Hull City head coach Ruben Selles has admitted he was disappointed with his players response at going a goal down against Luton Town on Saturday.
The Tigers had the opportunity to extend the gap on the bottom three to six points when they hosted the Hatters at the MKM Stadium. They would have been full of confidence having not tasted defeat in four games, a run which included two wins and two draws.
The two relegation threatened teams played out a cagey first half and entered the break level. However, Luton took the lead in bizarre fashion less than a minute after the restart when Alfie Jones inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.
Hull failed to muster an immediate response and despite dominating possession, were unable to find a way back into the game. As a result, the East Yorkshire-based outfit have now been dragged back into the relegation conversation with just seven games remaining.
Selles Disappointed With Response
Hull now sit three points above both Derby County and Luton, with the Rams possessing a game in hand. After such a good run as of late, the result is a bitter blow. Following the game, Selles admitted he was disappointed with the response from his team after going a goal down:
“We are disappointed with the score. We can lose football matches – it will happen in our time here. I’m more disappointed in our reaction after 1-0 down. It’s an action we can avoid but things happen in football.
“It took a lot of time – more than 30 minutes – for us to react to that goal, start to play and put the opposition under pressure. We lost a little bit of our identity in those moments.
“I’m disappointed because I expect my team to come back quick and be able to put the opposition on the back foot and put them under pressure a little bit more.”
Writer’s View
This was a huge missed opportunity for Hull. A win would’ve seen them open up a six point gap over Derby County whist that would have extended to nine over Luton. As it now stands, the Hatters have moved to within three and have the momentum, having lost just one of their last five. The Tigers now face two tough away trips to Sheffield Wednesday and Watford, where their misery could be further compounded.
