Match report: Hull vs Derby County: Tigers hang on to book Wembley play-off final date with Sheffield Wednesday

Hull City are going to Wembley to face Sheffield Wednesday in the final of the Championship play-offs, but Steve Bruce’s team were almost deprived of the chance to compete for the Premier League riches that will reward promotion this season.

They led 3-0 from the first leg at Derby County, who had to create play-off history if they were to figure in the final - and almost did it as they produced a hugely impressive performance, particularly in a first-half that brought both their goals,

Johnny Russell, just one of several Derby players who made classy contributions, gave them an early lead before an own goal from Andy Robertson put Derby on the brink of a remarkable recovery that eventually proved to be just out of their reach.

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Bruce had attempted to keep his players grounded following their success at Derby on Saturday, telling them that “strange things” happen in football, but play-off history did not make his job any easier.

No team has ever reached a play-off final after trailing by three goals from the first leg of a semi-final and even the most optimistic Derby supporters must have feared that sequence would not end.

Derby had spent three days attempting to convince themselves they could reach Wembley, noting that they were responsible in November for Hull’s only home defeat in the Championship’s regular season.

They also have a habit of scoring at the KC Stadium, with at least one goal in seven of their last eight visits and quickly added another to their total.

Derby had controlled the opening seven minutes largely through the midfield energy of the excellent Will Hughes before Russell claimed the goal that Darren Wassall’s team desperately needed to inject some early doubt into the Hull camp.

Cyrus Christie played a significant part in the goal with a cross beyond the far post. Chris Martin headed it back into the six-yard box where Russell was outnumbered, but still beat keeper Eldin Jakupovic after his initial effort was blocked on the line.

Derby, who enjoyed almost two-thirds of the possession in the first meeting, continued their domination last night and Russell almost added a second goal with a 17th minute free-kick that was narrowly wide.

Bruce was justifiably anxious as he paced the touchline, but at least saw his teams finally make inroads when Jake Livermore produced two shots in a six-minute spell that also brought a booking for the midfielder,.

Derby remained the more imaginative and industrious team, however, and Craig Bryson went close before they added their second goal in the 36th minute when Robertson, under pressure from two opponents, turned Marcus Olsson’s left-wing cross into his own goal.

Derby should levelled the aggregate score within three minutes of the restart when Andreas Weimann’s cross reached Bryson in front of goal.

Bryson was only three yards out, but the ball bounced off him and back to Weimann when a third goal looked like a formality.

Bruce soon tried to sharpen up his outclassed midfield by replacing Tom Huddlestone with David Meyler, but the change did nothing to adjust the balance of power, although Derby were no longer as incisive as previously in the final third.

As in the first-half, Hull struggled to pose an attacking threat in the opening stages of the second-half apart from a break by Mo Diame that ended with a disappointing shot that he dragged wide from 20 yards.

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With Tom Ince on in place of the injured Weimann, Derby continued to drive forward and the substitute produced two efforts from outside the area while Jakupovic dealt comfortably with a shot from Martin.

Such opportunities dried up for Derby towards the end and, although Hull’s defending was less than assured at times, they held on and go to Wembley on Saturday week to face Sheffield Wednesday with a small fortune at stake.

Derby can only wonder what might have been.