Liam Rosenior highlighted Hull’s “complete professionalism” after his side returned to the Sky Bet Championship top six with a resounding 3-0 win at home to Cardiff.

Aaron Connolly gave the Tigers a deserved 1-0 lead at half-time before Scott Twine and Ozan Tufan blew away the abject visitors after the restart.

Rosenior said: “The performance was probably similar to a lot of games we’ve played this season, but we had a ruthless side to us.

“It was a really pleasing day but we have to maintain this way of playing and in this vein of form.

“The first goal was really important – Aaron was in a perfect position – and then Scott Twine scores a free-kick and Ozan’s goal was beautiful.

“I really enjoyed the way we saw the game out. I wanted a clean sheet and it was complete professionalism.

“I always want more but the way we went 2-0 up in the second half and continued to press was magnificent.”

Hull, who claimed an important win at Middlesbrough in midweek, were excellent from the outset.

They could have been 2-0 up before Connolly scored a back-post tap-in off Liam Delap’s low cross on 32 minutes.

Cardiff manager Erol Bulut, so frustrated by his side’s timid defeat at home to Birmingham in midweek, will have demanded much more after the interval.

But Hull remained on the front foot, and doubled their lead after 56 minutes when Twine scored a perfect, curling free-kick from the edge of the penalty box.

Tufan underscored the hosts’ dominance three minutes later when he expertly controlled Tyler Morton’s reaching long ball before lobbing Jak Alnwick.

Rosenior said: “If you press and you work hard, good things happen. I think what epitomised that was Ozan’s performance.

“There’s a good feeling at the club between the players and the fans. There’s a lot of confidence at the club and I’m really happy with the way things are going.

“We’re a team. We win as a team and we lose as a team. For us to get to where we want to be, it has to be a team mentality and every single player does their job.

“I’m sure there’ll be more setbacks to come but the team are showing me a determination and resilience that I’m really happy with.”

Bulut feels Cardiff, who have lost three of their last four games, are beginning to feel the pressure of expectation.

He said: “We saw the quality difference between the two teams.

“When you want to be in the play-off positions we have to show much, much more – we are far away from that (reaching the top six).

“We didn’t show anything. Maybe in the past I said we want to be around the play-offs, and maybe that was too much pressure on the players.

“I have to ask myself about that. Maybe it was too much for some of the players.

“I try to get the maximum from the team. Maybe I try to ask too much of the players too quickly.”

Bulut added: “You need to change inside the club or nothing will change today or tomorrow.

“I only have one year and I have to change the maximum of what I can do.

“Maybe we have to put our foot on the break at times. Everyone’s frustrated – me, the players and fans – but in this situation we all together.

“At the start of the season, everybody would accept that our target was to stay in the league, but I do not accept that myself.

“January is coming and the season is not finished yet.”

Liam Rosenior highlighted Hull’s “complete professionalism” after his side returned to the Sky Bet Championship top six with a resounding 3-0 win at home to Cardiff.

Aaron Connolly gave the Tigers a deserved 1-0 lead at half-time before Scott Twine and Ozan Tufan blew away the abject visitors after the restart.

Rosenior said: “The performance was probably similar to a lot of games we’ve played this season, but we had a ruthless side to us.

“It was a really pleasing day but we have to maintain this way of playing and in this vein of form.

“The first goal was really important – Aaron was in a perfect position – and then Scott Twine scores a free-kick and Ozan’s goal was beautiful.

“I really enjoyed the way we saw the game out. I wanted a clean sheet and it was complete professionalism.

“I always want more but the way we went 2-0 up in the second half and continued to press was magnificent.”

Hull, who claimed an important win at Middlesbrough in midweek, were excellent from the outset.

They could have been 2-0 up before Connolly scored a back-post tap-in off Liam Delap’s low cross on 32 minutes.

Cardiff manager Erol Brulet, so frustrated by his side’s timid defeat at home to Birmingham in midweek, will have demanded much more after the interval.

But Hull remained on the front foot, and doubled their lead after 56 minutes when Twine scored a perfect, curling free-kick from the edge of the penalty box.

