Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic were on target for Hull City as they defeated Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light in this afternoon's Premier League fixture.
The match began in the worst possible fashion for the hosts as Wes Brown was sent off for a professional foul in the fourth minute, and the Tigers took full advantage.
Long headed them in front early in the first half, and his strike partner sealed the points with his first goal for Hull just after the hour mark.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the 90 minutes to establish whether 2-0 was a fair reflection of the game.
Match statistics
Sunderland
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 44%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 12
Hull
Shots: 25
On target: 9
Possession: 56%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 16
Was the result fair?
The result was more or less a fair reflection of the 90 minutes, but it was Brown's early sending-off that condemned Sunderland to defeat. Gus Poyet's side struggled to get the ball upfield with 10 men, and Hull really made their numerical advantage count.
Sunderland's performance
Sunderland never looked like making a game of it with 10 men. Jose Altidore, forced to play as a lone striker, was completely frozen out of the match and the Hull defence did well to keep Adam Johnston quiet all afternoon. If anything, Poyet will be disappointed that his players didn't make more of a fight of it despite being outnumbered on the pitch.
Hull's performance
You can only beat what is in front of you, and Hull dispatched the 10 men of Sunderland in businesslike fashion. Long was a constant thorn in the Black Cats' side and the Tigers were creative in midfield through the likes of Tom Huddlestone and Ahmed Elmohamady. It would certainly have been a different game had Brown remained on the pitch, but Bruce will struggle to find fault with his team's performance as a whole.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Shane Long: Long is looking like money well spent for the Tigers, finding the net for two matches in a row now. He was a threat to the Sunderland defence throughout the match and showed off his dedication and bravery late on when he stood tall and took a Craig Gardner free kick clean in the face.
Biggest gaffe
No doubt about this one. Brown's early sending-off is what cost his side the game. Although Long would likely have scored had the defender not taken him out, the former Manchester United man is likely to have a few nightmares about that one tonight.
Referee performance
Michael Jones got the Brown red card decision spot on, but was otherwise inconsistent when handing out bookings, apparently turning a blind eye to some late challenges and brandishing cards for others. In his defence, it was a slightly ill-tempered match and he did prevent tensions from boiling over.
What next?
Sunderland: Sunderland will be kicking themselves for not taking anything from this game, as their next fixture is a trip to the formidable Manchester City.
Hull: Hull will be looking to build on today's win when they play host to Southampton midweek.
Mark Langshaw
