Hull maintain unbeaten home record with entertaining draw against Everton
Hull retained their unbeaten home record since returning to the Premier League with an entertaining 2-2 draw against Everton at the MKM Stadium.
The Tigers have returned to the top flight with an unexpected bang, tasting defeat for the first time in their final fixture before the international break at the hands of Newcastle.
Brennan Johnson found the net in the 34th minute but was denied a first Premier League goal for the Toffees following a VAR check, leaving the sides to go in goalless at the break.
The hosts wasted little time after the interval, however, as Joe Gelhardt opened the scoring in the 48th minute following an error by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall equalised seven minutes later, with Thierno Barry, who had squandered plenty of earlier chances, then putting the visitors ahead midway through the second period.
Hull responded swiftly, though, with substitute Mohamed Belloumi pulling the home team level in the 74th minute.
Johnson thought he had the opener 11 minutes before half-time after Barry unleashed a shot that was gathered by Konstantinos Tzolakis, with the ball rolling from his hands and fired in by the former Spurs man. But after a lengthy VAR check the winger was deemed to be offside.
Gelhardt and Nobel Mendy went close to easing the nerves of home fans with near-misses before half-time but it was not to be.
But the hosts did not have to wait long for the opener after the break as Sorba Thomas capitalised on a mistake from Maitland-Niles and fed Gelhardt, who coolly nudged the ball beyond Pickford in the 48th minute.
The Everton response was fairly rapid, however, and Maitland-Niles atoned for his slip-up by finding Dewsbury-Hall, who headed home in the 55th minute.
Barry, who had much to ponder after missing two earlier chances, then redeemed himself when he pounced to lash beyond Tzolakis to put the visitors ahead for the first time in the match.
But Hull, who had made a handful of changes, were not behind for long as substitutes Elliot Stroud and Belloumi linked up and the latter got his left-footed shot past Pickford in the 74th minute to secure a point for the Tigers.
