Lewie Coyle says Hull City never felt dead and buried at 2-0 down to Newcastle United

In the end, their optimism came to nothing, but only just.

Substitute Mohamed-Ali Cho's first goal in English football pulled the score back to 2-1 after goals inside the first seven minutes for Joe Willock and Lewis Hall, and despite huge pressure in the final half-hour, that was how it finished.

Hull's unbeaten start to the Premier League season is over, but captain Coyle still had cause for belief.

"We got to half-time at 2-0 and we're always in the game," he said. “We know we're going to have good chances to score goals.

"Then we were the team on top. The game was lost, if you like, in them first 20 minutes.

"When you give top-quality players that sort of time and space, then they're going to punish you."

Perhaps had Konstantinos Tzolakis not saved Yoane Wissa's softly-awarded 45th-minute penalty it might have been different, but Hull showed the spirit that has been their hallmark under coach Sergej Jakirovic.

"We've got loads of that in the dressing room," said Coyle, proudly.

"It's never going to be straightforward and you will lose games of football, especially at this level.

"But it's how we responded, which I'm really pleased with in the game. That's something to take on after this international break.

"Doing it in a tough atmosphere, going 2-0 down, games can go the other way if you're not doing the right stuff.

"It's never nice to lose but at the same time I’m proud of the way in which the lads responded.

"Against a top side in a tough stadium we showed a never surrender, never die attitude.

"I'm proud of the lads for the way we continued to battle back and nearly got that equaliser."

Both Newcastle's goals came down Coyle's side and he admitted his first weeks in the Premier League have not been easy, but feels he has taken to it well.

"It's tough," he said. "You only look at the level of opposition you're against every week.

"But it's an incredible experience and I feel like I've settled in nicely.

"There's a few of the other lads (having) their first time at this level but if you look at the core group that was here last season, there's a lot of them faces still in the starting line-up. So it's a nice balance.

"We're in a really nice spot and certainly enjoying the Premier League."