Hull City's 'arrogance' paying off as ailing Rotherham United are urged to stay in the fight

Getting the right mindset is the challenge facing a Millers side who look increasingly doomed to relegation from the Championship.

They were giving Hull a frustrating night on Tuesday, as many a top side has had at the New York Stadium.

Rotherham led through Christ Tiehi's deflected shot after just four minutes and for all the possession and chances Hull had as the bottom-of-the-table team inevitably sat back, they could not beat an inspired Viktor Johansson.

It annoyed those in a packed away end, leading to chants of "Liam, sort it out!"

So it took a brave man, 71 minutes in, to attempt a "rabona" – swinging his right leg behind his standing left leg to shoot the ball goalwards as Philogene did in front of them.

It took a touch off Cameron Humphreys but to deny the winger a deserved goal was cruel. Philogene had an acrobatic effort in the first half and was always keen to run at defenders but once the deadlock was broken, substitute Noah Ohio quickly followed up with his first goal on loan at Hull.

"He's got a level of belief that you need," Rosenior said of Philogene. "You need an arrogance to your game, not in a negative way.

"The type of player he is, he wants to express himself and I think we've given him a real platform here to do that.

"I never want to change a player or make them feel like they can't express themselves. That goal sums up as a team – you never know what's going to happen.

"We play the way we want to play, which is about bravery and expressing yourself on the ball, and I think Jaden's goal summed that up."

Ohio, on loan from Standard Liege having had spells in the youth set-ups at RB Leipzig and both Manchester clubs, shares that self-belief.

"We train at very high levels and we trust our squad," he said. "We know the players starting and coming on will always affect the game but we have to stay patient and keep our discipline."

Hull's approach makes them exciting to watch but can also leave them vulnerable, which is why they are only on the verge of the play-off places they ought to be well-equipped to reach.

"It's exciting at times," said Rosenior. "Other times I feel like I'm ageing very, very quickly.

"I love my team because they're brave and they take the ball in areas that maybe other teams don't and people think we're crazy for doing it."

For Rotherham manager Leam Richardson, whose side are 12 points adrift of safety, it is about setting and maintaining standards, without destroying his players.

"The lads have been getting a whack around the head for quite some time on a Saturday-Tuesday so if I'm going in there whacking them around the head as well they've got nobody to lead them or believe in," he said.

"I've got to make sure they believe in each other, the fitness levels stays strong, the organisation stays strong, and the morale because we've got 15 cup finals to come.

"Every single time let's make sure the opposition know they've been in a game, let's try and win, let's try and give the best account of ourselves and I'd like to think most games I've been here they have done.

"The most important thing is people's standards, people's habits, how they live their lives, how they go around the country representing themselves and this club. When you're emotionally stressed, you'll lean on your habits.

"Your standards don't differ regardless of what division you're in. We want to build a really strong, athletic, forward-thinking, forward-playing, possession-based team."

Defender Seb Revan added: "We did well for the first 60 minutes (after the goal), we just have to cut out some of the mistakes and try and tighten up on a few things so hopefully we can have a full 90-minute performance and get three points.

"it's a difficult time but we have to keep belief and hoping that through our performances, we'll get results.

"We'll fight to the end and hopefully things will turn in our favour."