Tufan underscored the hosts’ dominance three minutes later when he expertly controlled Tyler Morton’s reaching long ball before lobbing Jak Alnwick.

Rosenior said: “If you press and you work hard, good things happen. I think what epitomised that was Ozan’s performance.

“There’s a good feeling at the club between the players and the fans. There’s a lot of confidence at the club and I’m really happy with the way things are going.

“We’re a team. We win as a team and we lose as a team. For us to get to where we want to be, it has to be a team mentality and every single player does their job.

“I’m sure there’ll be more setbacks to come but the team are showing me a determination and resilience that I’m really happy with.”

Counterpart Brulet feels Cardiff, who have lost three of their last four games, are beginning to feel the pressure of expectation.

He said: “We saw the quality difference between the two teams.

“When you want to be in the play-off positions we have to show much, much more – we are far away from that (reaching the top six).

“We didn’t show anything. Maybe in the past I said we want to be around the play-offs, and maybe that was too much pressure on the players.

“I have to ask myself about that. Maybe it was too much for some of the players.

“I try to get the maximum from the team. Maybe I try to ask too much of the players too quickly.”

Brulet added: “You need to change inside the club or nothing will change today or tomorrow.

“I only have one year and I have to change the maximum of what I can do.

“Maybe we have to put our foot on the break at times. Everyone’s frustrated – me, the players and fans – but in this situation we all together.

“At the start of the season, everybody would accept that our target was to stay in the league, but I do not accept that myself.

“January is coming and the season is not finished yet.”

Wesley Hoedt’s stunning log-range winner maintained Watford’s promising run of form with a 2-1 victory at Hull.

The Hornets captain nicked possession off Liam Delap just inside Hull’s half before executing a perfect lob over Ryan Allsop after 74 minutes.

Hoedt ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with the away fans following a goal which evoked memories of David Beckham’s famous strike against Wimbledon.

Hull were left to reflect upon what might have been, however, after Jaden Philogene missed a penalty on the hour.

Liam Rosenior’s men had the better chances but Watford, who have lost just once in nine, arguably deserved at least a point on effort alone.

They also opened the scoring after eight minutes through Edo Kayembe.

Scott Twine equalised two minutes later during a breathless game which ebbed and flowed.

But no-one inside the MKM Stadium could possibly have anticipated Hoedt’s incredulous intervention in the second half.

The hosts had won their last three home games and, unsurprisingly, began brightly.

But Watford soon grew into the match – especially on Hull’s left flank, down which the visitors sensed a defensive weakness.

Ken Sema firstly had some joy when he slung over a ball that was not dealt with by Jean Michael Seri. Ismael Kone picked up the pieces but fired over the crossbar.

Having seemingly ignored the warning signs, Hull conceded in similar circumstances two minutes later.

Jamal Lewis this time crossed towards a central area, from where Kayembe swept home on his 50th appearance for Watford. Allsop was unsighted, but he might have done better as the ball was straight down the middle of the goal.

Hull’s response was swift and decisive. Delap’s lung-busting run from deep was stopped by Hoedt inside Watford’s penalty box but the rebound fell to an onrushing Twine, who skilfully arrowed the ball into the bottom-right corner.

Delap was also heavily involved after 22 minutes when a similar run led to Philogene receiving the ball on the left.

Philogene cut inside before arching a lovely goalbound hit that was well tipped over by Hamer.

Allsop bettered that save just before half-time when he showed smart awareness to scoop Kone’s precise curler around the right post.

By contrast to what preceded it, the opening to the second half was largely uneventful.

That was until Jake Livermore, who made 90 appearance for Hull between 2014-17, upended Jacob Greaves following Jason Lokilo’s corner.

It was a clear penalty, but Philogene’s spot-kick was weak and well saved by Hamer low to his right.

Delap came close soon afterwards, while Philogene nearly atoned for his miss when he screwed just wide.

Yet Watford remained a niggling threat on the break and left East Yorkshire with three points following Hoedt’s jaw-dropping winner.

Hull fought from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with Swansea in south Wales.

