Hull City vs Blackpool. Sky Bet Championship.
MKM StadiumAttendance19,170.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Hull City and Blackpool at the MKM Stadium as Oscar Estupinan earned a point for the Tigers after Jordan Thorniley's red card.
Monday 26 December 2022 18:12, UK
Ten-man Blackpool remain in the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone and without a win in seven games following the 1-1 draw at fellow strugglers Hull.
Sonny Carey put the visitors in a strong position when he capitalised upon poor defending after 28 minutes.
But the game pivoted around the dismissal of half-time substitute Jordan Thorniley, who was sent off just eight minutes after having replaced Luke Garbutt with a clear professional foul on Oscar Estupinan.
Hull have now not won at home since October 5 but secured a point their efforts deserved when Estupinan headed home Lewie Coyle's deep cross from the right after 77 minutes.
In truth, though, this is a scoreline that does either side few favours.
As has been their wont on home soil, the Tigers looked neat and tidy from the outset - but lacked clout and conviction in the first half.
Jean Michael Seri and Ozan Tufan were by far the best players on the pitch before the restart, with neat interplay between the pair leading to a fine chance after 12 minutes.
Tufan was played in by Seri into a dangerous area on the left. The Turkey international cut the ball back to Alfie Jones, whose rather tame effort in front of goal was deflected for a corner.
But just when it looked like Hull had the momentum to kick on, Blackpool scored.
Goalkeeper Matt Ingram's loose pass was charged down by Jake Beesley, who teed up Carey to do the rest.
Parity was, however, nearly restored moments later when Hull forward Estupinan was denied by a sharp finger-tip save from Dan Grimshaw.
The ball struck the crossbar, with defender Marvin Ekpiteta brilliantly heading clear the resulting skirmish from off the goalline.
Hull boss Liam Rosenior must surely have fancied his side's chances of claiming at least a point when Thorniley was dismissed for an obvious sending-off offence when the defender was sluggish to react to a speculative long ball through the middle.
Estupinan was far quicker than Thorniley and was brought down on the edge of the box - with referee John Brooks left with no option but to show a red card.
Hull bossed the game from there on in but Blackpool still created two big chances to put clear water between the sides.
Ingram was alert to keep at bay Carey after 64 minutes, after which Hull substitute Coyle thwarted Beesley when he was about to pull the trigger.
But Blackpool, perhaps justifiably, became jaded and eventually wilted when Estupinan outmuscled Ekpiteta in a central position from just outside the six-yard box.
Manager Michael Appleton, perhaps surprisingly, continued to urge his players to press high for a winner and felt Blackpool should have been awarded a late penalty when Jerry Yates went down inside the box.
Hull's Liam Rosenior: "We gifted away the first goal again. We were naive in our decision making but we created lots of chances - we just have to start taking them.
"People are now going to speak about playing out from the back. But playing out from the back gives you control and that's what we want in football games. We gave away a bad goal and we got punished. I'm delighted 2022 is over in terms of our home form."
Blackpool's Michael Appleton: "We came here with a clear plan and it was going perfectly until half-time. Even after the sending-off, the big chances in the game were ours. I'm not disappointed in the slightest in the way the players went about it.
"We're not a million miles away but the reality is that it (Blackpool's discipline) is hurting us. It's difficult to have a bit of a pop at players in situations like that but there's been one or two (red cards) that have been hard to stomach at times."
