Hull City 2-2 Everton: Belloumi rescues point in four-goal thriller

Mohamed Belloumi came off the bench to rescue a point for Hull City in a breathless second half that saw four goals fly in as Everton’s unbeaten Premier League start continued with a 2-2 draw at the MKM Stadium.

The first half had been a tale of near-misses and frustration. Brennan Johnson thought he had given the visitors the lead when he stabbed home after Konstantinos Tzolakis spilled a looping delivery, only for a lengthy VAR check to rule it out for offside. Thierno Barry, lively throughout, headed over from Jack Grealish’s cross and later completely missed a tap-in from six yards. Hull, meanwhile, saw Joe Gelhardt’s curling effort blocked and a header from the lively Mendy flash wide as both sides went in goalless.

Everything changed after the break. Within three minutes of the restart Hull were in front. Ainsley Maitland-Niles’s misplaced clearance presented the ball to Sorba Thomas, who slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Gelhardt. The striker, starting in place of the fatigued Belloumi, produced a delicate chip that floated over Jordan Pickford and into the net for his first Premier League goal in more than four years.

Everton’s response was swift and clinical. Maitland-Niles atoned for his error with an inch-perfect cross that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall met with a firm header, nodding the equaliser past Tzolakis and ending Hull’s proud record of not having conceded at home this season. The midfielder was outstanding, and his influence only grew. When Thomas played a loose ball across his own half, Dewsbury-Hall pounced, driving forward and feeding Barry, who finally converted one of his many chances with a powerful finish into the top corner to put the Toffees ahead.

Hull refused to fold. Just six minutes later substitutes combined to dramatic effect. Elliot Stroud wriggled past Maitland-Niles and James Garner on the right before pulling the ball back for Belloumi, who had only just entered the fray. The Algerian took a touch and drove a low left-footed shot beyond Pickford to level the scores once more and send the home crowd into raptures.

Both sides continued to push for a winner in an open, end-to-end finale, but the points were ultimately shared. Everton remain unbeaten and sit on 10 points, while Hull preserved their impressive home record and showed the character that has marked their return to the top flight. For David Moyes’s side it was two points dropped after creating eight big chances; for Sergej Jakirovic’s Tigers it was a hard-earned reward for never knowing when they were beaten.