Hull City and Everton have both started the season better than anyone predicted, and neither lost ground at the MKM Stadium on Sunday. A 2-2 draw kept Hull unbeaten at home and kept Everton unbeaten in the league, and it came down to a late goal from a man who had not been fit enough to start.
A Second Half That Went Both Ways
The first half produced very little that stuck in the memory, apart from a goal that was not one. Brennan Johnson steered the ball in after Harrison Armstrong's shot had been cleared off the line, but he was offside when he did it, and Everton had to carry on at 0-0.
Hull went ahead at 48 minutes. Sorba Thomas pounced on a poor pass from Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and Joe Gelhardt, back in the Premier League for the first time since his Leeds days, waited for Jordan Pickford to move before chipping him. Everton were level within seven minutes. Maitland-Niles, redeeming himself, whipped in a cross and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall nodded in at the back post.
Then the lead changed hands again. Thomas gave the ball away on 68 minutes, Dewsbury-Hall slid it through to Thierno Barry, and Barry, who had already wasted a couple of decent chances, finally got one right.
Belloumi Comes Off the Bench
Hull's answer arrived with 16 minutes left. Mohamed Belloumi had scored for Algeria on Tuesday and was only passed fit for a place among the substitutes, according to head coach Sergej Jakirovic, who said the midfielder had told him on Friday he was tired after the travel. Elliot Stroud cut the ball back to him, Belloumi tapped it past Dewsbury-Hall and drove a low shot beyond Pickford before the goalkeeper could set himself.
Everton's two were also the first goals Hull had conceded at home all season. Jakirovic was frank about the mistakes that led to both, calling them cardinal errors, but pleased with how his players kept going. His summary was simple: it is not easy to beat Hull at home.
Moyes Wanted More
For Everton it was a point that felt like two dropped. Barry had a close-range header saved and, with the score at 1-1, failed to connect with a cross from three yards out. David Moyes was blunt afterwards, telling Match of the Day he was frustrated with the levels and that the team had been below its recent standard. He accepted the Johnson decision, though he wondered aloud about the goalkeeper's heel. The Toffees remain unbeaten after six league games for the first time since 2013-14, when they finished fifth under Roberto Martinez, and they sit fifth now, outside the Champions League places only on goal difference.
It was their first match since Friday's news that owners The Friedkin Group are exploring a sale. Whatever the mood around the club, the players played like men with something to prove, at least after half-time. Hull, last season's Championship play-off winners, have nine points from six games with two wins and three draws. Gelhardt, asked what the goal meant, said he had waited a long time to play in the top flight again.
Match facts: Hull City 2-2 Everton (half-time 0-0), Premier League, MKM Stadium, Sunday 11 October 2026. Attendance 24,458. Goals: Gelhardt 48', Belloumi 74' (Hull); Dewsbury-Hall 55', Barry 68' (Everton). Hull head coach: Sergej Jakirovic. Everton manager: David Moyes. Source reporting: BBC Sport.
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