Good evening and thank you for joining
Sports Mole for live text commentary of the Premier League match between
Hull City and
West Ham United at the KC Stadium.
Following two weeks without any top flight action, the Premier League has returned with a bang this weekend and after waiting patiently for their turn to take to the pitch,
Steve Bruce and
Sam Allardyce's players are less than an hour away from kick off.
The two managers have revealed their starting lineups, with some fresh new faces on show, so without a further ado let's have a look at who will be playing tonight.
HULL CITY XI: McGregor, Elmohamady, Robertson, Davies, Dawson, Huddlestone, Livermore, Diame, Quinn, Jelavic, Hernandez
WEST HAM XI: Adrian, Demel, Cresswell, Tomkins, Reid, Kouyate, Noble, Zarate, Downing, Sakho, Valencia
HULL CITY SUBS: Harper, Rosenior, Chester, Meyler, Brady, Ramirez, Ben Arfa
WEST HAM SUBS: Jaaskelainen, Jenkinson, Collins, Song, Vaz Te, Amalfitano, Cole
So, there we have our two teams for this evening. Let's begin by looking at the home side, who have handed debuts to recent signings
Abel Hernandez and
Mohamed Diame. They are the only two changes that Bruce has made to his team, with
Paul McShane and Tom Ince dropping to the bench.
Fellow deadline day arrivals
Hatem Ben Arfa and
Gaston Ramirez will have to make do with a place on the bench, but
James Chester is back in the squad following his suspension for picking up a red card against Stoke City.
As for West Ham, Allardyce has made three changes to the side that were beaten by Southampton in their last match.
Enner Valencia,
Diafra Sakho and
Guy Demel are the players that come into the side in place of
Joey O'Brien,
Ricardo Vaz Te and
Carlton Cole. New arrivals
Alex Song and
Morgan Amalfitano are named among the substitutes.
After reaching the FA Cup final last season and securing their status in the top flight, it has been a mixed start to this campaign for Hull. The Tigers were first in action at the end of July, where they beat Trencin in the Europa League third qualifying round. A victory against Queens Park Rangers followed on the first day of the Premier League season, but they have stuttered somewhat since.
Days after beating Rangers, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Lokeren in the first leg of the Europa League qualifying playoffs, before returning to league action against Stoke. That match against the Potters ended in a 1-1 draw, despite Bruce's men playing with 10 men since the 14th minute. They were then back in European action, where they beat Lokeren in the second leg of their tie, but failed to reach the group stages thanks to the away goals rule.
Their last outing before the international break ended in a 2-1 loss away to Aston Villa, which prompted manager Bruce to claim that it was the worst first half performance he had seen from his players during his time at the club. He will be hoping that his team have got that out of their system today, especially with tricky league fixtures against Newcastle United and Manchester City to come.
Meanwhile, it hasn't been the greatest of starts to the season for West Ham. In their opening match they were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to a last minute goal from
Eric Dier.
Mark Noble also missed a penalty, after
Kyle Naughton was sent off less than half an hour into the game.
They responded well to that setback and claimed a morale-boosting 3-1 win over Crystal Palace a week later, but it remains their only victory of the season. That result was followed up by a League Cup exit on penalties to Sheffield United and a 3-1 home defeat against Southampton at the end of August.
As expected, there are some new players taking to the pitch this evening. The most excited supporters to see their new additions will be fans of Hull, with their club pulling of some inspired signings on deadline day. They broke their transfer record to bring Uruguayan international Abel Hernandez to the club from Palermo, while the capture of
Hatem Ben Arfa on loan from Newcastle looks to be a shrewd piece of business.
Other new arrivals to the KC were
Gaston Ramirez on a season-long loan from Southampton and Mohamed Diame from tonight's opponents on a permanent basis. With the likes of
Michael Dawson,
Thomas Ince,
Jake Livermore and
Robert Snodgrass all snapped up by the club over the summer, Bruce will feel that his team can build on last season's achievements.
West Ham weren't too active on deadline day, but added to their squad with the signing of
Morgan Amalfitano from Marseille.
Alex Song could also make his debut from the bench this evening after joining on loan from Barcelona two days before the window shut. The Cameroon international didn't enjoy the best of times at the Nou Camp, but if he can rediscover some of his form shown during his Arsenal days then he will prove to be a great addition.
The Hammers certainly took plenty of stick for not scoring enough goals last season, after finding the net just 40 times in the league. They have addressed that over the summer by bringing in three new strikers in the shape of Enner Valencia,
Mauro Zarate and
Diafra Sakho.
Teddy Sheringham has also been appointed as their attacking coach, with the former Manchester United striker knowing a thing or two about finishing, having scored vitally important goals for club and country during his playing career.
