Stoke City came from behind to grab a 1-1 draw against Hull City in their Premier League match at the KC Stadium.
The Tigers were forced to play most of the encounter with 10 men, following James Chester's straight red card in the 14th minute.
However, they took the lead three minutes before the break when Nikica Jelavic scored after Asmir Begovic had saved Tom Huddlestone's strike.
Stoke pushed for an equaliser and in the 83rd minute Ryan Shawcross bundled the ball over the line to earn a point for his side.
Find out how the action unfolded below.
Good afternoon everyone! It is the second weekend of the Premier League season and our match at the KC Stadium today features two teams who experienced contrasting results last weekend when the action got back underway.
Hull City enjoyed a fantastic start to the new campaign, as a goal from James Chester gave them all three points against Queens Park Rangers. Picking up three points would have been a huge boost to manager Steve Bruce, given that his side are expected by some to be involved in a relegation scrap this time around.
The visitors to the KC this afternoon are Stoke City, who were beaten 1-0 at home by midlands rivals Aston Villa last Saturday. Having finished last season in the top half of the table, Mark Hughes would have wanted his team to begin the new campaign in a more positive fashion and he will surely be looking for them to pick up a decent result today.
I can tell you that the two managers have announced their lineups for this afternoon's clash, so let's take a look at which players will be walking out onto the pitch in just over 50 minutes, starting with the hosts.
HULL CITY XI: McGregor, Chester, Davies, McShane, Elmohamady, Robertson, Huddlestone, Livermore, Quinn, Ince, Jelavic
STOKE CITY XI: Begovic, Bardsley, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters, Odemwingie, Nzonzi, Whelan, Sidwell, Arnautovic, Diouf
HULL CITY SUBS: Harper, Rosenior, Figueroa, Bruce, Meyler, Boyd, Aluko
STOKE CITY SUBS: Sorensen, Muniesa, Adam, Walters, Crouch, Cameron, Bojan
So, there are not many surprises, with each side lining up pretty much as you would expect. For Hull, Thomas Ince and Nikica Jelavic start up front as they did last weekend, but there are a couple of changes, with Paul McShane and Stephen Quinn coming into the team.
As for the visitors, there is no place in the starting XI for former Barcelona man Bojan Krkic, with Peter Odemwingie taking his place in the attack alongside Mame Biram Diouf. There is one other change from their defeat at Villa Park, as Steve Sidwell comes into the midfield in place of Stephen Ireland.
The team here at Sports Mole have been looking ahead to each game in the Premier League this weekend, so before kick off make sure you have a look at our video preview of today's encounter.
While Stoke have not played since last weekend, Hull were in Europa League action on Thursday evening. It is the first season that the Tigers have been in Europe, but they will face an uphill struggle to take their journey any further after losing the first leg of their playoff 1-0 to Belgium outfit Lokeren.
The team that were in action in midweek is heavily rotated today and it seems that league survival is the priority for Steve Bruce this season. Of course Stoke were involved in the Europa League two seasons ago and they made it all the way through to the last 32, were they were eventually beaten by Spanish giants Valencia.
One thing that is abundantly clear about the two teams, is the lack of goals from their strikers. A quick look at the stats from last season tells you that Stoke's Peter Crouch was the only player from the clubs to hit double figures.
Meanwhile for Hull, Matty Fryatt was their top scorer with just six goals, four of which came in the club's run to the FA Cup final. Bruce did try to remedy their problems upfront by bringing in Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long in January, but following Long's recent exit they will be expected to go back into the market before the window slams shut on September 1.
The two Premier League matches between these sides last season produced just one goal in 180 minutes of football. Their first meeting at the KC in December ended in a goalless draw, but it was Stoke who triumphed when they played again in March, as a goal from Peter Odemwingie proved enough to seal a 1-0 win.
30 MINUTES TO GO @HullCity are looking to begin a #BPL season with successive wins for the 1st time #HULSTK pic.twitter.com/Hm3pPy6Zfm
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 24, 2014
I have already mentioned that Bojan is on the bench for Stoke today, but he is arguably the pick of his club's summer signings. It was not long ago that he was one of the stars of Barcelona's team, but his career stalled after moving to Roma. Loan spells at AC Milan and Ajax followed, before his transfer to the Britannia. Many would have been surprised that he signed, but at the age of 23 he still has a big future in the game.
Stoke have also signed former Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf. The 26-year-old never hit the heights at Old Trafford, but following a spell at Hannover 96, he has shown his quality in front of goal. Other notable arrivals for the club include Steve Sidwell, who impressed last season despite Fulham's relegation, and Phil Bardsley from Sunderland.
