Hull City's losing run is a 'blip', insists Grant McCann

Pompey bizarrely prevailed courtesy of own goals from Hull players in each half - from Jacob Greaves and Josh Magennis respectively - on a night when the south coast side did not register an effort on target.

Hull themselves also failed to produce enough worthwhile attempts on goal, with Regan Slater's shot on the hour being the first strike on target in the entire game, while Magennis hit the bar late on with a header.

It resulted in their second successive home reverse, while their worrying goal return at the KCOM Stadium continued.

On a night when victory would have seen Hull top the table for Christmas, it was Portsmouth who jumped above them to the summit.

They will be the festive leaders in League One, unless Doncaster Rovers triumph at Burton tomorrow and follow up with victory at home to Shrewsbury on Tuesday.

McCann, who said that there are no updates regarding the contractual situation with Keane Lewis-Potter, commented: "It is a blip. We have started the season really well and are in second position in the league.

"We are obviously frustrated to lose the past three games and people will be concerned because of how well we have started and when you lose three in a row, there will be questions asked, of course. I completely understand that.

"There is areas of our game which are good and areas where we need to improve. Nothing is won and lost at this time of year, let's see where we are at the end of the season."

On his side's performance, McCann - who said that George Honeyman should return for their next game at home to Lincoln City in 11 days time - added: "As a team, who put in 25 crosses in the game, but just did not seem to get on the end of any.

"Portsmouth are one of the defensively strongest teams in the league, but I thought we got into some really good areas and we ultimately did not make it count and it has cost us.

"We are frustrated with the first goal and thought there was maybe a foul on Jacob Greaves. His eye is cut open and anywhere else on the pitch, he (referee Michael Salisbury) gives a free-kick. If a foot is in someone's head, it is a free-kick. That is just common sense.

"With the second goal, we did not defend it well enough and it ends up in our net by one of our players. It was disappointing.

"For us, we just did not seem to get on the end of anything. It is an area of the pitch we need to get better from and learn from. We have time to now improve on that because from a performance level, we were good when we moved the ball quickly and got to the top end of the pitch and balls were coming on."