Lewis Koumas stepped off the bench to make an instant impact on his Hull City debut, scoring an 81st-minute winner in a 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers that carried the Tigers up to third in the Championship. The 20-year-old, signed on loan from Liverpool on Friday, was introduced in the 77th minute and needed only four minutes to make the difference, taking a touch before firing under Balazs Toth.
The move that released Koumas stood out as the first real moment of quality in a game that neither side truly did enough to win. Blackburn, who are now three points from safety after another punishing afternoon, will reflect on two missed second-half headed opportunities for Yuki Ohashi and Mathias Jorgensen, while Sergej Jakirovic's resolute Hull side celebrated a fourth successive victory that moves them to within five points of the Championship summit.
Hull's early pressure tests struggling Blackburn
Blackburn, described as struggling coming into the contest, were forced to withstand early pressure as Hull settled more quickly. The first clear opening arrived on 15 minutes when Regan Slater seized on loose possession and drove into the box, drilling a low effort from 15 yards that Toth got down to save before the hosts scrambled the loose ball clear.