Jamie Paterson drove home his first league goal since March 2022 in the 17th minute before Jerry Yates pounced on Ryan Allsop’s mistake to double Swansea’s lead with his fifth goal of the campaign on 23 minutes.

Hull responded through Jaden Philogene whose thumping hit – his fourth in six outings – gave the visitors hope in the 48th minute, with Tyler Morton levelling on 68.

But a frantic contest ended level as Swansea’s winless home run was extended to four games while Hull kept themselves firmly in top six contention.

The Tigers started brightly while Swansea lost Harrison Ashby to injury.

But the hosts took the lead with their first real attack as Ollie Cooper delicately flicked Jay Fulton’s driven pass forward to send Paterson into space. The 31-year-old cut inside Sean McLoughlin before drilling a low shot past Allsop at the near post.

That opener gave Michael Duff’s troops a huge lift, and they created another opening through Cooper who crossed to Jamal Lowe, although the forward headed wide.

But they did get a second goal midway through the first half as Paterson rifled goalwards and it proved too hot for Allsop to handle. The Hull goalkeeper palmed the ball into the path of Yates who was alert to prod home from close range.

After Yates curled an effort wide, Hull regrouped, with Philogene and Jacob Greaves testing Carl Rushworth before Jean Michael Seri blazed over, although Swansea – who saw Paterson’s deflected strike fly just wide in injury time – withstood the pressure to lead by two goals at the break.

But Hull hit back shortly after the restart as substitute Cyrus Christie – against his former club – played in Philogene whose piledriver flew into the roof of the net.

The home fans grew increasingly nervy, and they remained on edge after seeing captain Matt Grimes drill over.

Hull thought they had levelled before the hour mark as Liam Delap chested Philogene’s cross into the net, although the effort was disallowed for offside.

Philogene then fluffed his lines as his scuffed volley from Jason Lokilo’s cross sailed over as the Tigers continued to push for an equaliser.

But they made it 2-2 midway through the second half as Christie found Liverpool loanee Morton who coolly volleyed beyond Rushworth.

Rosenior’s side looked the likelier to bag a winner, with Delap stinging the palms of Rushworth before Philogene blazed over from the follow-up effort.

Delap was again denied by Rushworth on the counter-attack after Liam Walsh had two efforts blocked at the other end, although neither side could nab a late winner as the points were shared.

Darren Moore defended Huddersfield’s cautious approach after Hull left it late to win 1-0 at the MKM Stadium.

Town rarely threatened inside the final third and were seemingly content to leave East Yorkshire with a point.

But their gameplan backfired in stoppage time when Liam Delap scored the winning goal two minutes in.

Moore, whose side are one place above the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone, said: “There’s always an emotional element to a result and I can understand that.

“You have to strike the balance right and we are working towards that.

“But as a group we were working extremely hard to correct those wrongs to make them right.

“We created two or three half-opportunities on counter-attacks.

“When the chances came our way, could we have used the ball more effectively and get bodies up the pitch?

“I thought we did that really well; it was just that the opportunities that we created just didn’t come our way.”

Huddersfield at least defensively improved upon their last two away games, in which they conceded a total of eight goals.

They also had Hull at arm’s length for most of the game – even though the hosts dominated possession.

The Tigers might have lacked attacking nous, but the mood inside the stadium changed once Delap struck the crossbar after 81 minutes.

Hull then scored the goal their efforts deserved when Delap’s low strike hit the inside of the right post and squirmed into the net.

Moore, whose side have won just once in 10 games, said: “It’s a tough one to swallow in terms of going that long into the game (without conceding).

“In terms of the performance, it was another team performance in the right direction.

“As a group we are looking at the positives – you have to look at the overall performance.

“We have to accept what’s happened and move forward.

“The gameplan was to nullify them in spaces we know they can hit you on the break – I thought we did that on the balance of the game.

“I thought apart from a couple of incidents, we limited to them to long-range efforts.”

Counterpart Liam Rosenior was adamant Hull were good value for the victory – even if it was achieved so late in the game.

