Joe Gelhardt double earns huge win for Hull City and sets up survival showdown

Lewis Gibson put the visitors ahead to give them hope of ending a five-match winless sequence that has dragged them into trouble, but Gelhardt, pictured, twice struck from the spot at a rainy MKM Stadium.

Defeat for Hull would have put them in the bottom three after relegation rivals Derby and Luton also won on Easter Monday, which means Ruben Selles’ side remain two points above the drop zone in 20th.

The Tigers can guarantee their status in the second tier by beating Derby at the weekend, but a third successive loss leaves Preston three points above 22nd-placed Luton and desperately low on confidence.

Selles said: “The three points were massive and the way we got them is the way we want to do things. Even when things didn’t go our way after their goal, our team showed a lot of good things.

“It’s a big opportunity (against Derby) because it’s in our own hands. You are in the business for that kind of moment. This is a big, big game, let’s embrace it and go for it.”

Preston had taken just nine points from their previous 12 matches but might have fancied their chances against a Hull side they defeated at Deepdale on Boxing Day and who had not won in their last three games.

The Tigers then went behind in the 34th minute after failing to deal with Ben Whiteman’s corner as the ball landed kindly at the feet of Gibson, who coolly side-footed beyond Ivor Pandur from close range.

With the visiting fans still celebrating the goal, Sean McLoughlin, whose header out under no pressure gave Preston the corner they scored from, headed agonisingly wide from Gelhardt’s free-kick.

Lewie Coyle’s sweetly-timed volley looked to be dipping into the top corner, only for Cornell to push away just before half-time but Hull deservedly equalised as Gelhardt won then converted a spot-kick.

He was adjudged to have been kicked in the face after getting to the ball first ahead of Mads Frokjaer’s attempted clearance and the on-loan Leeds man dispatched the 50th-minute penalty past Cornell.

Then in the race to a loose ball after McLoughlin’s effort was saved low down by Cornell, Stefan Thordarson was deemed to have brought down Kyle Joseph and Gelhardt, this time, sent Cornell the wrong way.

Ched Evans and Emil Riis were sent on as Preston searched for a leveller but Hull were resolute in defence in the closing stages.

Hull: Pandur, Lewie Coyle, Egan, Hughes, McLoughlin, Alzate (Puerta 60), Slater, Kamara (Burstow 78), Gelhardt (Jones 87), Amrabat (Lincoln 78), Joseph (Joao Pedro 87). Unused substitutes: Lo-Tutala, Vaughan, Drameh, Palmer.

Preston North End: Cornell, Storey, Lindsay, Gibson (Evans 77), Kesler-Hayden, Thordarson, Whiteman, Brady, Meghoma (Hughes 58), Frokjaer-Jensen (Jakobsen 82), Osmajic. Unused substitutes: Stowell, Porteous, Bauer,Mawene, Carroll, Kamara.

Referee: T Bramall (Sheffield).