Joe Gelhardt's exquisite late finish earned Hull City a 3-2 victory over Portsmouth at the MKM Stadium in a pulsating Championship contest that swung repeatedly before being settled by a single moment of quality. The Leeds United loanee latched onto Charlie Hughes' long ball with 13 minutes remaining and calmly lifted the ball over Josef Bursik to secure a win that lifts Hull into the play-off places.
In a breathless first half, Terry Devlin twice struck for Portsmouth, first with a heavily deflected shot and then with a smart back-post header from Josh Murphy's cross. Hull hit back through Enis Destan's sharp equaliser and a Kyle Joseph header from Joe Gelhardt's inswinging delivery, only for Devlin's second to make it 2-2 at the interval. The second period turned into a tighter, more tactical battle, and when chances dried up, Gelhardt's composed 77th-minute chip proved decisive.
Victory means Hull have now matched last season's tally of five home league wins and have suffered just one defeat in eight at the MKM, form that has propelled them up to fifth, albeit with other teams still to play. Portsmouth, by contrast, remain 20th, their run of four defeats in five and a winless stretch dating back to October 4 underlining why this narrow loss felt especially painful despite an industrious display.
Fast start, missed chances and Devlin's deflected opener