He said: “I’m really proud because sometimes teams can lose faith in what they are doing.

“This method of (possession-based) play ties the opposition up – I think we had about 80 per cent of the ball – and, normally, chances to come towards the end of the game.

‘I think from minute one to minute 100 we showed our quality and were dominant all game.

“My team, with his group of players, have not lost two games in a row. They are learning as they go which is exciting for me.

“There wasn’t anyone in the stadium who would argue we didn’t deserve three points.”

Hull struggled at home earlier in the season, but they have now won back-to-back games at the MKM Stadium and are only outside the top six on goal difference.

Rosenior added: “Liam got his just rewards – he probably could have scored three or four.

“I’m very proud of the group, but I just want to see more goals. The intent is there – I think everyone can see that.

“But when you have that much control you can be a little bit more risky and make positive changes.

“Fair play to Darren. His side were so resilient and difficult to break down and, in time, he will get the results the club needs.

“For us to break them down in the manner that we did gives us a lot of confidence.”

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.

Wayne Rooney admits he will adapt his “no-fear football” philosophy at Birmingham after a 2-0 defeat to Hull because his players cannot do it.

Liam Delap’s 12th-minute goal and a superb solo effort from Jaden Philogene made it a miserable St Andrew’s debut for Rooney, who has lost his first two games in charge, up against his former Derby assistant Liam Rosenior.

“You need to be brave in taking the ball, but it’s clear from the first two games that the players aren’t comfortable doing that,” said Birmingham manager Rooney.

“So there will be slight adjustments of course because we need to pick up points as well.

“I can get players up the pitch, boot the ball up the pitch and look to pick up second balls, but we need to get the balance right.

“This is on me – maybe I’ve asked them to do too much and I take that responsibility. We’re asking them to play out from the back and be more front-footed.

“I said to the lads after the game ‘if you don’t feel you can do it, tell me, and we can adjust and adapt’.

“There’s so many different elements to no-fear football. They’ve had snots and guts for the last 10 years and it’s been very difficult.

“But it’s not going to change within two weeks when the players haven’t been used to a completely different way.

“As I’m getting to know players’ strengths and weaknesses, we will find that balance to ensure we get it right.”

Fans made their feelings known to Rooney at the end of the game while the team was booed off at half-time and full-time.

“That’s part of football. You need to win games to change that,” said Rooney.

Rosenior said Birmingham fans need to be patient with Rooney as he will turn things around.

“I’d be excited if I was a Birmingham fan because I worked with him for a long time. I know his qualities as a manager and a coach,” he said.

“I ask for Birmingham fans to give him time because I know Wayne and he will get it completely right.

“He’s got so many qualities – when you had the intelligence Wayne had as a player and see how he sees the game, he’s top in the way he understands players, he makes players feel really confident in the way they play, but once he gets that time, I’m sure he will be successful.”

Rosenior said his gameplan worked a treat.

“A legend has just walked into the club so we knew we had to take the sting out of the game,” he added.

“The first goal came from really good pressing that we worked on with Liam Delap, Scott Twine and Adama Traore. After that we had complete control.”

Wayne Rooney suffered his second successive defeat as Birmingham manager as his first home game ended with a 2-0 defeat to Hull.

Liam Delap’s 12th-minute goal and a superb solo effort from Jaden Philogene make it a miserable St Andrew’s debut for Rooney, up against his former Derby assistant Liam Rosenior.

Blues were booed off the pitch at half-time, while there were isolated catcalls from home fans unhappy with his appointment, before louder boos at full-time.

The former Manchester United and England striker emerged from a pyrotechnic display and blue and white smoke to warm applause on his way to the dugout, clapping the home support.

But the mood soon turned and it was Hull fans who were doing all the cheering after taking the lead following a mistake by Emmanuel Longelo.

Longelo’s back pass to goalkeeper John Ruddy went straight to on-loan Manchester City forward Delap, who rounded Ruddy and tapped into the empty net.

Birmingham briefly looked like they might work their way back into the game and Juninho Bacuna twice fired over the bar.

Ruddy prevented Hull doubling their lead when he denied Scott Twine in a one-on-one.