In the corresponding fixture last season, it was Hull who came out on top, winning 1-0 thanks to a first-half penalty from
Robbie Brady. Their last meeting came in March, where West Ham came out on top with a 2-1 victory.
Mark Noble's penalty and an own-goal from
James Chester were enough to see the Hammers claim all three points, in a match that saw
Allan McGregor sent off in controversial circumstances.
PREDICTION: This is a tight match to call and especially tricky to predict after an international break. Hull will be buoyed by the debut of some of their new signings, but it could take some time for them to all gel and find their best form. As for West Ham, they are incredibly inconsistent and you never really know what you're going to get out of them. It should be a close game, but I am going to go for the home side to come out on top with a 2-1 win. Here's what the team at Sports Mole thought about tonight's match.
We are around five minutes away from kick off at the KC and I would suggest that fans of the home side look away at this latest statistic. They haven't been in the best form recently and Bruce will know that this is the sort of game his players have to deliver in.
Both sets of players are now out on the pitch and the match is just moments away from getting started.
KICKOFF! We are underway at the KC Stadium!
It's been a really positive start from the home side who are putting the visiting defence under a great deal of pressure. Diame has seen plenty of the ball against his old club and Robertson has already delivered two teasing crosses into the box.
Bruce will be very pleased at what he is seeing from his players. They are seeing all of the possession and have found plenty of room down the flanks. Their final ball hasn't quite found the mark yet, but if they keep playing as they have started then it won't be too long until Adrian is tested.
West Ham have been really unconvincing so far and they almost give away a cheap corner, when a poor back pass appeared to go out of play, before Adrian got to the ball in time to clear. The Hammers then break quickly down the other end with Kouyate charging free down the right and whipping a great ball across the box, but none of his teammates are able to get on the end of it.
The visitors are really growing into this game now and Sakho is slipped in down the right, but his shot from a difficult angle ends up going wide of the target. They are seeing more of the possession and look much more of a threat.
There is a good pace to this match at the moment, but Hull probably look the more dangerous of the two teams. They are still posing a big threat down the wings and Quinn whips a couple of balls into the box that the Hammers defence manage to deal with.
Diame has been one of the best players on the pitch so far and he delivers a decent ball from the left that swings towards the back post, but it is just too high for Jelavic in the middle. So far, the Hammers defence have dealt well with the aerial threat from the hosts this evening.
Over the past few minutes the game has just become a little more scrappy, with neither team able to sustain long spells of possession. We are still yet to see a shot on target, with much of the game being played in the centre of the midfield.
It looks like the home side have a real problem here, as Jelavic is down injured and looks in a lot of pain. He seems to have picked up the problem after overstretching to try and make a tackle on Noble and is now receiving treatment.
After a short spell on the sidelines Jelavic is back on the pitch and it doesn't seem that he has a serious problem.
Downing is the latest player to try his luck on goal this evening, but his fierce effort from just outside the box flies well wide. The Hammers have now had six attempts on goal, but they are still yet to find the target.
A superb piece of play from Sakho almost leads to the opening goal. The Senegal international shows great strength to burst free down the right and his low ball into the box is poked behind by Dawson with Valencia lurking behind him.
CHANCE! The Hammers are on top now and Downing's cross to the back post is headed across the box by Valencia where Sakho meets it in the middle. The striker doesn't make clean contact with the ball, but his goalbound effort is brilliantly tipped around the post by McGregor.
Hull go down the other end and have a chance of their own, with Hernandez trying his luck from range, but his powerful attempt is fired straight at Adrian.
GOAL! Hull City 1-0 West Ham (Abel Hernandez)
The home side have broken the deadlock with six minutes of the first half left to play and it's their record signing who has scored. The goal comes from a cross, as Elmohamady whips a fantastic delivery in from the right and Hernandez rises to head the ball into the corner of the net with a brilliant header.
CHANCE! West Ham almost respond with a header of their own, as Tomkins gets on the end of a corner at the back post, but can only direct his effort narrowly wide of the target.
OFF THE BAR! Hull are finishing the half strongly and they are so close to grabbing a second goal. Hernandez is played the ball just outside the box and he unleashes a wonderful strike that comes crashing down off the bar with Adrian well beaten. The ball comes out to Jelavic who heads the rebound into the net, but the Croatian was standing in an offside position.
We are going to have one minute of stoppage time.
HALF-TIME: Hull City 1-0 West Ham
It's half time at the KC and the hosts have taken a 1-0 lead into the break. A fine header from Abel Hernandez on his debut separates the sides and it could have been worse if his stunning strike from range found the net instead of the crossbar.
