Hull City's profligacy in front of goal came back to haunt them yet again as they let a 1-0 lead slip against Blackpool after Reece Burke saw red with only ten minutes to go. Mallik Wilks had smashed Hull City in front early in the second half, but Jerry Yates scored a scrappy goal with only ten minutes remaining to ensure the points were shared at the KCOM Stadium.

  • Story of the match

It took ten seconds for the referee to blow for a foul from Gary Madine on Richie Smallwood, which suggested the Blackpool striker was looking to make it a physical game from the off. However, neither side really got a grip on the game in the opening five minutes and it was the home side who had the majority of the ball without really finding any openings.

It was Hull City who had the first shot on target of the match on ten minutes. Gavin Whyte - on his debut for the Tigers - shot from the edge of the area, but Chris Maxwell in the Blackpool goal was equal to it. Soon after, great work from George Honeyman put in Whyte on the right, but Blackpool cleared their lines as Josh Magennis was lurking. A good spell for Hull saw a couple of blocked shots before Blackpool's first attempt on target almost crept in, but went just wide of the post.

Hull should have taken the lead on 25 minutes. A quick counter attack saw Wilks have a clear shooting opportunity but dragged his shot wide. Kenny Dougall was booked for Blackpool after taking Greg Docherty out in the run up to the chance. The Tigers' final ball was the thing letting them down, as they were dominant in terms of possession and chances but lacking the killer touch. Blackpool had a chance against the run of play on 38 minutes from a free kick, but the ball just drifted harmlessly wide.

Other than a headed chance for Jacob Greaves just before half time, neither side could fashion a chance to take the lead and at the break it was 0-0, with Hull City the side who should have been in the lead but for poor finishing and decision-making in the final third their downfall.

There were no changes at half time for either side and it was Blackpool who had the first chance of the second half from a corner on 47 minutes. Hull managed to clear the chance but Blackpool had their first real spell of possession in the minutes that followed. However, it was Hull who took the lead. Great play from Honeyman found Whyte, and his cross was poked toward Wilks by Magennis. Wilks made no mistake, lashing his effort into the far corner to give the Tigers the lead.

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Hull had a couple more efforts as the hour mark approached but the scores stayed at 1-0 to the home side. Wilks won a free kick which Honeyman took, but his effort just evaded Graves at the far post. Blackpool had a chance after Burke fouled Dougall, with substitute Ben Woodburn taking the set piece - but Hull defended it and smothered the danger. 

Keane Lewis-Potter came on for the Tigers, replacing Magennis. This meant Wilks switched to a central role with Lewis-Potter on the left. Hull had an excellent chance from a free kick awarded with around 15 minutes to go, but Lewis-Potter's effort just grazed the bar. On the counter attack, Burke dragged down Woodburn after slipping over and was shown a straight red despite already being booked. This gave Blackpool a chance on the edge of the area but Madine fired over. Whyte made way for Alfie Jones as he came on to solidify the defense for the home side.

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The lead didn't last long. Blackpool won a dubious corner and after a goalmouth scramble Yates smashed in from close range. Hull desperately held on and Madine was lucky to only receive a booking after striking Greaves at the death, and the scores finished all square. 

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  • Takeaways from the match

One mistake costs the Tigers

Hull City looked comfortable up until the last ten minutes or so, when a defensive mix up saw Reece Burke pull down his man who would have been one on one with the goal keeper. Although the away side didn't score from the resulting free kick, they took advantage of poor marking only two minutes later to equalize. Grant McCann will be asking questions of his captain Richie Smallwood as it was his pass that caused Burke to slip and have to take one for the team with only ten minutes to play.

Blackpool take advantage of the extra man

Blackpool didn't look like scoring until the red card, but after that they dominated the latter stages of the game but they couldn't find a winner. Neil Critchley's men were physical from the word go and were lucky not to be down to ten men themselves with Madine only receiving a yellow card in the closing stages when he could have been in the referee's book on a number of occasions. 

  • Stand-out players

Gavin Whyte was most impressive for the Tigers on his debut and he was instrumental in the home side's goal. He showed pace and good delivery and will definitely be a huge asset to McCann's side in the second half of the season. Yet again it was profligacy in front of goal that was the problem for the Tigers as they spurned plenty of chances in the first half.

  • Teams

Hull City: Long; Emmanuel, Burke, Greaves, Elder; Smallwood, Docherty, Honeyman; Whyte, Wilks, Magennis.

Substitutes: Ingram, Coyle, Jones, Slater, Lewis-Potter, Chadwick, Salam.

Blackpool: Maxwell; Husband, Ballard, Ekpiteta, Turton; Dougall, Ward, KaiKai; Lubala, Madine, Yates.

Substitutes: Sims, Gabriel, Robson, Virtue, Antwi, Garbutt, Woodburn.

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