Hull City secured a startling 2-1 home victory, defeating Champions Leicester City at the KC Stadium
Adama Diomande surprisingly put Hull City ahead on the stroke of half time. The Foxes went on to equalise through a Riyad Mahrez penalty but Robert Snodgrass snatched the victory with a 57th minute strike.
Incidentally, Leicester’s setback saw them become the first reigning champions side to lose on the opening match of a season in the Premier League era.
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Hull City
Eldin Jakupovic – 6: Had a surprisingly quiet day at the office. Dealt with the limited amount of saves he had to make comfortably. No chance on saving the penalty.
Ahmed Elmohamady – 7.5: Had to revert to right-back due to injuries yet was excellent on the day. Anticipated the play well and had an influence on the winning goal.
Jake Livermore – 7: The central-midfield managed to hold his own in the central-defensive role. Makeshift.
Curtis Davies – 7: The central-defender put in a strong performance. Single handily carrying the Hull defense with the extreme amount of injuries. Leader.
Andrew Robertson – 7: Managed to temper Mahrez’s influence on his wing which forced him to play centrally later in the game. Promising.
Tom Huddlestone 6: Played the defensive-midfield role well. Unfortunate to give away a penalty in a seemingly clean tackle. Solid.
David Meyler – 7: Tenacious performance in the centre of midfield. Was effective in both halves of the field to drive his team to a victory.
Robert Snodgrass – 8.5: His trademark free kicks were on show as the right-midfielder made his return to the Premier League. Finished his goal well in a match winning performance.
Sam Clucas – 7.5: Recycled possession well on the left-side of midfield whilst combining well with his central-midfielders. Composed performance from the youngster.
Adama Diomande – 7: Worked the attacking channels tirelessly to create havoc for the Leicester defense. Bright. Credited with the opening goal in a ‘double bicycle kick’.
Abel Hernandez – 8: Superb overhead kick to help open the scoring. His predatory instincts were on show to give Hull a surprisingly lead. Deadly.
Leicester City
Kasper Schmeichel – 6: Made an excellent save before the opening goal but had no chance on Hernandez’s overhead effort.
Danny Simpson– 4: Yellow carded early in the game and looked out of sorts for the majority of the match. Substituted late on.
Luis Hernandez – 4: Was uncomfortable in his new surroundings, understandable but not acceptable.
Wes Morgan – 5: Missing his regular central-defensive partner in Huth and the excellence of Kante. Got caught out on occasion.
Christian Fuchs – 5.5: Yellow carded early. The Austrian did have one good chance going forward but was largely limited.
Andy King – 5: Was largely ineffective throughout the match and was subsequently replaced by Amartey.
Daniel Drinkwater – 6: Was Leicester’s best passer on the day but did not have his usual influence on the match. Restricted.
Riyad Mahrez – 6: Did nott look at his best with some sloppy passing. The occasional glimpse of skill was not enough. Did calmly convert a penalty though.
Demarai Gray – 5: Started brightly but faded as the match progressed and was substituted for Okazaki. Drew the foul for his teams penalty. Inconsistent performance from the youngster.
Jamie Vardy – 5: His trademark finishing went missing on the opening day of the season. Let himself down with his efforts.
Ahmed Musa – 7: Exploded into space to set up strike partner Jamie Vardy on a number of occasions. Already looks vital to Leicester’s prospects this season.
Substitutes
Shinji Okazaki – 6: He worked as hard as ever but his team mates didn’t appear on the same wavelength. Would have liked to have had more impact.
Daniel Amartey – 5: Came on after Hull had taken the lead. Held his own in central-midfield but did not influence his team going forward.
Leonardo Ulloa – N/A: Had limited opportunity to influence the game as a late substitute for Simpson.
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