Hull City ended 2024 with a huge, huge 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers thanks to a late goal from Ryan Longman and kept their first clean sheet in 127 days,
City roared in front 77 minutes in when Ryan Longman stepped off the bench to score his first Tigers goal in more than two years, delicately firing in after the away side won the ball high in the Rovers half.
Selles' side did ride their luck at times and perhaps, that little bit of luck which has escaped them at times this season, was shining on them in the Ewood Park gloom.
Head coach Ruben Selles made four changes to his side in a bid to freshen things up amid a hectic festive period but was unable to call upon Ryan Giles, who joined the growing list of influential absentees, with his place in the starting XI going to Matty Jacob. There were also returns to the starting XI for Cody Drameh in place of skipper Lewie Coyle, Xavier Simons in for the rested Steven Alzate and Abu Kamara came back into the team at the expense of Ryan Longman. Coyle, Alzate, and Longman were joined on the bench for the returning Harry Vaughan for the first time this season, more than two years on from his league debut at Ewood Park.
City had early shouts for a penalty on Kamara waved away by the referee before Rovers threatened when Callum Brittain's cross hit Jones and flew behind Pandur's post, with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot in what was a fairly frenetic opening ten minutes in the Lancashire rain.
Perhaps a moment to sum up Hull City's season happened after 18 minutes. Joao Pedro was down on the edge of the Rovers box, the Tigers were attacking and Kamara passed the ball at the Italian, still lying flat on the deck, hitting him in the head. Referee Whitestone bizarrely stopped play, waited for Pedro to emerge from his slumber and then gave City the ball back, much to the anger of the home fans. It was a really odd passage of play, and one that almost encapsulated the Tigers' year.
The best chance of the contest came just after what ended up being a fairly quiet first half-hour, when Jacob and McLoughlin were left trailing Amario Cozier-Duberry, who turned and angled a shot towards the far corner, which Jones got back to block brilliantly on the line with Pandur well beaten.
City huffed and puffed going forward, but failed to capitalise on a couple of poor passes out from goalkeeper Pears, with Slater seeing two shots blocked, coming after Burstow blazed over when his free-kick hit the wall and came back into his path. The hosts remained a threat in transition, especially down City's makeshift left-hand side with Jacob and McLoughlin having a challenging afternoon against Cozier-Duberry.
Rovers threatened at the start of the second half from a corner when Lewis Baker was left unmarked at the back post and Jones, again, was there to stop the ball being bundled in the back of City's net.
Just before the hour, Selles made a triple change with Lewie Coyle, Steven Alzate and Ryan Longman coming on for Jacob, Burstow and Simons, and that was closely followed by a double change from the hosts, with Andu Weimann and Yuki Ohashi coming on for Gueye and Dolan.
Rovers should have hit the front with just over 20 minutes to go after some serious indecision inside the Tigers box involving Drameh, Jones and Alzate allowed the ball to arrive at the feet of Cantwell to drag wide from eight yards, it was a rare sight of goal in a game of few clear-cut chances at either end.
Moments after a handball was given against Longman for the ball hitting him in the privates, Rovers sent on John Buckley in place of Baker following his booking with 15 minutes left.
The game turned on its head with just over 10 minutes to go when Longman finished brilliantly at the back post from Slater's clever ball into the box, despite it bobbling up at him, the winger controlled and volleyed into the net past the onrushing Pears. Longman had a chance to make it 2-0 moments later but his shot was well-saved by Pears scampering across his goal.
Tronstad and Cozier-Duberry were then replaced by Harry Leonard and Joe Rankin-Costello coming on in their place with John Eustace looking to spark another late show, while Selles was shown a yellow card on the sidelines.
Buckley was booked for a lunge on Kamara, who then had the ball in the net but the flag was up for offside, seconds after Puerta hit the post when he looked to have won the game after a clever move.
In added time, Jones made a brilliant block to keep City in front, but after a disappointing 2024, this is just the result City needed to give themselves a huge boost in their quest to move away from trouble.
Rovers: Pears, Brittain, Hyam, Batth, Beck, Tronstad (c), Baker, Dolan, Cantwell, Cozier-Duberry, Gueye; Subs: Toth, McFadzean, Rankin-Costello, Weimann, Hedges, Leonard, Buckley, Ohashi, Litherland
City: Pandur, Jacob, Jones (c), McLoughlin, Drameh, Slater, Simons, Puerta, Kamara, Pedro, Burstow; Subs: Racioppi, Coyle, Bedia, Omur, Longman, Alzate, Vaughan, Burns, Sellars-Fleming
Referee: Dean Whitestone
Attendance: 16,245 1,228
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