One-nil home win is manna from heaven for Hull City, but familiar scoreline indicates real trouble for Sheffield United - final word

Ten wins by that narrow margin were registered in a campaign which would have yielded automatic promotion in any normal year.

In the present, the 1-0's are occurring with far more depressing regularity and it's a sign of real trouble.

The Blades have lost over half of their league games so far by a single goal in a ghastly start to 2025-26.

For Hull City, these sort of wins, more especially at home, are precious cargo and have been conspicuous by their absence for far too long. It’s a trend which has spanned several managers.

It explains why Sergej Jakirovic wore a look of contentment - albeit with a touch of relief - following events in East Yorkshire.

Relatively new to the Championship he may be, but the Bosnian already knows that such victories are the lifeblood for second-tier sides. This was the type of win he was publicly hankering for. Ugly; satisfying.

It has been continually proved that the secret to success at this level is not winning brilliantly all the time, but winning when you are not at your best, most of the time.

At the end of physically and mentally demanding three-game weeks which proliferate the second-tier scene, it’s a skill that comes into its own.

Dressed in a dark coat which would not have looked out of place on an undertaker, the mood of Chris Wilder - who knows rather more about this level than Jakirovic - was serious and sombre after the match.

In a typical Championship game as he rightly put it, his side huffed and puffed, but ultimately lacked that killer mentality; that ice-cold decision-making in the heat of battle to make the difference.

In the areas of the field where you need to hurt teams, the Blades carried paper swords. Some of their younger players are struggling to find their way into the season, while several of their good, experienced difference-makers have currently lost their mojo.

Wilder offered no relieving medicine. He has never been the sort to rub players' heads in consolation.

Early days it may be, but the league table arrests the attention. Last season's play-off finalists prop up the rest with a pitiful three points from a possible 27, three goals from nine games.

Following the break, United have six matches until the final international hiatus of 2025 in November. If the direction of travel doesn't improve by then, this season could well be about one thing. Fifty points.

The classic ingredients of a side bang in bother were there to see. Big chance just before the opponent's key breakthrough? Tick. A bit of misfortune for the goal? Tick. A huge opportunity spurned to restore parity? Tick.

Moments don’t get much bigger than Harrison Burrows’ late penalty, which was saved, much too easily by Ivor Pandur.

It was won by substitute Danny Ings, whose know-how in cannily making the most of Semi Ajayi’s clumsy challenge was comfortably the Blades’ smartest work all day. His cameo was a rare shaft of light.

Hull’s strike, a maiden one in English football for David Akintola, had an element of luck in deflecting off the shoulder of Chieo Ogbene and sailing past Michael Cooper.

Ajayi’s indiscretion aside, City’s game-management - Charlie Hughes was back to his best at the back with ex-Blade John Egan not far behind - was on point, especially given what had gone on before here.

All those in amber and black, from front to back, worked overtime to ensure that Hull recorded just their second home clean sheet in 26 league matches. This wasn’t a team of individuals, but a team looking out for each other who were prepared to get ugly. Whisper it gently, mind.

Hull possessed the winning mentality and won the big moments and Wilder wasn't particularly interested in the metrics which suggested United were okay, certainly in terms of shots, xG and possession, which outstripped the hosts.

It was a game lost not on tactics, but ‘in our changing room’ as he put it. His group did not make the right calls, quite simply.

While the Hughes-Egan axis earned merited kudos for Hull, there was early promise on that front regarding Ogbene and Gus Hamer. It was fleeting.

The pair combined with Hamer rattling a shot against the post. Soon after, Hull scored and while the deflection was a significant one, the space given to the supplier in Lewie Coyle and the inability to take care of Akintola was pretty sloppy.

On the restart, Oli McBurnie belatedly came to the party and only a key Cooper save stopped him from sealing the deal against his old side.

United made changes and had the territory, but tapped on the door as opposed to knocking it down.

A late scramble saw Matt Crooks clear off the line before Pandur took centre stage. ‘Thank God for Ivor’, Jakirovic later said. United would take divine intervention at present.

Hull City: Pandur; Coyle, Egan, Hughes, Giles; Lundstram (Hadziahmetovic 15), Slater; Gelhardt (Destan 82), Gyabi (Millar 62), Akintola (Crooks 63), McBurnie (Ajayi 82). Substitutes unused: Phillips, Drameh, Famewo.

Sheffield United: Cooper; Tanganga, McGuinness, Mee; Ogbene, Peck (T Davies 63), Matos (Barry 81); McCallum (Burrows 72); O’Hare (Ings 63), Hamer; Campbell (Cannon 72). Substitutes unused: A Davies, Bindon, Soumare, Seriki.

Referee: G Ward (Surrey).