 2-0 win over Preston to climb out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.Derby came out firing after a lacklustre opening period and Craig Forsyth coolly slotted the hosts in front with his fourth goal of the season.The Rams doubled thei...
Notts County manager Stuart Maynard hailed a “massive” three points as his side comfortably saw off MK Dons at Meadow Lane to maintain their promotion challenge.Two stunning strikes from David McGoldrick and Will Jarvis from the edge of the box, either side of Nick Tsaroulla’s close-range effort, earned County a convincing 3-0 win.“I think every three points is massive now,...
- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender