HEAD COACH Sergej Jakirovic hailed Joe Gelhardt’s “special” qualities after his goal earned Hull a 3-2 win at home to Portsmouth – a victory that confirmed the Tigers’ place in the Championship play-offs going into the international break.

The Leeds loan signing showed a moment of real quality after 77 minutes to bring down Charlie Hughes’ long ball and chip the ball over Pompey goalkeeper Josef Bursik.

Gelhardt, who was also on loan at Hull last season, has now scored five goals in his last six games.

Jakirovic said: “When I watched him in last season’s games, I begged Mr Chairman (Acun Ilicali) to bring him back here.

“He likes playing here and he wanted to come back here. He has a completely different profile to the players we have.

“He has the quality to play in a number of positions and is able to pass, shoot and has speed, which is special.

“He’s 23 years old and maybe he can reach the Premier League. But, right now, he’s made the difference.”

Gelhardt was, along with Kyle Joseph, guilty of missing good chances to open the scoring early in a breathless first half.

OPENING SALVO: Hull City's Enis Destan celebrates scoring his team's first goal against Portsmouth at the MKM Stadium on Saturday. Picture: Tony King/Getty Images

placeholder image — OPENING SALVO: Hull City's Enis Destan celebrates scoring his team's first goal against Portsmouth at the MKM Stadium on Saturday. Picture: Tony King/Getty Images

Terry Devlin gave the visitors the lead with a deflected strike from the edge of the area, but Enis Destan thrashed home Lewie Coyle’s right-wing cross to level the game after 27 minutes.

Joseph headed Hull in front, but Devlin made it 2-2 with a good header off Josh Murphy’s brilliant cross from the right.

The second half plateaued following the earlier drama, but Gelhardt had the final word for a Hull side who have lost once in their last eight matches.

When asked to rate his side’s start to the season out of 10, Jakirovic said: “Seven, because we have a lot of places where we can improve.”

MATCH-WINNER: Hull City's Joe Gelhardt. Picture: Tony Johnson.

Hull City: Pandur, Coyle, Egan, Hughes, Giles, Hadziahmetovic (Gyabi 74), Slater (Famewo 90), Gelhardt (Ajayi 86), Crooks, Joseph, Destan (Ndala 74). Unused substitutes: Phillips, Belloumi, Akintola, Drameh, McCarthy.

Portsmouth: Bursik, Poole, Knight, Bowat (Yang 83), Devlin (Swanson 74), Dozzell, Le Roux (Pack 46), Williams (Kosznovszky 90), Chaplin (Kirk 83), Murphy, Bishop. Unused substitutes: Killip, Bianchini, Matthews, Sizer.

Referee: Tom Nield (West Yorkshire).