Boro’s First-Half Storm Leaves Hull Reeling
Alright, let me walk you through what happened in this wild Championship clash between Hull City and Middlesbrough, because this one felt like it was over almost as soon as it began. The game had already been delayed by 15 minutes thanks to brutal weather and travel issues, but honestly, that delay didn’t slow Middlesbrough down one bit. If anything, it was Hull who looked like they were still stuck in traffic.
Right from the opening minutes, Boro came out firing. David Strelec set the tone in the ninth minute when a loose ball fell kindly for him in the box, and he tucked it away with real composure. That early goal seemed to rattle Hull, and instead of settling, they got worse as the half went on. Middlesbrough sensed it immediately and kept pushing with a confidence you don’t usually see from a team playing away in tough conditions.
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Just after the half-hour mark, Alex Gilbert—making his first appearance of the season—stepped up with a crisp, low strike from about 20 yards that flew into the corner. That made it 2-0, and at that point you could almost feel the frustration pouring out of the Hull players. Three minutes later, Morgan Whittaker cut inside and curled in a gorgeous third. The Tigers were stunned, and the home crowd wasn’t quite sure what they were watching.
But Boro weren’t finished. A minute before the break, Riley McGree poked in a fourth goal after the Hull defence had parted far too easily. Going into half-time 4-0 down at home, Hull looked completely shell-shocked. They hadn’t managed a single shot in the entire first half, and it showed.
To their credit, Hull reacted after the interval. They pressed higher, moved the ball with a bit more bravery, and eventually won a penalty when Joe Gelhardt was clipped in the box by keeper Sol Brynn. Gelhardt converted it confidently for his tenth goal of the season, pulling one back for pride more than anything else. But even then, a comeback was never on the cards. Middlesbrough simply managed the rest of the game calmly, knowing the hard work had already been done.
For Boro, this was the perfect night: four goals, three points, and a second straight win under new boss Kim Hellberg, who seems to have injected instant belief into the squad. They stay second in the Championship and continue to close the gap on leaders Coventry. Hull, meanwhile, missed a chance to move into the top three and instead remain stuck in mid-table, still dangerous in attack but far too open at the back.
In short, Middlesbrough arrived late but delivered early—so early that by half-time, the result was already wrapped up with a bow.
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