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Hull 1 v Tottenham 5: Match Report

It’s fair to say that Hull don’t exactly have an enviable home record- their last home win came in November- but Harry Redknapp will nevertheless be delighted with his teams effort as they crushed Phil Brown’s Hull City side 5-1. Jermain Defoe was in fantastic form and netted a hat-trick, whilst under pressure club captain Robbie Keane also delivered, turning in an excellent performance for his club.

It took Defoe just 10 minutes to score his first goal of the 2009/2010 campaign, finding the net with a low shot which flew across Hull City ‘keeper Boaz Myhill. It was a great finish and a deserved goal, Tottenham had looked the brighter of the two teams whilst Hull were displaying little of the fight which so nearly won them a point against Chelsea at the weekend.

Jermaine Defoe
Defoe and co. celebrate after Tottenham’s opener

Four minutes later and Spurs added a second, this time from the boot of Wilson Palacios- his first ever Tottenham goal. The Spurs move demonstrated Palacios’ fitness first hand; a Tottenham break away saw the ball fed to Robbie Keane who played Palacios into space. The midfielder had ran nearly the entire length of the pitch to get in position and didn’t disappoint when he found himself in a scoring position, slotting the ball past Myhill at the near post.

It didn’t take a genius to work that Hull City needed to try something different. None of the Spurs midfielders were being picked up and Huddlestone and Palacios were being allowed to operate at will. Hull had done a good job of keeping Modric quiet, but in his absence, Huddestone was playing in Defoe and Keane with relative ease. In a bid to stop this, Phil Brown replaced Daniel Cousin with Geovanni, hoping the latter would beef up the Hull midfield and stifle Tottenham’s free-flowing play. Cousin wasn’t happy with his premature withdrawal, but Brown’s substitution immediately had an effect on the game.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto gave a free kick away on the right wing and Hull’s new signing- Stephen Hunt- proceeded to deliver a deep cross into the Tottenham box. Geovani got the slightest of touches onto the cross and the ball passed Carlo Cudicini (who had been put on to replace Gomes who went off injured early on) and nestled in the corner of the Tottenham net.

Geovanni made an instant impression with a deft header

The goal might not have pulled Hull level but it gave them fresh impetus. Hull’s big striker Caleb Folan gave Sebastien Bassong a few problems, and Bassong didn’t look as comfortable at the back without Ledley King playing next to him. Vedran Corluka filled in for King, however the Croatian looked shaky at times whilst playing in the unfamiliar role. Hunt nearly took advantage of some slack Spurs defending and managed to break through the opposition defence in search of an equaliser, however he scuffed his effort and the ball rolled harmlessly to Cudicini.

Any hopes of a Hull comeback were dashed in the last few minutes of the half when Jermain Defoe scored a second. Some poor Hull defending allowed Defoe to slip away from his marker and run into a one on one with Myhill. The forward made no mistake with his shot, thumping the bal into the top corner. 3-1 Tottenham and the game seemingly over.

Defoe ran the Hull defence ragged and scored a second just before half-time

The teams emerged for the second half and only one side looked likely to trouble the scoreline. Robbie Keane missed a chance to play in Jermain Defoe and both Tom Huddlestone and Luka Modric missed chances to score. Hull had a couple of half chances, Geovanni’s well taken shot required an impressive Cudicini save and the Brazilian also fell in the Spurs box looking for a penalty, but ultimately, Hull never looked as if they were going to force their way back into the game.

Robbie Keane deserved a goal for the performance he put in and got his prize in the 78th minute. The Spurs captain has received some criticism of late, with fans feeling he should be dropped for either Crouch or Pavlyuchenko. However he looked determined and focused all night and was constantly giving the Hull back line problems. His goal was the end product of a skillful Aaron Lennon run; the winger took on his marker and won enough space for the cross, seeking out Keane at the near post who beat Myhill with a perfectly weighted header.

Robbie Keane relished in the applause after his nicely taken goal

All that remained for Spurs to do was for Defoe to get his hat-trick, and he did so in the second minute of stoppage time. It was arguably the best of his goals- a thumping effort from outside of the box. The goal put Tottenham 5-1 up and completed their rout of Hull in emphatic fashion.

Jermain Defoe
Defoe clutches the match ball after his superb hat-trick

The win puts Tottenham top of the league, a useless statistic considering the youth of this season but an encouraging sign nonetheless. Tottenham played with a fluidity and confidence often lacking in recent years and the big victory will no doubt boost confidence int he dressing room. Hull City meanwhile will have to pick themselves up after another disappointing performance. It’s still early days, but if Hull continue on their dismal home form run this year, it’s hard to see them being anything other then relegation fodder.

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