Hull City 1-1 Watford

Rubén Sellés earned a point in his first game in charge of Hull City with a 1-1 draw at home to Watford.

Chris Bedia’s finish gave the Tigers a lead, but Rocco Vata’s equaliser three minutes from time meant the points were shared in the Sky Bet Championship. 

Sellés made two changes to the starting XI from the one that faced Blackburn Rovers. Joāo Pedro replaced Bedia up front, while Steven Alzate made his first start for the club, featuring ahead of Gustavo Puerta. 

The first chance of the game fell to the Tigers as Abu Kamara was brilliantly played down the left wing. The winger in-turn cut the ball back for Ryan Longman to strike the ball, but he dragged first-time finish wide of the target. Meanwhile, Tom Ince’s strike from range was charged down by Charlie Hughes, with the ball falling comfortably to the arms of Ivor Pandur, before Ryan Giles blocked Jeremy Ngakia’s attempt at the back post. 

The City left-back tried his luck from range himself, forcing a save from captain Daniel Bachmann. The Watford keeper was sharp again as he blocked well with Mattie Pollock to deny Pedro, after Lewie Coyle cleverly found Regan Slater who in-turn, cut the ball back for the Italian. 

In the second half, Yasser Larouci found Ince in space, but his effort was blocked before Giorgi Chakvetadze tried his luck from range with a curling effort, which narrowly missed the top corner and flew over the bar. 

At the other end, after the Tigers won possession high up the field, Slater’s powerful cross could not be diverted goal wards by Longman at the back post. City kept pushing as the ball was played through for Pedro. After sprinting into the penalty area, his low finish was pushed around the post by Bachmann. 

Pandur then held Imrân Louza’s deflected effort prior to the hour mark, before Bachmann held Longman’s header, after the winger was found at the back post by Coyle. 

The Watford keeper again denied City as the chances kept flowing. Substitute Mason Burstow played a neat one-two with Kasey Palmer, before seeing his powerful one-on-one finish parried by a good reaction save from the Watford captain. Kamara was next to take aim as Sellés side aimed to break the deadlock, but a vital touch from Pollock deflected the shot over the bar. 

With eight minutes left to play, the Tigers got their deserved goal as Kamara’s cross found substitute Marvin Mehlem. His volley hit Bedia to take it past a wrong-footed Bachmann to find the back of the net. 

The lead would last five minutes as Kwadwo Baah drove at the City defence and into the penalty area. The winger cut the ball back for Vata to strike the ball home first time, despite the best efforts of both Pandur and Hughes. 

Attendance: 18,694

Highlights of Hull City 1-1 Watford is available to watch on Tigers+.