Two of Steve Bruce's summer acquisitions are in the starting XI today. Thomas Ince notably turned down Inter Milan to move to the KC, while Jake Livermore made his move from Tottenham Hotspur permanent, after a successful loan spell. However, Robert Snodgrass, who joined from Norwich City in June, faces six months on the sidelines following a dislocated kneecap.
PREDICTION: Given the previous record between the two teams, I feel that just one goal could be enough to take the three points today. Stoke will be desperate to get off the mark, and despite Hull's encouraging start against QPR last weekend, I am going to tip the visitors to secure a narrow 1-0 win.
In the past 10 matches between these teams, Hull have won just once, losing five and drawing the other five. In fact, they have not found the net against Stoke in the last three outings.
21 - Hull conceded only 21 Premier League goals at home in 2013-14, the same number as Manchester United. Reasonable.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 24, 2014
We are just a few minutes away from kick off and the players have just made their way out onto the pitch at a packed KC Stadium.
KICKOFF! Stoke take the kick off and get the game started at the KC Stadium!
It's been a scrappy start to the match, with no chances on goal so far. However, Diouf was unlucky to be flagged by the linesman for a foul, after appearing to show good strength to get past Chester. The striker will certainly prove to be a handful for the Hull defence today.
Hull win the first corner of the match following some good play by Robertson down the left, but the resulting set piece is not the best from Huddlestone, with Begovic able to come and claim the ball with relative ease.
The hosts are enjoying plenty of possession in the opening stages of this match and look to have found a good passing rhythm between their midfielders. They are also getting the ball wide to Robertson, who has whipped in a couple of teasing deliveries.
It's still very much all Hull at the moment, with Stoke unable to get a touch. All the action is being played in the visitors' half of the pitch, but as yet Bruce's men have not been able to break through their opponents' stubborn rearguard.
RED CARD! Out of nowhere, Hull are suddenly down to 10 men. They lose the ball poorly inside their own half and Chester lunges in to prevent Whelan from running through on goal. He was the last man and the referee had no option but to show the red card.
The pattern of the game has not drastically changed, with Hull still dominating the possession. This is a good response to going down to 10 men, but they will have to wary of committing too many men forward now.
Stoke are beginning to see more of the ball and are gradually pushing Hull back deeper inside their own half. They have still not fashioned a decent chance on goal and Hughes will be desperate to see more attacking intent from his players.
CHANCE! First real chance of the match for Stoke as Odemwingie gets to the byline and drills the ball across goal. It eventually falls to Pieters at the back post, but the Dutchman can't keep his effort down and fires the ball just over the bar.
The visitors are looking very comfortable on the ball now and Hull are struggling to get out of their own half. The pressure is starting to increase and you suspect that a Stoke goal is not too far off.
Stoke have won a free kick in a promising position after Robertson brings down Odemwingie. There are plenty of men in the box, with Arnautovic set to take the set piece.
The delivery from Arnautovic is poor, as it hits the wall and goes behind. He takes the resulting corner and it eventually drops to Shawcross on the edge of the box, but the defender gets underneath the ball and smashes his effort high over the bar.
Stoke are being very patient in possession, but you just feel that this game is for the taking if they were to up the tempo. As for Hull, they have shown great spirit after going down to 10 men and as long as the scores are level, there is a chance for them.
YELLOW CARD! Diouf picks up the first booking of the afternoon for the visitors, following a late challenge on Huddlestone.
Hull have not seen much of the ball in the opposition box this half, but when a free kick drops kindly to Jelavic the Croatian tries an audacious overhead kick that is well blocked by Stoke's defence.
SUBSTITUTION: Hughes has made a positive attacking move for Stoke, as he brings on Bojan for Whelan.
GOAL! Hull City 1-0 Stoke City (Nikica Jelavic)
They have been down to 10 men since the 14th minute, but Hull have remarkably taken the lead just minutes before half time. Huddlestone drives into the box before firing a low strike across goal that is pushed away by Begovic, but Jelavic is on hand to turn the ball into the net at the back post.
All of a sudden it is Stoke who are nervous in possession and they give the ball away cheaply to Jelavic on the edge of the box. Fortunately for them, they have enough defenders back covering to ensure that the striker doesn't get a shot away.
We are going to have two minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half.
HALF-TIME: Hull City 1-0 Stoke City
Well, it seemed as if there was just one team that would be winning this match when Hull went down to 10 men early on, but the hosts are in the lead at half time. Bruce's team have shown great spirit and they have something to hang onto now in the remaining 45 minutes.
A look at the stats shows Stoke's dominance in the first half. They have enjoyed 56% of the possession, with most of that coming after Chester's dismissal, and have had seven shots on goal compared to their opponents' six efforts. However, Stoke have not had a shot on target and Hughes will be desperate for them to change that after the break.
Bojan has already some on for Stoke, but they do have Peter Crouch and Jonathan Walters on the bench as they look for a goal in the second half. Charlie Adam is also available and his delivery from set pieces would come in handy after some poor free kicks from Arnautovic this afternoon.