Ruddy then got a fingertip to divert Philogene’s fierce low drive just off target, before Adama Traore volleyed narrowly off target from Twine’s free kick.

Birmingham’s only effort on target came in the third minute of time added on, a looping header from Kevin Long that went straight to goalkeeper Ryan Allsop from Bacuna’s free kick.

Birmingham briefly attacked from the restart but Hull blocked shots from Bacuna and Dembele.

Hull were strong on the counter and Delap and Philogene fired wide before the visitors doubled their lead in spectacular fashion in the 74th minute.

Aston Villa academy graduate Philogene beat Cody Drameh then substitute Jordan James in a surging run in from the left, curling a firm shot that bounced in front of Ruddy before nestling in the far corner of the net.

Liam Rosenior lamented two dropped points after Hull were pegged back in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Millwall.

Joe Bryan’s first Lions goal secured a point for the hosts but Hull were excellent in the first half, and led 2-1 at the break thanks to goals from Jaden Philogene and Adama Traore.

Duncan Watmore had put Millwall ahead in the eighth minute and the hosts had chances to win it late on, leaving Hull manager Rosenior relieved to hear the full-time whistle – despite bossing much of the match and failing to convert several chances.

“It feels like two points dropped, absolutely,” he said.

“So many aspects of our play are so good. What we need to improve on is killing games whilst we’re on top. We haven’t done that this season and we should have more points as a result.

“The one benefit is I’ve got a great young group here and they’re learning. We made young mistakes in and out of possession. That’s the risk you have when you’ve got young players.

“They need to learn quickly and I need to learn and analyse quickly in terms of how to help them.

“I think everybody in the stadium can see the potential in this team today. The frustrating thing for me is we’ve come such a long way and we should have won this game.

“My first game was here and we had to dog it out with 10 men. The team’s evolving, we’re getting better.

“The next part of that evolution is killing that game off. I promise you we will win a lot of games playing this way this season. They threw the kitchen sink at us, but we need to be braver to play.”

Hull have lost just one of their last 10 matches, and that came at high-flying Ipswich in midweek, while Millwall sit just two points behind them in a congested table.

The Lions’ home form has been uncharacteristically patchy, winning just two of their last seven, and manager Gary Rowett admits it was a game of two halves but praised Millwall’s spirit for bouncing back.

“We responded really well to going behind. We have to make the changes tactically, formation-wise and personnel-wise and that did the trick second half,” he said.

“We needed a bit more composure and maybe we could have got the third. I didn’t think we had amazing chances, but we had one or two where maybe we could have won the game.

“I’m really pleased with the response. We didn’t cope with the two goals very well again and I spoke to the players about that at half-time.

“Hull are a really good side, Liam’s done a great job. They’re really hard to play against. When you press then they just bounce it round you.

“We were too passive. We went a goal up and their two goals were two very poor moments from us. The first one we let a runner go between two players unopposed and the second one was a mix up.

“All you can do then is respond. We didn’t want another home defeat because I think that would have been really damaging.”

Joe Bryan’s first goal for Millwall earned them a 2-2 draw in a frenetic Championship encounter with Hull at The Den.

After Jaden Philogene and Adama Traore had turned the game around for Hull following Duncan Watmore’s early opener, Bryan struck to secure a point.

The Lions’ home form has been patchy, winning just two of their last eight matches, but they took the lead through Watmore in the eighth minute.

Bryan’s free-kick was met with a miscued clearance by a City defender and the Lions attacker was able to squeeze his shot past Ryan Allsop at his near post to open his account for the campaign.

The Lions had started confidently and Luton loanee Allan Campbell drove into the side-netting soon after.

But that assured start only lasted until the 25th minute. Millwall were unpicked by one pinpoint long ball by Hull centre-back Sean McLoughlin, Philogene timed his run perfectly to get in behind the hosts’ centre-back pairing of Jake Cooper and Wes Harding and threaded his finish beyond Bartosz Bialkowski.

