Hull City vs Norwich City. Sky Bet Championship.
MKM StadiumAttendance22,141.
Hull City 1-1 Norwich City: Josh Sargent earns point for Canaries
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Hull City and Norwich City at the MKM Stadium on Saturday; Josh Sargent earns a point for the Canaries to cancel out Matt Crooks' opener.
Saturday 15 February 2025 19:20, UK
Josh Sargent caused problems for relegation-threatened Hull again as he headed in to earn a 1-1 draw for play-off chasing Norwich.
Sargent's 47th-minute goal was the third time that he has struck against the Tigers recently.
The United States forward's effort was a reply to Hull taking a 14th-minute lead through Matt Crooks' fine finish.
It meant that Hull's disappointing home form carried on with only two wins in 16 for them on their own turf.
It could have been worse for Hull as Borja Sainz hit a post in the 75th minute.
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Czech Republic winger Matej Jurasek made his first Norwich start following his move from Slavia Prague.
Hull also had a recent signing - Louie Barry, on loan from Aston Villa - coming into the starting line-up.
The Tigers came close early on when Steven Alzate delivered a well-hit long ball for Joe Gelhardt, whose angled shot was pushed wide by Angus Gunn.
Gelhardt was looking dangerous and his delivery for Lewie Coyle led to the Hull captain crossing for Crooks to steer in from eight yards.
That gave Hull a deserved 1-0 lead in the 14th minute after an assertive start.
Momentum in the game started to change, though, as the first half went on, with Hull starting to be camped deeper and the Canaries getting forward more.
Norwich threatened in the 32nd minute with a glancing header wide by captain Shane Duffy from Jacob Wright's free-kick.
And there was another scare for the Tigers shortly before the interval when Jurasek fired a ball across the face of goal, but no Norwich team-mate could supply a finishing touch.
Although Hull went in at the break with a 1-0 lead, there was a sense that they were inviting too much pressure.
Norwich quickly struck in the second half as Kellen Fisher's cross from the right was met by a close-range header by Sargent.
As Norwich scored their equaliser, there was the bizarre sight of a squirrel running around on the MKM Stadium pitch near the action.
After suffering that setback, Hull began to push forward more again. The game had become a messier contest, though, as Norwich resisted Hull advances and probed.
The Tigers had a near-miss when Regan Slater fired out a cross-field pass for Gelhardt on the right and he charged forward then shot just wide.
Norwich came agonisingly close in the 75th minute as Sainz's shot hit a post, from the edge of the six-yard box, and the ball was then scrambled clear.
It was a nervy end for Hull - with shouts for handball against Sean McLoughlin but nothing given - but they did enough to take a point.
The managers
Hull's Ruben Selles:
"Every point is gold for us in the situation that we are in.
"We have an argument that we could get three points but the opposition had a few chances. I think the game was competitive, the game was equal and the point is probably fair for everyone.
"We want to always get three points but recent experiences like today have not got any points - and today we got the point. It's put us a little bit closer to the target and we will build from there.
"We scored the goal. But sometimes you play against an opponent that starts to connect a little bit better - and that pushed us backwards. The goal early in the second half meant we had to restart again. But after that we managed the game well.
"It's obvious in that situation when we conceded that we need to defend better. We need to analyse and work harder in the training ground."
Norwich's Johannes Hoff Thorup:
"I told Kellen (Fisher) to step up in his crossing game because that was not good enough at all in the first half.
"I told Lucien (Mahovo) to do the same because that was also not good enough in the first half. I told our midfield that they need to be even better on the ball if they consider themselves as technically good midfielders.
"And I think they showed that. The delivery from Kellen was a good one.
"We know Josh (Sargent) will always be first in those situations if the delivery is good enough quality.
"And after what we saw from Jacob Wright, probably after a shaky start, was that he developed in the game and got better and better.
"Based on the previous two home games we've played (a draw and loss), my message to the boys had been 'I want to see my football team back', I want to see my players play the way they can play.
"I know it's difficult because we play with new midfielders but still we have expectations that we can go away from home and control the game and I think what they did from minute 15 to the end was good.
"It was a really poor start to the game. In the first 15 minutes, we were off. You could see that first goal coming. But from minute 15-20 onwards, it was us being on top."
