Newcastle defeat Hull 2-1 at St James' Park to end visitors' unbeaten run

Early strikes at St James' Park

Newcastle secured a 2-1 home victory over Hull at St James' Park, bringing an end to the visitors' unbeaten start to the Premier League season. Newcastle opened the scoring in the early minutes when midfielder Joe Willock sent a low shot past Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. Winger Harvey Barnes created the opportunity with a pass after Willock had an initial shot blocked inside the penalty area. Newcastle doubled their lead only four minutes later, establishing a 2-0 advantage in the seventh minute of play. Lewis Hall received a second assist from Barnes and dispatched the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. The two quick goals gave Newcastle early control five days after their 4-1 defeat against Leeds.

First-half chances and saved penalty

Hull mounted several attacks to reduce the deficit as Mohamed Belloumi pressured Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek and snatched the ball from his feet, though Hornicek recovered before Hull could score. Hull midfielder Matt Crooks sent a cross toward Sorba Thomas, but Newcastle cleared the danger behind for a corner. Newcastle continued to generate chances through Jacob Murphy, who dragged an effort wide, fired another shot past the post, and sent a ball across the box toward Hall, who could not convert. Prior to the interval, Newcastle received a penalty when Thomas made a grab at Murphy's foot inside the box, a decision confirmed by a video assistant referee review. Forward Yoane Wissa took the spot-kick, but Tzolakis pushed the ball away to deny Newcastle a third goal. Thomas sent another effort wide shortly before half-time.

Second-half pressure and Cho's goal

Newcastle threatened early in the second half when Sven Botman directed a header toward goal from a Hall cross, but Tzolakis made the save. Hull responded by creating sustained offensive pressure, with Belloumi lifting one shot over the crossbar and sending a subsequent attempt off target. The visiting side scored in the 67th minute through substitute Mohamed-Ali Cho. Belloumi threaded a pass to Cho, whose shot struck the post and bounced into the net four minutes after his introduction. Hull continued to attack during the closing stages, forcing Hornicek to parry away another effort from Belloumi.

Squad rotation and tactical adjustments

Both managers introduced two changes to their starting line-ups ahead of kickoff. Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle brought Sean Steur and Willock into the team to cope with an expanding list of injuries. As Hull gained momentum in the second half, Jaissle adjusted Newcastle's tactical setup by switching to a three-man defensive structure. Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic gave a first Premier League start to Thomas and also named Lucas Herrington in his side. Newcastle held on against Hull's late attacks to finish the match with three points. In concurrent Premier League action, Everton defeated Ipswich 1-0 through a deflected first-half goal by Thierno Barry, while Ipswich played the final half-hour with ten men following a red card shown to Abdul Fatawu for simulation.