The visitors then looked a threat with nearly every attack they mounted. Bialkowski scrambled the ball around the upright when Liam Delap’s cross deflected off Cooper.

Another defensive lapse saw Hull take a 30th-minute lead. Danny McNamara’s misplaced header back to Bialkowski was seized on by Philogene, the young Tigers winger deftly cut back inside the Millwall full-back and cued up Traore to gleefully lash in from close range.

It could have got worse for the Lions before the break. Scott Twine went close with a free-kick and then could not quite make contact with Delap’s delivery.

Lions boss Gary Rowett reacted by switching to a back five and made a double change with Tom Bradshaw and Brooke Norton-Cuffy replacing Watmore and McNamara.

A Casper De Norre strike was tipped over by Allsop but the summer signing from OH Leuven then assisted Bryan for the 54th-minute leveller, with the former Fulham and Bristol City left-back showing great composure to cut inside a marker and send a low drive past Allsop.

The second period belonged to Millwall as they pressed for a winner, Bradshaw saw his header from a Bryan free-kick fly narrowly past the far post.

There was a big chance in stoppage time as two Lions substitutes combined. Romaine Esse put Aidomo Emakhu through but the Republic of Ireland U21 international thrashed his effort over from inside the penalty area.

Hull, who had been unbeaten in eight league games before their midweek loss to Ipswich, looked happy to settle for a point.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said the 3-0 victory over Hull, which took them to the top of the Championship, was one of the “best performances” of the season.

Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and Marcus Harness scored the goals and McKenna savoured “a night to enjoy”.

It was only the second defeat of the season for the Tigers, who slipped three places to eighth on goal difference, as Ipswich continued their superb early-season form.

Town got off to a flying start thanks to a strike by Burns in the fifth minute and Chaplin completed a wonderful move to make it 2-0 just before the break. Harness stabbed home the third from close range midway through the second half.

McKenna said: “I thought it was a special performance really. We spoke about it before the game. I felt like we had one in us.

“We’re fit, we’re learning game by game, it was a first home game back in the Championship for a night game and I felt like it had the feel of a really good performance in us.

“I liked so many things about us, the work on the ball to play through the pitch against a really good team.

“It was a night to enjoy. It’s only one night, it’s one game, it’s three points but you can’t take away the fact that everyone associated with the club should enjoy tonight.”

Talking about his team’s goal threat, with a Championship-leading 21 to their name in 10 games, he said: “The players have developed individually to try and have different threats, to try and play through the pitch, to be able to play in behind, combine and be a threat off of crosses.

“It was certainly one of our best performances in the league.”

Hull manager Liam Rosenior was full of praise for their opponents.

Rosenior said: “Ipswich have been outstanding all season and two magnificent goals in terms of the finishes.

“We have now lost two in 10 and we are hard to beat but overall it’s not a crisis, it’s no drama, we learn our lessons and move on to the next one really quickly.

“We are still in a really good place, we have got 16 points from 10 games. The Championship is always so close.

“Chris Hughton (Rosenior’s former boss at Brighton) always said you’re never the best team in the world when you win, you’re never the worst team in the world when you lose.

“You can’t get carried away when things are going really well and we can’t get carried away when things don’t go our way. What we have to do is respond, learn and analyse and make sure we’re better for the next one. It’s about staying the course.”

Leeds overcame Joe Rodon’s second-half sending-off to secure a goalless draw at Hull.

Daniel Farke’s men had the best chances of the first half – most significantly through the wasteful Georginio Rutter after 26 minutes – but they found debutant goalkeeper Ryan Allsop in inspired form.

Leeds supporters will have expected their team to kick on after the restart, but they were always up against it once Rodon was dismissed for a second bookable offence on the hour.

Hull head coach Liam Rosenior will be satisfied that their promising start to the season continued, now unbeaten since the opening day at Norwich.

But Rosenior will have expected much better of his offensive players inside the final third – not least when substitute Adama Traore somehow missed an open goal with two minutes remaining in normal time.

Given both sides’ fondness for playing football firmly on the front foot, it was perhaps a surprise that the game began so sluggishly.

