Hull City 1 Huddersfield Town 2: Steve Mounie leaves it late to snatch Terriers winner

With this fixture originally scheduled for a Saturday, it was at the home club’s discretion as to whether they would allow the Sky cameras to screen the game live as part of their usual red-button midweek service and the Tigers hierarchy declined the option in the hope of attracting a healthy quota of ‘walk-ups.’

In the event, a meagre crowd of 10,474 – less than half of the bumper 24,109 figure who witnessed Saturday’s throbbing FA Cup occasion against Chelsea – were in attendance.

A relatively low-key January occasion maybe, but it could well turn out to be a significant one in the Terriers campaign courtesy of a game-breaking 96th-minute header from Steve Mounie – during 14 minutes of stoppage time due to a worrying-looking injury to Town keeper Kamil Grabara.

Linked with a move back to his native France with Rennes, substitute Mounie nodded in Elias Kachunga’s centre to secure a win of real note for the visitors – and underlined his importance to the survival cause for Town, who won for the first time in 2020.

One thing is for sure, Hull chief Grant McCann will be mightily glad to see the back of the Terriers this season after his side’s meek 3-0 loss in the reverse fixture. It was the sort of game that the Tigers needed to win if they are to mark themselves out as real play-off contenders, but a third successive league loss on home soil has seriously jeopardised those credentials.

By contrast, Town’s display of character was a few notches up from their meek derby offering in their previous league away game at Barnsley, although it was soured by a serious looking injury to Grabara in the 71st minute. The Polish keeper collided with Terriers captain Chris Schindler and was attended to by medical staff in a 12-minute delay and was stretchered off in a neck brace.

A more favourable development was in store for Town, earlier pegged back by an unfortunate own goal from Richard Stearman under pressure from Ryan Tafazolli to cancel out Karlan Grant’s 13th goal of the season – a deflected 24th-minute shot which ended his eight-match goal drought.

Inactive for 10 days, Huddersfield faced a home side who had taken the field just three days earlier and expended a great deal of energy against top-flight opponents, but you would never have guessed it early on, with the rustiness coming from the Terriers

With the Tigers’ show-stoppers in Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki looking far more in the mood than they did in the reverse fixture, it had the makings of a demanding night for Town.

In the event, the visitors – indebted to key blocks from Schindler and Trevoh Chalobah to thwart Reece Burke and Grosicki – gradually acclimatised and were afforded the nourishment of an opener, albeit slightly against the run of play.

The ball found its way to the unhindered Grant, with a player of his standing afforded too much time and space to cut inside on the left before unleashing a low shot which took a deflection off Burke before going in.

It gave Town something to hang onto and they were further indebted by Hull’s lack of a telling final-ball option, particularly at the feet of Grosicki, who posed problems for auxiliary right-back Juninho Bacuna, but failed to apply an end product.

With Huddersfield content to keep their shape and wait for the chance on the counter, the onus was on Hull to prise open the Terriers’ backline, but half-time arrived with few genuine alarms.

The fact that Hull players entered the fray a few minutes early ahead of the restart suggested that McCann was not overly pleased by the first period and his mood would have darkened further if Emile Smith Rowe had been a touch more composed after latching onto Kachunga’s cut-back – instead of blazing over.

It was the prelude to a strong spell from Town, with Long called into action to block Kachunga’s back-post volley before Grant saw his shot deflected just off target,

Somewhat irked by what he was seeing, McCann made a double change and switched to a back three and it reaped an instant dividend.

A momentary lapse from Town’s rearguard was punished as they failed to deal with an excellent inswinging corner from Bowen and amid the consternation, Stearman diverted the ball over the line under pressure.

It was the prelude to an express spell from Hull, with Grabara called into action to turn over a header from substitute Tom Eaves before getting a hand to a downward strike from fellow replacement Jackson Irvine.

After Grabara’s worrying injury, play restarted and it was Mounie who applied the late drama.

Hull City: Long; McKenzie (Eaves 63), Burke, Tafazolli, Lichaj; Lopes, Kane (Honeyman 90); Wilks (Irvine 63), Bowen, Grosicki; Magennis. Substitutes unused: Ingram, McLoughlin, Kingsley, Lewis-Potter.

Huddersfield Town: Grabara (Coleman 83); Bacuna, Stearman, Schindler, Toffolo; O’Brien, Chalobah; Kachunga, Smith Rowe (King 85), Grant; Campbell (Mounie 63). Substitutes unused: Pyke, Stankovic, J Brown, Hadergjonaj.

Referee: S Martin (Staffs).