The players are making their way back out onto the pitch and the second half should be getting underway shortly.
PHOTO Nikica Jelavic celebrates his 5th #BPL goal for @HullCity. It's Hull 1-0 Stoke at the break #BPLmatchday pic.twitter.com/kfNsKNEqnA
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 24, 2014
Hull kick off and get the second half up and running!
It's no surprise that the visitors have begun the half on the front foot and they are bossing the possession. Hull can expect much more of this as the game wears on.
Odemwingie has looked one of Stoke's best players going forward and he beats his man on the right before whipping a decent ball into the box. It comes to Arnautovic at the back post, but the Austrian gets his effort all wrong and scuffs his shot over the bar.
YELLOW CARD! Roberton picks up a booking for Stoke for kicking the ball away, after he had given away a free kick for a handball.
CHANCE! From the resulting set piece, the ball is played low into the box to Shawcross, but the defender's strike lacks enough power to beat McGregor, who gets down well to save at his near post.
Hull have won a corner following some fantastic play from Elmohamady. The Egyptian showed great strength and speed to burst down the right from the halfway line and he has relieved some of the pressure that his side were coming under.
SUBSTITUTION: Stoke make their second change of the match, as Crouch comes on for Arnautovic.
SUBSTITUTION: The Tigers have also changed things around, with Rosenior coming on for Ince.
This is a good spell in the game for Hull, who are finally seeing a bit of the ball in Stoke's half. As for the visitors, they are still struggling to create many goalscoring chances and will hope that Crouch's introduction can spark a comeback.
YELLOW CARD! You can see the frustration from Stoke's players and Bojan picks up a card for a foul from behind on Jelavic.
CHANCE! What a big moment for Stoke to get back into this game. They break quickly and Crouch is fed the ball on the edge of the box. He sees his shot take a deflection and land perfectly for Diouf in the middle, but the striker ends up directing his header wide of the far post.
SUBSTITUTION: Stoke make their third and final change of the afternoon, as Adam replaces Sidwell.
CHANCE! Adam has been on for less than a minute, but he has nearly scored a fantastic goal. He picks up the ball in the midfield and from around 25 yards out, he fires in a strike that is tipped over the bar by McGregor. That is just the spark that the away side have desperately missed so far.
Stoke are increasing the pressure now and N'Zonzi does well to burst past two midfielders on his way to the edge of the box, but his final effort on goal is wild and doesn't come close to troubling McGregor.
Despite their numerical advantage, Stoke have still only found the target just twice in this match. With not long left to go, that stat needs to change quickly if Hughes' men are to salvage anything.
Elmohamady really has been a great outlet for Hull today and once again he picks up the ball on the halfway line, before charging down the wing. That is just what his team need at this stage in the game, having put in so much effort and energy.
SUBSTITUTION: It's a change for Hull, with Meyler replacing Quinn.
CHANCE! Diouf comes within inches of leveling for Stoke as he receives the ball on the edge of the box, before turning and firing an effort just wide of the post.
SUBSTITUTION: Hull make their last substitution of the game, with Boyd coming on to replace Jelavic.
It's looking like the final minutes of this match are going to be played exclusively inside the Hull half. Stoke are still lacking a definitive cutting edge and they see another chance go to waste when Crouch takes down a long ball on his chest, before volleying wide of the target.
GOAL! Hull City 1-1 Stoke City (Ryan Shawcross)
With just seven minutes left to play Stoke have drawn level! It's an extremely scrappy goal as Bardsley's scuffed effort came back off the post, with Shawcross bundling the ball into the net from close range after it had hit McGregor.
The visitors feel that they can grab all three points now and they are pushing forward in search of a winner. Hull can consider themselves unfortunate to concede such a poor goal and it would be harsh if they didn't take at least something out of this game.
We are going to have four minutes of stoppage time.
Stoke are still seeing plenty of the ball, but they give it away cheaply and Hull can break. It is eventually played to Huddlestone on the edge of the box, but he sees his effort well blocked by the defence, before Elmohamady fires a strike high over the bar.
FULL-TIME: Hull City 1-1 Stoke City
It's all over at the KC and it has finished in a 1-1 draw, despite Hull being a man down for so long. Arguably they were the better team and can consider themselves unfortunate not to pick up all three points.
Stoke left it late and they will be glad to have finally got a point on the board, but Hughes will be disappointed that his team only managed three shots on target against 10 men. They lacked ideas and a real cutting edge in attack, which could provoke the manager to dip into the transfer market over the next week.
Well, that's all we've got time for here, but Manchester United and Sunderland are in action at 4pm and you can check out our live commentary right here. Until next time, goodbye!
Written by
Alex Meyers
Alex Meyers
