Hull City have put one foot in the Championship playoff final thanks to a 3-0 win away at Derby County in the first leg of their semi-final.
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Derby finished five points worse off than Hull in the regular season, but it was the home side who dominated the opening 25 minutes without actually creating a clear-cut chance.
Tom Huddlestone shot wide with a rare Hull opening, but the visitors then stunned the home fans on the half-hour mark.
Bradley Johnson's loose touch in midfield was seized on by Jake Livermore, who prodded the ball through for Abel Hernandez and the Uruguayan striker bagged his 22nd goal of the campaign by squeezing a low shot inside Scott Carson's near post from 25 yards.
That goal gave the Tigers a huge lift and they went close to a second through Mohamed Diame before managing to double their advantage before the break.
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Moses Odubajo took aim from the edge of the area and saw his shot deflect off Derby defenders Marcus Olsson and Jason Shackell to wrongfoot Carson and nestle in the near corner.
It initially went down as a Shackell own goal, but replays seem to suggest that the full-back's shot was goalbound when it flicked off Olsson's ankle and then ricocheted off Shackell.
The half-time break didn't break Hull's momentum and it could have been three shortly after the restart when Curtis Davies headed over Robert Snodgrass's corner.
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Odubajo can count himself a little lucky not to have been sent off in the 73rd minute when he went through the back of Tom Ince moments after being booked for time-wasting, but the right-back took full advantage of staying on the field by setting up the third goal deep in stoppage time.
Hull broke forward on the break from a poor Ince corner, with Odubajo finding the run of opposite full-back Andrew Robertson, who dribbled forward before picking out the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
The second leg takes place on Tuesday night at the KC Stadium, and if Derby do turn it around they will be the first side in the Championship playoffs to overturn a first-leg deficit when playing the second leg away from home.
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If Hull do see out the tie as expected they are likely to face Sheffield Wednesday in the final after the Owls beat an injury-hit Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 in last night's first semi-final.
Pascal Lemesre
