Mohamed Belloumi Stars as Hull City Hold Chelsea in Four-Goal Thriller
Hull City extended their unbeaten start to life back in the Premier League with a 2-2 draw at Chelsea, recovering from an early setback before Mohamed Belloumi’s two goals put the promoted side ahead at half-time.
Morgan Rogers opened the scoring for Chelsea in west London, but Hull responded with conviction. Belloumi punished an error from Jorrel Hato to level the contest, then saw another effort take a deflection off Levi Colwill as the Tigers moved in front. Chelsea eventually found their equaliser after the interval, with Cole Palmer creating the opening for Joao Pedro.
Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic welcomed a point earned against major opposition and highlighted the resilience shown by his squad. “It is a big result for us and we have to be pleased,” he said after the match. “To take a point from such a difficult game is important. We have eight points against very tough opponents, and we need to keep going in this way.”
The draw followed an eye-catching opening sequence for Hull, who began their Premier League return with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United. They then beat Coventry City 1-0 and held Aston Villa to a scoreless draw before travelling to Stamford Bridge.
Missed chances and Mendy concern
Jakirovic believed Hull had opportunities to make their advantage count. He pointed to a clear chance for Oli McBurnie when the score was 2-1, only for Martinez to make an outstanding save, while Cho was also denied by the same goalkeeper.
“We were leading at the break and McBurnie had a certain chance, but Martinez made an excellent stop,” Jakirovic said. “Cho also had a very good opportunity and Martinez saved again. He was the man of the match.”
While encouraged by the result, the Hull head coach said his players must defend their own penalty area more effectively. He felt Chelsea’s second goal could have been prevented with better control in the box.
The evening also brought an injury worry for Nobel Mendy, who had to leave the field after a collision. Jakirovic confirmed the defender had gone to hospital for scans after appearing dizzy and disoriented, adding that the issue was “definitely concussion”.
For Chelsea, the draw continued an uneven league run after last weekend’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal. Xabi Alonso’s side had won their first two league fixtures and arrived having beaten Leeds United 6-3 in the League Cup third round on Wednesday, but they were unable to turn that attacking display into another domestic victory.
