Liam Delap’s stoppage-time goal consigned struggling Huddersfield to 1-0 Sky Bet Championship defeat at Hull.
The visitors were resolute against the possession-driven Tigers but were finally outsmarted when Delap thrashed home from a central position.
Hull bossed the game in terms of possession, but they lacked a necessary flash of quality to break down a well-constructed Town back five in regulation time.
But Delap, who had earlier struck the crossbar, remain unbowed and scored the goal his endeavours warranted two minutes into second-half stoppage-time.
Huddersfield have won just once in 10 and remain one place above the relegation zone.
Manager Darren Moore has clearly worked hard to address the defensive issues that led to a concession of eight goals from their last two away matches.
But they brought nothing to the game from an offensive perspective and deserved to leave East Yorkshire empty-handed.
No better was Hull’s dominance illustrated than in the first half, in which they had 81 per cent of possession but rarely gave goalkeeper Lee Nicholls any cause for concern.
A flurry of early corners came to nothing, while Huddersfield’s stout backline remained tough and disciplined when Hull probed in central areas.
Perhaps sensing an opportunity, Town began to creep out of their shells.
That was evidenced in the 29th minute when Sorba Thomas cut in from the left before popping a sharp, low hit just wide of the right post.
Jaden Philogene – Hull’s most influential creator – came even closer from a similar position a few minutes later.
Philogene let rip from the left channel, but Nicholls did well to parry the ball for a corner at his near post.
With the MKM Stadium having awoken from its slumber, Hull finished the first half relatively strongly.
Jean Michael Seri flashed one just wide from distance, while Ozan Tufan was denied by Nicholls from 20 yards.
With supporters still returning to their seats after the break, Hull really ought to have taken a rapid second-half lead.
Scott Twine’s free-kick into the box was not dealt with, but Delap naively screwed the ricocheting football wide from an inviting position.
Hull might have been expected to kick on, but the second half largely mirrored that of the first; possession without purpose against belligerent opponents.
Indeed, it was not until the 70th minute that Nicholls was again called into action when he smartly tipped over Ozan Tufan’s header after good work from Tyler Morton.
Tufan then turned provider when he stood up a lovely cross from the right towards the back of the six-yard box.
Delap’s header shivered the goal frame, with defender Matty Pearson alert to the rebound with a brave clearance.
But the Manchester City loanee continued to test Huddersfield’s mettle and scored the winner with a low hit that struck the inside of the right-hand post and then the back of the net.
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
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