League mission: Avenging Bournemouth loss is Harry Maguire and Hull City's motivation

IT TAKES something for a historic cup semi-final engagement at the Theatre of Dreams to be superseded in terms of weekly importance.
Harry Maguire, right, challenges Manchester Uniteds Marcus Rashford for the ball on a night when Hull City lost control of the semi-final tie. (Picture: PA)Harry Maguire, right, challenges Manchester Uniteds Marcus Rashford for the ball on a night when Hull City lost control of the semi-final tie. (Picture: PA)
Harry Maguire, right, challenges Manchester Uniteds Marcus Rashford for the ball on a night when Hull City lost control of the semi-final tie. (Picture: PA)

More especially, with the greatest respect, for a club like Hull City, making their first-ever appearance in the semi-finals of the League Cup in its various guises this week against the footballing institution of four-time winners Manchester United.

But for Tigers defender Harry Maguire and his team-mates, it very much represented a side-course to the main item on the menu this week.

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Namely, a Premier League home game with Bournemouth on Saturday, with Maguire determined that revenge proves the dish of the day against the Cherries, a game which the former Sheffield United centre-half believes is far bigger than Tuesday night’s EFL Cup semi-final first leg with Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils.

Notions of payback are understandable for Maguire and his Tigers colleagues, given the X-rated events on the south coast on October 15 when the visitors imploded in a shocking 6-1 reverse to Eddie Howe’s side – in a nightmare first top-flight game in charge as full-time manager for Mike Phelan.

Hull’s performance – famously branded as ‘gutless’ by captain-for-the-day Curtis Davies – stank the place out, with Maguire feeling the pain more than most in his maiden Premier League starting appearance.

Those 1,100 Tigers fans who made the epic trip to Dorset, also copped considerable hurt too and you sense memories of that awful autumnal afternoon will only fade if Hull take three points in convincing fashion in two days time.

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Added piquancy comes in the fact that Hull face a ghastly run of league fixtures against Chelsea, United, Liverpool and Arsenal following this Saturday’s game, meaning the stakes could not be higher this weekend.

Offering firm perspective to Hull’s 2-0 midweek reverse at Old Trafford, Maguire said: “I think if you had said which game would you prefer to win, you have got to say Bournemouth at home in the Premier League. That is the main priority.

“To get through to the League Cup final would be a remarkable achievement. But the main aim is three points on Saturday and hopefully we can get that.

“It was a bad day for us there and a little bit of revenge would be really nice.

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“It was an afternoon where everything went wrong and I think they had six chances with six goals, really with four from set-pieces.

“But they deserved the win that day and it was a bad performance from ourselves and disappointing for the fans who travelled all that way down.

“Hopefully on Saturday, we can repay them and get three points what we desperately need.”

Not for the first time this season, Hull have been handed disruption ahead of another keynote fixture, with the early exit of Markus Henriksen, stretchered off with a shoulder injury, adding to the club’s current selection crisis.

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Down to their last 15 fit professionals ahead of Tuesday’s Old Trafford date, Hull needed Henriksen’s injury like a hole in the head and while Marco Silva only ‘celebrates’ one week in charge today, he is already likely to be familiar with the English footballing term of ‘down to the bare bones.’

Despite the disruption, Maguire believes that Hull let themselves down in no way whatsoever, with the animated way in which relieved home manager Mourinho celebrated Marouane Fellaini’s late second goal with considerable gusto indicative of the frustration that the visitors caused the hosts.

Maguire believes it should at least provide some solace to Mourinho’s fellow Portuguese Silva ahead of his first league game in charge.

Maguire said: “He (Silva) has come across really well. We didn’t expect it ourselves (Phelan going), but all the lads are buying into what the new manager is bringing into it.

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“We are organised and it is just a case of changing a few bits and bobs. It’s been a bright start, but the main focus now is Saturday.”

From a personal perspective, Maguire, who marshalled Hull’s makeshift defence well on the night, also justifiably took plenty from a game in which he was one of the stand-outs of those who strode out for the visitors.

Granted, he would have preferred the late twist in the tale from Fellaini to have not occured.

He added: “When you are coming to places like Old Trafford a 1-0 defeat is not bad. We could have taken them back to a packed-out KCOM where anything can happen.

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“The second goal was a killer. We felt comfortable in the game. If they open you up with one-twos or a goal from 30 yards, you hold your hands up.

“But it was two crosses and we should be doing better.

“But we have got to take plenty of positives from that performance into Saturday and hopefully we will get the result that we all need.”