For the first 30 minutes there was not too much to talk about in this match, but it all came to life after McGregor pulled off a great save to deny Sakho. West Ham have actually seen 57% of the possession and have had double the amount of shots on goal as their opponents, but they will head into the second half trailing.
Hull City fans will be absolutely delighted that their big signing Hernandez has scored on his debut. The 24-year-old bagged 14 goals for Palermo last season to help the club win promotion to Serie A and his record at international level is equally impressive, with eight goals in 16 games for Uruguay.
A quick look at the substitutes this evening shows that West Ham have a couple of strikers that could come on.
Ricardo Vaz Te and
Carlton Cole are available should Allardyce need them, while new boys Alex Song and Morgan Amalfitano could help to unlock the home defence. As for Hull, they will be hoping to see a glimpse of loan signing Hatem Ben Arfa at some stage.
West Ham take the kick off and get the second half underway.
GOAL! Hull City 1-1 West Ham (Enner Valencia)
What a stunning goal this is from Valencia. The striker picks the ball up around 25 yards out from goal and gets it onto his right foot, before firing a sensational effort into the top corner. It's his first goal for the club and it's no more than the Hammers deserve after a good start to the second half.
YELLOW CARD! Huddlestone picks up the first booking of the evening for a late challenge on Kouyate.
From the resulting set piece, Downing chips a ball into the box that is flicked on by Reid, but Valencia is unable to get a touch with the ball heading through to the keeper. They come close again moments later when Cresswell's low cross is diverted goalwards by Davies, but McGregor makes the save at his near post.
CHANCE! Hernandez has looked dangerous every time he has seen the ball this evening and after latching onto a loose clearance outside the box, he fires in a powerful strike on the volley that is pushed behind by Adrian.
SUBSTITUTION: It's a first change of the evening for Hull, as Brady comes on for Quinn.
YELLOW CARD! Hull quickly pick up a second booking, with Robertson shown a yellow card for a cynical foul from behind on Valencia.
SUBSTITUTION: West Ham make their first change of the match, as Zarate heads off to be replaced by the debutant Song.
GOAL! Hull City 2-1 West Ham (Mohamed Diame)
The hosts have retaken the lead and it's a former Hammer who has found the net on his debut. They lose the ball cheaply in the midfield to Diame, who charges through on goal before placing a composed finish into the corner past McGregor.
GOAL! Hull City 2-2 West Ham (Curtis Davies own goal)
This is some game we have on our hands here, as West Ham equalise for the second time. It's a fortuitous goal as Downing's low cross is met by Sakho, who then sees his shot turned into his own net by Davies.
CHANCE! West Ham have shown great spirit to get back into this match and they come close to scoring a third goal when Noble fires in a strike from range that takes a deflection and heads just wide of the post.
SAVE! The visitors are doing all of the pressing and Sakho meets a deep cross at the back post, before seeing his header saved by the impressive McGregor. Moments later the keeper is called into action again, but it is rather more comfortable stop from Downing's long-range effort.
This has been a great second half to watch and following the first 30 minutes of the match, you would never have guessed that four goals would have been scored. There could well be more, with both teams going all out for the winner.
SUBSTITUTION: Hull make a double change, with Ramirez and Ben Arfa coming on for Hernandez and Diame.
CHANCE! It's end to end at the moment and Brady tries his luck with a low drive from just outside the box that has to be pushed away by Adrian.
There is no let up to the pace in this match as we head into the final five minutes. The hosts are still looking dangerous from out wide and Livermore is unlucky to see his cross from the right just miss Jelavic in the box.
SUBSTITUTION: The Hammers make their final change of the evening, with Sakho heading off to be replaced by Amalfitano.
We are going to have four minutes of stoppage time.
West Ham win a free kick in a promising position, which is whipped into the box by Downing. However, his delivery is poor and goes harmlessly wide of the far post.
YELLOW CARD! Livermore is the third Hull player to be booked this evening for a late challenge.
OFF THE BAR! West Ham come close to snatching all three points in the final minute of stoppage time. Downing gets to the byline down the right and stands the ball up to Valencia at the back post, who sees his goalwards header take a deflection off Dawson and hit the bar before heading over!
FULL-TIME: Hull City 2-2 West Ham
That was the last piece of action as a breathless second half comes to an end. The game finishes in a 2-2 draw, with West Ham twice coming from behind to level the scores.
West Ham were so close to winning the game right at the death, but a draw is probably a fair result, with both teams playing their part tonight.
Well, that's all we've got time for after an enthralling evening at the KC. I will be bringing you analysis and player ratings from the match so stick around for that. I hope you have enjoyed our coverage. Goodbye!