Hull City 3 Southampton 1: Kyle Joseph, John Lundstram and Oli McBurnie on target in statement win

The clash was a meeting of two sides who had yet to get up and running in the Championship and the weight of expectation was on the visitors.

Southampton, fresh from the Premier League, were tipped for a promotion tilt in pre-season. Hull, meanwhile, encountered some summer turbulence that somewhat reduced expectation levels.

In the East Yorkshire rain, however, it was Hull who looked most likely to kick on as goals from Kyle Joseph, John Lundstram and Oli McBurnie clinched three points. By the time Adam Armstrong netted deep into stoppage time for Southampton, there was no time for a comeback.

First half

Southampton committed a foul within 10 seconds of kick-off, but the early marker did not set the tone for a blood-and-thunder affair.

The visitors moved the ball around fairly comfortably in the early stages, but Hull pressed effectively and resisted the temptation to lose shape.

It was on the ball that Hull let themselves down early on, as opportunities to enjoy some possession of their own were too often squandered.

Chances were a premium but it was the hosts who were the first to seriously threaten. Mohamed Belloumi tied Ryan Manning up in knots down the right, but lacked the conviction to follow through. He slowed the move before playing an unconvincing pass into Joe Gelhardt, who found himself in front a crowd on the edge of the box.

Hull’s patience in the early stages was soon rewarded, as they took the lead against Will Still’s Saints.

Lewie Coyle hung a cross up for Gelhardt, whose header was parried into the path of Joseph. With the goal gaping, Joseph bundled in to give Hull the advantage.

The Tigers had been compact in their defensive set-up, although were split open by a Finn Azaz pass that Damion Downs latched on to. The USA international was one-on-one with Ivor Pandur yet the goalkeeper did not need to make a save, instead watching as the shot flew wide.

Southampton upped the ante after going behind, but a blend of inefficiency in their attacks and the solidity of their opponents made mounting a comeback difficult.

At the other end, Hull were realising just how vulnerable the Saints looked when defending crosses in the box. On more than occasion, a delivery was followed by a game of ping pong that had hearts in mouths.

The Tigers also looked considerably more coordinated going forward and Belloumi had an effort blocked after some deft footwork by the deep-dropping Gelhardt.

Hull were not giving Southampton much room to manoeuvre, but Ryan Fraser was afforded too much of it inside the box with half-time approaching. The winger managed to register his side’s first shot on target, even if it was a tame effort that caused Pandur little stress.

Hull were minutes away from heading into half-time happy, only for the mood to be soured slightly by the sight of the injury-plagued Belloumi having to head off on his comeback start.

Second half

Southampton emerged from the interval with the most gusto, pinning the hosts back with an early display of urgency.

Hull’s box was peppered with deliveries as runners darted off in every direction, but the hosts held firm.

There was a brief scare when Downs diverted a Taylor Harwood-Bellis piledriver to wrong-foot Pandur, although the stopper watched the ball fly past the post.

The wind may have been behind Southampton sails, yet it was Hull who drew first blood after the restart.

McBurnie and Lundstram, two players with a connection from their Sheffield United days, combined in style. Coyle set Hull on the counter-attack with a ball up to McBurnie, who knocked down for Lundstram to volley home.

Southampton’s patterns of play continued to yield preciously little, while Hull looked dangerous every time they ventured forward.

The home lead was soon extended by the industrious McBurnie, who met a Giles free-kick delivery and buried a header in the bottom corner.

Southampton looked completely and utterly deflated by the third, enabling Hull to seize the initiative and enjoy a spell of control.

Even as the visitors clawed their way back into the affair, they could not get the better of a resolute Hull backline.

As Southampton committed bodies, Hull looked increasingly dangerous on the counter for a period, the Tigers looked likely to grab a fourth.

The fourth goal was in fact a late consolation for Southampton, as Armstrong found the net deep into stoppage time.

Sergej Jakirović’s men settled for a 3-1 win in the end, a scoreline they would most certainly have taken prior to kick off.