Abu Kamara struck late to rescue a point for Hull City in their battle to avoid relegation, as Coventry City were made to settle for a draw despite dominating much of the encounter at the MKM Stadium.
Matt Grimes looked to have sealed the win for the visitors when his deflected effort crept in just after the restart. But with Hull’s hopes fading, substitute Kamara’s speculative strike also took a deflection to beat goalkeeper Bradley Collins at the near post.
Coventry miss chance to consolidate
The draw keeps Coventry in sixth place in the Championship, three points clear of seventh-placed West Brom, but they will rue their missed opportunities. Haji Wright, the team’s leading scorer, was thwarted three times by Ivor Pandur, who also denied Ellis Simms and Milan van Ewijk in a busy display between the sticks.
The Sky Blues, missing key players Bobby Thomas, Victor Torp, and Ephron Mason-Clark, still managed to carve through Hull’s backline with alarming ease. But wastefulness in front of goal ultimately cost them the chance to secure a vital win in the play-off race.
Grimes opened the scoring in fortunate circumstances after his shot was deflected off Charlie Hughes. From there, Coventry dictated play and looked poised to secure a league double over Hull. However, their recent record against the Tigers now stands at just one win in six.
Kamara’s introduction proved pivotal. Linking up with fellow substitute Nordin Amrabat, the young forward saw his curling strike take a wicked touch off Jay Dasilva and beat Collins, sending the home fans into raptures after a largely frustrating display.
Manager Ruben Selles, deputising for suspended Frank Lampard, watched from the stands as his side failed to make their dominance count. Hull remain three points above the drop zone with four games to play, aided by a far superior goal difference.
“Coventry have been particularly good since Frank took over and we knew it would be a difficult game… The team showed character in the second half. The subs made a big impact and we managed to get the point and show we can be as competitive as anybody.” – Ruben Selles
Writer’s view
This was a classic case of fortune favouring the resilient. Hull were second-best for long spells but stayed in the contest thanks to Pandur’s heroics. Kamara’s deflected equaliser may not have been the most spectacular, but it could prove priceless in the survival scrap. Coventry’s inability to kill off games may haunt them as the promotion battle heats up.
