Hull City 1 Sheffield United 0: Ugly is beautiful for Tigers as Ivor Pandur piles on agony for Blades
SERGEJ Jankovic had been hankering for a ugly, solid home win and his wish was finally granted.
Just a second clean sheet on home soil arrived in 26 matches for Hull City. More importantly, it arrived with three points.
Somewhat inevitably, Hull had a big scare to secure it.
It came late on when Sheffield United were afforded a precious chance to level from the penalty spot after Semi Ajayi clumsily felled fellow replacement Danny Ings just inside the box.
Another replacement in Harrison Burrows, usually so reliable from 12 yards, stepped up. Ivor Pandur guessed right and flung himself to his right to keep out his opponent’s weak spot-kick.
It just about summed things up this season for United, who suffered an eighth loss in nine league matches this term. They need to find answers pretty fast in the international break following a truly dreadful opening to 2025-26.
The winning goal arrived on the half-hour with a first goal in English football for David Akintola after his shot took a deflection off Chieo Ogbene.
It was a day when Hull, with a predilection for entertainment, but not necessarily always points, got serious and ground out an important victory and ended a run of four successive wins in East Yorkshire for the Blades, who were desperate for a confidence rush on fertile ground.
There was more food for thought for Chris Wilder, allowed to take his place on the touchline, despite his dismissal against Southampton.
Ahead of the game, he spoke about United being ‘battered and bruised’ and there were a few more punches here, certainly a hefty one late on.
City mixed the pack with four changes, three of which were in attack, with Darko Gyabi, Akintola and Joe Gelhardt handed starts alongside ex-Blade Regan Slater. Gyabi started as the ‘10’.
United made a change at left wing-back with Sam McCallum coming in for Burrows.
Alex Matos got the nod in central midfield, with Tom Davies dropping to the bench - with Wilder no doubt conscious of workload after the former Everton man’s comeback in midfield against Southampton in his maiden appearance of the campaign following injury.
It was a pretty scrappy first half in truth, but the fact that Hull scored once and didn’t concede will have been received gladly by Jakirovic.
In a game where you sensed that the first goal would be super-important, Hull did just that; forget the fact that it was against the run of play.
United were slightly unlucky given that Akintola’s effort took a significant deflection off the shoulder of Ogbene, but the visitors’ attention to detail on either flank was poor.
A raking long pass from Charlie Hughes, one of the few players to look the part, found Lewie Coyle on the right flank and in too much space for Wilder’s liking, no doubt.
His fine pass evaded everyone in the box, but found its way to Akintola, who again had too much room, with his drive diverted into the net.
United had threatened down the right with their axis of Gus Hamer and Ogbene. The pair combined shortly before Akintola’s goal with the former’s drive ratting against the neat post. The fortune went for Hull - who lost former Blade John Lundstram to an early injury with little sympathy coming from Unitedites - at the other end.
Aside from the goal, the Tigers’ only other dangerous moment saw Gelhardt slip in Slater, whose goalbound shot took a key deflection off Mark McGuinness.
After little of note in the first half, McBurnie soon arrived early in the second half.
Profiting from an error from Ben Mee, he drove towards goal and skipped a couple of challenges before seeing his shot with the outside of his foot saved by Michael Cooper.
Towards the other end, United were seeing plenty of the ball, but were guilty of not doing a great deal with it and needed to be more assertive.
They did briefly threaten when Hamer’s drive was turned away at full-stretch by the under-worked Pandur, while Hughes made an excellent last-ditch challenge to deny Campbell.
United, who had started to ring the changes by then with Danny Ings thrown on up front with Campbell, knocked on the door but they were hardly barging it open.
Late on, the visitors went close to leveller following a mad scramble in the six-yard box with substitute Matt Crooks clearing close to the line.
The stage was then set for Pandur, with the tin lid on a desperate start to the season sealed for United.
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).
Attendance: 21,030.