Dan James swiped one high and wide early on, but neither Leeds nor Hull fans had much to shout about within the first 20 minutes.

The visitors’ gameplan was also disrupted when Willy Gnonto suffered an ankle injury and was replaced by Crysencio Summerville.

Ironically, Gnonto’s substitution seemed to awake Leeds from their slumber.

And they should have opened the scoring when Summerville threaded a lovely ball through the middle to Rutter.

Allsop expertly saved the one-on-one with his legs, but Rutter should have scored.

Summerville might then have got in on the act moments later, but Allsop reacted well with a sharp tip-over from a stinging hit on the left.

Allsop also thwarted Summerville from 20 yards with a lovely save at full stretch from the Dutch playmaker’s goalbound half-volley after 42 minutes.

Leeds’ relative dominance – not from a possession perspective but in terms of chances created – continued soon after the restart.

James and Summerville had opportunities off Luke Ayling’s smart cut-back, but Alfie Jones and Jacob Greaves refused to yield with brave defending inside the six-yard box.

Hull, however, slowly grew into a game that changed once Rodon was sent off.

The Leeds centre-back was lured into a rash challenge on Aaron Connolly on the halfway line.

Having already been booked for a first-half foul on Jaden Philogene, referee Stephen Martin had little option but to show a red card.

Predictably, given their one-man handicap, Leeds were forced to retreat for long periods of the second half.

But other than Liam Delap’s powerful run and cross on the right, from which Connolly came within a stud’s length of connecting, the hosts were never especially threatening.

That was until the 88th minute when Connolly teed up Traore, but the Mali international extraordinarily struck the far post with the goal at his mercy.

Head coach Liam Rosenior challenged Aaron Connolly to maintain his promising early-season form after his equaliser earned Hull a late 1-1 draw at home to Coventry.

The visitors looked in control after Joel Latibeaudiere headed home in the first half.

But Republic of Ireland international Connolly had the final word with an enterprising header with three minutes remaining – his fourth goal of the new campaign.

Rosenior said: “Aaron’s capable of anything he wants in his career, if he stays on track.

“He’s not 100 per cent fit, which is scary.

“He’s a leader in the dressing room. He’s a massive influence and has really taken Liam Delap under his wing.

“Some of his runs and some of his movement are top level. He knows when he needs a rocket but he knows I love him as I’ve known him since he was 15.”

Hull, who have now lost once in 15 league games at home, appeared in trouble following a poor first half.

They continually gave away possession and were punished when unmarked defender Latibeaudiere headed home Josh Eccles’ near-post corner after 27 minutes.

Coventry, despite having to soak up plenty of pressure after the restart, rarely looked troubled in a fascinating game between two well-matched sides.

But Connolly was a constant threat and he equalised after 87 minutes with an artful, glancing back-header off substitute Tyler Morton’s lofted cross from the right.

Rosenior said: “I thought first half they had a bit of the upper hand.

“They’re a good side. I live 200 yards away from Mark (Robins) – he’s been really good to me in my coaching career – and they’re going to be up there at the end of the season.

“But for us to dominate in the second half like that, I’m proud of my players.

“To go a goal down and come back, I couldn’t be happier.

“I want to build a squad. We’re going to need that through the season so I’m going to have to be really smart with my team selections.

“I thought Tyler was magnificent when he came on and showed exactly why we worked so hard to get him to the club from Liverpool.”

Coventry manager Mark Robins accepted that a draw was a fair result.

He said: “I thought it was a really good game between two good teams.

“Both teams asked questions of each other through the game and we took a deserved lead.

“There were some really good performances from us, but it was disappointing to get our noses in front and then to have chances to score again.

“On balance, though, it was probably a fair result.

“Every time you come away and you get something, you think, ‘It’s a good point’, but it’s tinged with disappointment because of the timing of their goal.”

Robins added: “Their substitutions were good and had a bigger impact than ours.

“With the timing of the goal and the nature of the goal – it was really poor from our perspective, was disappointing.

“But the weight (possession) of the ball that they had – that keeps the crowd interested – we ended up dropping deeper and made silly decisions.

