Hull maintained their unbeaten Premier League start after taking advantage of Chelsea’s defensive mistakes to secure a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Sergej Jakirovic had joked before the match that the only way to contain Xabi Alonso’s dangerous attack was to kick them. While Hull did not resort to that approach, they benefited from several costly errors at the back to earn a valuable point in west London.
Chelsea started brightly and took the lead when a quick counter following a Hull corner ended with Morgan Rogers beating Konstantinos Tzolakis at his near post.
The early advantage reflected Chelsea’s strong opening, but their lead soon disappeared. Jorrel Hato failed to deal with a bouncing ball inside his own box, allowing Mohamed Belloumi to take advantage and level the score.
Belloumi then struck again shortly afterwards to complete Hull’s comeback and briefly send them to the top of the table. His effort from the edge of the area took a deflection off Levi Colwill before finding the net beyond Emi Martinez.
Hull nearly added a third when Oli McBurnie pounced on a spilled save, but Martinez produced an outstanding close-range stop to deny him. Chelsea made Hull pay for the missed opportunity when Cole Palmer set up Joao Pedro, who unleashed a powerful shot into the roof of the net shortly after the hour mark.
Both teams had late opportunities to claim victory, but Morgan Rogers and Mohamed-Ali Cho were unable to beat the opposing goalkeepers despite finding themselves in promising positions.
In the end, Jakirovic and Hull had plenty to celebrate after earning a point from their most demanding test of the season and extending their unbeaten run.
