Mohamed Belloumi came off the bench to score a 74th-minute equalizer, securing a 2-2 draw for Hull City against Everton at the MKM Stadium. The result extends Everton’s unbeaten start to six Premier League matches under manager David Moyes, though they missed a chance to climb higher.
Yet the Toffees sit fifth in the Premier League standings following a chaotic afternoon where defensive lapses cost them victory. Hull City, adjusting well to life back in the top flight, capitalized on those mistakes to protect an unbeaten home record.
VAR Check Disallows Brennan Johnson Goal
The opening forty-five minutes saw both sides probing for an advantage without reward, though visiting supporters were left frustrated by an officiating intervention. Brennan Johnson thought he had opened the scoring in the 34th minute after Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis dropped a cross. Harrison Armstrong’s shot was cleared off the line only for Johnson to poke it home.
Referee Michael Salisbury was sent to the pitchside monitor following a video assistant referee check, which determined that Johnson was in an offside position when steering the ball in. The disallowed goal kept the score level going into the interval, leaving the sides to go in goalless at the break.
Joe Gelhardt and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall Trade Early Second-Half Blows
The match exploded into life immediately after the restart. After the break, Everton right-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles committed a costly error on the ball. Joe Gelhardt capitalized on the mistake and sent a delicate chip past Jordan Pickford to break the deadlock.
Maitland-Niles made amends quickly for his defensive slip. Seven minutes after conceding, he delivered a cross into the penalty area, allowing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to head home the equalizer. That header marked the first goal Hull City had conceded on their home turf all season.
Thierno Barry Scores After Missing Multiple Chances
Everton dominated the chance creation, with Thierno Barry central to much of the action. Barry squandered multiple openings, including a close-range header that went over the bar and an incident where he completely missed an open tap-in from inside the six-yard box with the scores level.
Barry finally atoned in the 68th minute. Dewsbury-Hall played Barry through on goal, where the striker made no mistake with a confident finish past Tzolakis to put the visitors ahead 2-1.
Everton manager David Moyes expressed disappointment that his team did not secure three points, stating that he could not see Hull getting a goal when Everton led 2-1 and felt they should have finished the game. He added that a couple of defensive lapses were really poor.
Mohamed Belloumi Secures a Share of the Points
Hull refused to fold after falling behind. Head coach Sergej Jakirovic introduced substitutes to shift the momentum, bringing on Mohamed Belloumi. The tactical adjustment paid off.
Substitute Elliot Stroud bypassed Everton’s makeshift defense out wide and set up Belloumi inside the penalty area. The winger beat Pickford with a low strike in the 74th minute, finalizing the 2-2 scoreline in front of an attendance of 24,458 at the MKM Stadium.
“Crazy second half. We started very well, they made one mistake and we punished it, but unfortunately we made two mistakes. I’m very happy with the boys because we showed a great mentality and we equalised. It’s a good point for us.”
Sergej Jakirovic, Hull City head coach
The draw keeps Everton unbeaten through six league fixtures for the first time since 2013-14, while Hull maintains its position in the top half of the table despite going four matches without a victory.