“It was a really good, hard-fought game, but, on balance, I probably think it was a fair result.”

Aaron Connolly’s brilliant late header earned Hull a 1-1 draw at home to Coventry.

The Republic of Ireland international glanced home Tyler Morton’s cross following a sustained spell of pressure to deny the visitors a hard-earned victory.

With Hull short of ideas, Joel Latibeaudiere’s first-half header looked to have been the difference between two evenly-matched sides.

The Jamaica international put the gloss on a fine individual performance after 27 minutes to claim his first goal since joining last year’s play-off finalists in the summer.

And though Coventry were organised from the outset, Hull’s late burst of energy resulted in a well-worked equaliser after 87 minutes.

Substitute Morton, perhaps more in desperation than with finesse, lofted a cross into the box in a central area.

But Connolly had the street-smarts to make clean contact and direct the ball into the bottom-right corner of the net with the back of his head.

Following their win at Leicester before the international break, a near-full house at the MKM Stadium expected big things from the Tigers.

But the hosts laboured for much of the game and would not have had too many complaints had they lost, despite having controlled possession for much of the second half.

They had their moments – Connolly flashed one wide from a difficult angle early on – but Hull were raw at the back and gave the ball away countless times.

Such uncertainty provided Coventry with momentum.

Excellent wing-back Jay Dasilva served notice of the visitors’ growing confidence after 25 minutes.

Yasin Ayari cutely teed up his team-mate inside the penalty area, but Dasilva’s radar was just off from an inviting position on the left.

Hull continued to give away possession and were punished soon after.

Josh Eccles’ near-post corner from the right was strong, but Jamaica international Latibeaudiere was still given an extraordinary amount of space to head home.

Hull manager Liam Rosenior demanded improvement, but it never came until after the restart.

Indeed, the home side should have been 2-0 down when Haji Wright misdirected a whipped pass from the right over the crossbar after 30 minutes, when it seemed far easier to hit the target.

Mark Robins would have expected from Hull a response in the second half. But aside from Scott Twine’s hit from distance – easily saved by Ben Wilson – it never arrived until the death.

Yet, despite the best endeavours of Coventry’s well-structured defence, a one-sided final 10 minutes offered Hull supporters hope.

And their optimism was rewarded when Connolly expertly scored a fourth league goal this season.

Hull ended a 74-year wait for a Wembley victory as they came from behind to beat favourites Warrington 12-10 in a classic Challenge Cup final on this day in 2016.

It was Hull’s fourth Challenge Cup triumph, but their first at the national stadium as the Wolves suffered their first defeat in four trips to Wembley under coach Tony Smith.

The agony looked set to continue for the Black and Whites when they trailed 10-0 after an hour, but tries in the last 13 minutes from centre Mahe Fonua and full-back Jamie Shaul brought them level and half-back Marc Sneyd kicked the winning goal to settle a 114th cup final that lived up to all the pre-match hype.

Sneyd was named the Lance Todd Trophy winner as man-of-the match, two years after being substituted in Castleford’s defeat by Leeds, and his joy was in sharp contrast to Warrington’s goalkicker Kurt Gidley, whose simple penalty miss early in the second-half proved costly.

Gidley, who had done much to earn his side their 10-point cushion, kicked just one goal from three attempts and missed the last 22 minutes of the match with a head injury as the Wolves lost their way towards the end.

In a contest of epic twists and turns, Hull were indebted to hooker Danny Houghton’s last-ditch tackle – his 52nd of the match – that denied Warrington second rower Ben Currie what looked like the match-winning try two minutes from the end.

Hull coach Lee Radford said: “This is history-making. So many teams prior to us, so many unbelievable players, have not achieved what we did today. I feel privileged and proud putting this group of players together.

“You can’t manufacture chemistry and friendship. We have been mocked, but that togetherness won us the cup final.

“Throughout this competition we have been clinical and dominant, and nobody can begrudge us taking that cup back to Hull. My greatest achievement is putting that together.

“A mention to Danny Houghton, who came up with that tackle. That is the most important tackle in any game I have been involved in.”