Marco Silva eyes improvements as Hull show bite against Bournemouth to show survival isn't beyond them
Hull 3 Bournemouth 1: Two goals from Abel Hernandez plus an own-goal from Tyrone Mings secures Silva a Premier League victory at the first attempt
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Your support makes all the difference.New Hull City manager Marco Silva said there is still much for his team to improve despite an impressive 3-1 victory over Bournemouth at the KCOM Stadium.
A double strike by Abel Hernandez – his third and fourth goals of the season – and an own goal by the unfortunate Tyrone Mings were more than enough to overturn an early Junior Stanislas penalty.
In charge of his first Premier League match since taking charge Silva quickly found out about how tough life would be in the world’s most watched league as he saw his team fall behind in just the third minute but he was pleased by his players response.
He said: “We still need to improve a lot and it is not small things. It is a different style of a game, different style of training. We don't have time to prepare many things.
“I'm happy with what I saw but there are many things to improve over the next few weeks and lots of work to do.
“When I saw my team with the attitude like in today's game I am happy. First of all because we won the game - which is important for us - and then a team like us, where we are in the table, to show this attitude and character is important.”
With Harry Maguire, a centre half by trade, playing at right back there was always the danger of Bournemouth’s pacey attack causing problems. And it didn’t take long as Ryan Fraser was upended by Maguire in the second minute with Stanislas blasting home the resulting penalty kick.
Fraser did look to have the beating of Maguire but as the game wore on the full back grew in stature and put in an accomplished performance.
Silva’s day began to improve midway through the first half as his team took control. Much of it stemmed from their talisman this season, Robert Snodgrass.
The Scotland international has reportably been the subject of two bids in the January transfer window from West Ham – both rejected by the Tigers – and he showed his quality from not only set pieces but also his willingness to work the ball into clever areas
However, when Hull’s equaliser did arrive it didn’t involve Snodgrass. Goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic found Maguire with a volleyed clearance, Maguire fed the ball to Huddlestone who clipped a wonderful ‘blind’ pass into the stride of left back Andrew Robertson who picked out Hernandez with his cross, which the Uruguayan headed home after outjumping Mings.
Hull ended the first half as the better side with the leisurely excellent Huddlestone displaying his full range of passing and Robertson proving a threat down the left flank.
The home team picked up where they’d left off after the break with Robertson flashing a cross just out of the reach of Hernandez.
It didn’t take long for Hernandez to put Hull in front as he cut in from the right wing, unbalanced Mings with a shimmy and curled the ball home firmly inside Artur Boruc’s far post.
With Nathan Ake recalled to Chelsea after a loan spell on the south coast Mings had slotted in alongside Steve Cook at centre half but he had a miserable afternoon which was completed when Huddlestone’s volley hit him in the midriff and past Boruc for Hull’s third just after the hour.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was disappointed his team couldn’t maintain their strong opening.
He said: “We were dominant for the first half an hour. We didn’t really go for the throat. We were content with one. The flow of the game changed after Hull scored their first.”
Harry Arter was just inches wide after 15 minutes with a left foot shot that had Jakupovic beaten. If that had gone in, or one five minutes later when Benik Afobe was foiled by Jakupovic, then maybe Silva’s team would have faced too big a task to overcome.
But where there’s life there’s hope and three points, at home, is the perfect start for the charismatic new manager.
Teams
Hull City: Jakupovic - Maguire, Davies, Dawson, Robertson - Huddlestone, Mason (Livermore 86), Diomande, Clucas – Snodgrass (Evandro 76), Hernandez (Niasse 83).
Bournemouth: Boruc - Smith, Cook, Mings, Daniels - Surman, Arter – Stanislas (Pugh 69), Wilshere, Fraser (King 55), Afobe (Wilson 55).
Referee: M Atkinson.
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