Newcastle United 2 Hull City 1: Tigers' improvement comes too late to save unbeaten Premier League start
If only the game had started after a quarter of an hour, Hull City might have been pleased with their day's work.
The longer the second half went on against Newcastle United, the more St James' Park held its breath. The announcement of a minimum of six added minutes drew groans.
Lewie Coyle's overhit cross in the fifth added minute brought cheers of relief.
Hull had solved the puzzles Matthias Jaissle's team had caused them, and created an ever-increasing amount of problems themselves. The problem was, the two-goal headstart they gave their hosts in the first seven minutes.
The Tigers' improbably unbeaten start to the Premier League is over, beaten 2-1, but a sobering start to the game made way for a far more encouraging finish. Hull would have taken eight points going into the first international break of the season, even if they will probably feel it could have been nine.
New players came off the bench and made a positive difference; there is definite scope for further improvement.
Jaissle sent his team out in a 4-1-4-1 that caused the visitors all sorts of problems. Whilst three central defenders were left to look after Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Yoane Wissa and Joe Willock had plenty of space behind him. And the Magpies concentrated attacks down Hull's right-hand side, overwhelming Coyle and Semi Ajayi.
Newcastle's first two goals came from there, inside the first seven minutes.
Recalled to the England squad the previous day, Lewis Hall weighted a wonderful pass to Joe Willock in the third minute and although John Egan blocked his shot, the ball came back to the midfielder for another go. This time he found the net.
Hull looked a bit bewildered by Newcastle's pressing, and when Hall robbed Oli McBurnie just inside the striker's half, he fed Harvey Barnes and got the ball back to place his spot.
It took until the 16th minute for Hull to look as though they had settled into the game, Lukas Hornicek giving them a sniff by lingering on the ball. Mohamed Belloumi tackled him, but could not force the ball past the goalkeeper.
Belloumi spread the ball nicely to Sorba Thomas – one of two Hull players making their first Premier League start, along with Lucas Herrington. Thomas' cross was punched away by Hornicek.
McBurnie found Matt Crooks who put the ball in, only for it to be cut out before Thomas could tap it in.
But Newcastle would come again.
Sean Steur was the latest player to make an overload down Hull's right, but Herrington was able to head Harvey Barnes' cross away.
Lewis Miley shot just wide and Jacob Murphy dragged a shot wide from outside the area.
For all that Hull had settled, Newcastle still looked more likely to score the third, a Murphy cross passed all the way through to Hall, who could not direct it on the stretch.
Just as the game was entering into first-half stoppage-time, Hull conceded a soft penalty.
Thomas fell in his own area and as he did, he flailed an arm out at Murphy's ankles and although contact was minimal, it was enough to persuade Tony Harrington and his video assistant, Peter Bankes.
To have conceded a third goal then would have been curtains for Hull, just as it was for Newcastle at Elland Road five days earlier. Konstantinos Tzolakis dived left to make a great save from Wissa.
The half-time introduction of Tim Iroegbunam helped things, though Mohamed-Ali Cho was the substitute who got Hull back into it.
Belloumi was their most likely player throughout and it was he who shot over whilst Murphy was down appealing in vain for a foul after a robust Regan Slater tackle.
Cho had only just come on to play left wing but he found himself in the inside-right channel when Belloumi's reverse pass picked him out. He picked his spot, in off the far post.
From there, Hull got on top, McBurnie holding the ball up well and Belloumi picking Slater out for a blocked shot. Hornicek then made an excellent save to deny Belloumi, whose next effort deflected for a corner.
Jakirovic threw on more attackers, changing shape to 4-2-4 in a desperate push for an equaliser. Iroegbunam came close to providing it, volleying wide.
Tzolakis still had to be alert, saving with his left foot from Barnes in the 84th minute, and Wissa put a weak shot wide on the counter-attack but they were rare shifts in the direction of play.
Belloumi's replacement, Joe Gelhardt, was at the heart of their attempts to force a late equaliser.
He weaved his way through, but an 85th-minute shot was blocked and scrambled away. He turned down an 89th-minute shot when perhaps fitter, he might have taken it on. As it was, he won a corner, then had a shot blocked from a flag kick won by Lucas Gourna. He volleyed wide when it came back to him.
The second goal was just not coming. But it was to Hull's credit that the St James' faithful sat squirming all the way through their attempts to find one.
Newcastle United: Hornicek; Miley, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Steur (Schar 66); Murphy, Willock (Bamba 87), Wissa, Barnes; Fernandez-Pardo (Toure 74).
Unused substitutes: Pope, Pivas, Thompson, Salia, M Miley, Mills.
Hull City: Tzolakis; Coyle, Ajayi, Egan (Vaz 78), Herrington, Giles; Crooks (Iroegbunam HT), Slater (Gourna 78); Belloumi (Gelhardt 83), McBurnie, Thomas (Cho 63).
Unused substitutes: Phillips, Hjerto-Dahl, McNair, Stroud.
Referee: T Harrington (Hartlepool).