Hull City stay unbeaten as they hold off Aston Villa

Hull City extended their impressive early Premier League run with a goalless draw against Aston Villa at the MKM Stadium. After beating Manchester United at home on the opening day and winning at Coventry last weekend, the point and clean sheet strengthened Sergej Jakirovic’s belief his side can battle against relegation. The match had plenty of momentum swings, but finishing let both teams down.

A game built on chances

According to The Guardian, Villa should have been ahead early when Nicolas Jackson headed Ian Maatsen’s cross wide inside the first couple of minutes. Hull didn’t wilt. In the second half, Mohamed Belloumi produced a dangerous spell that culminated in a stunning effort which struck the crossbar, and Mohamed-Ali Cho and Oli McBurnie also went close late on.

Villa, meanwhile, kept coming but remained unable to find the net. The paper notes that Aston Villa failed to score for a third match in a row and still had moments to make the difference, including efforts from Ross Barkley that forced sharp saves from Konstantinos Tzolakis. There was also a late penalty appeal before half-time after Jackson went down under Nobel Mendy’s challenge, which was waved away.

Late defending decides it

The second half brought even more pressure from Villa, with Emiliano Buendía blazing over after a chance carved out from the left. Hull’s resilience showed again in the closing stages: Lucas Herrington — on his 19th birthday — made a crucial block to repel Tyrone Mings’s shot as Villa pushed for a winner.

With both sides finishing without that last touch, Hull’s unbeaten start continues intact, and Villa are left pondering missed chances. Source: The Guardian.