Hull City and Everton drew 2-2 at the MKM Stadium on Sunday in a Premier League match that saw all four goals arrive in the second half. Joe Gelhardt put Hull ahead in the 48th minute, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall equalized in the 55th, Thierno Barry gave Everton the lead in the 68th, and substitute Mohamed Belloumi pulled Hull level in the 74th. Both sides stay unbeaten this season.
The first half was goalless. The second was the opposite, and by the end, neither side could say they didn’t deserve a point.
A Goalless First Half With One Disallowed Goal
Everton started brightly. Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis tipped away an early James Garner free-kick, and Jack Grealish sent a tame effort straight into his arms.
In the 34th minute, the visitors thought they had the lead. Tzolakis dropped Jarrad Branthwaite’s cross, Harrison Armstrong’s shot was cleared off the line, and Brennan Johnson blocked Ryan Giles’ attempted clearance into the net. After a VAR check, the goal was ruled out for offside against Johnson. Both sides had chances before the break, but it stayed 0-0.
Gelhardt Opens the Scoring
Hull took the lead just after the restart. Ainsley Maitland-Niles gave the ball away to Sorba Thomas, who slipped in Joe Gelhardt. In the 48th minute, Gelhardt dinked the ball delicately over Jordan Pickford for his first top-flight goal in over four years. He had replaced Belloumi in Sergej Jakirovic’s starting lineup.
Everton Respond
Maitland-Niles quickly made up for his mistake. In the 55th minute, his precise cross was headed in by Dewsbury-Hall, the first goal Hull had conceded at home this season.
Everton then went in front in the 68th minute. Dewsbury-Hall was involved again, setting up Barry, who curled the ball past Tzolakis just minutes after missing an open goal.
Belloumi Rescues a Point
Hull weren’t done. In the 74th minute, substitute Elliot Stroud skipped past Maitland-Niles and Garner and pulled the ball back for Belloumi, who took a touch and fired a low left-footed shot past Pickford to level the score.
Belloumi has now scored three goals and assisted two this season, a direct involvement in five of Hull’s eight Premier League goals, or 63%. It also raises a question about whether starting him from the beginning could have been the difference for Hull.
The Numbers
Everton had 10 shots in the first half, their most in an away match in the Premier League this season, but they failed to score in the first half of four consecutive top-flight away games for the first time since December 2024 under Sean Dyche. They finished with an expected goals total of 1.71 from 15 attempts, compared with Hull’s 1.33 from nine shots, and will feel they should have been more clinical.
David Moyes will take positives from Barry, who scored in back-to-back Premier League games for the third time and for the first time since January last season, despite missing several chances.
Everton have now gone unbeaten in the first six games of a Premier League season for the third time, after 2006-07 (the first seven) and 2013-14 (six). Hull remain unbeaten in their first three home games of a top-flight season for only the second time, the first being in 2013-14.
What It Means
For Everton, the draw leaves them searching for greater consistency in front of goal. For Hull, it extends a solid home start since returning to the Premier League and shows they can hold their own against established top-flight opposition.
