Hull City pile pressure on Southampton with routine win

Hull City had won just one game all season before facing Southampton

Will Still's tough start as Southampton manager continued as Hull City cruised to a 3-1 win in the Championship.

Still, who joined the relegated Premier League side in the summer, has led Saints to just one win in the league this season.

Despite having the bulk of the early possession, Saints went behind when Kyle Joseph turned the ball in after Gavin Bazunu palmed a header into his path.

Southampton started the second half well but could not find a cutting edge, and were made to pay when John Lundstram got his first goal since joining the Tigers in the summer.

Oli McBurnie ensured there would be no comeback when he rose highest to head in a third with 20 minutes to go before Adam Armstrong fired in a consolation goal deep in stoppage time.

Hull - who had won just once this season going into the game - move up to 13th in the table, leapfrogging Southampton who are 19th and two points off the relegation places.

Southampton have won just two league games this calendar year

After an uneventful first quarter the Tigers went ahead when Joseph diverted the ball past Bazunu - how much the attacker knew about the goal was debatable after Joe Gelhardt's header from Lewie Coyle's cross was pushed away by Saints' keeper.

Southampton's first chance of note came eight minutes later when Finn Azaz put Damion Downs through on goal, but the United States striker saw his low effort from the edge of the box slide wide of the far post.

Saints had an excellent spell of pressure in the first five minutes of the second half, but a lack of cutting edge meant only a deflected long-range Jack Stephens strike posed any danger.

A ball from Coyle was again the cause of the second goal as his floated pass was headed across the edge of the box by McBurnie and Lundstram was there to sidefoot home from 10 yards for his first goal since joining from Turkish aside Trabzonspor on a season-long loan.

Still reacted by bringing on Armstrong, Leo Scienza and Cameron Archer as he searched for a goal, but it was the hosts who made the game safe - Ryan Giles' floated free-kick from the left was headed home by the experienced McBurnie.

McBurnie almost got on the end of another chance a few minutes later before Armstrong made the score respectable as he chested down Ryan Fraser's pass before swivelling and shooting low past Ivor Pandur.

Still bemoans Saints defending - reaction

Southampton manager Will Still told BBC Radio Solent:

"I'm really disappointed

"I think we've worked incredibly hard on things out of possession, I think we've worked hard on things in possession.

"I think for large parts of that game we were totally in control, but we've just gifted three goals away.

"As long as we're defending like that we're not going to go anywhere.

"I'll take it on me, I'll take it as my responsibility and we just need to get on with things."

Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside:

"I'm very happy because the players put everything out on the pitch with energy, with intensity.

"We were struggling in some situations because Southampton is a very good team, invest a lot of money and they will fight for promotion for sure because this is traditional.

"I knew we wouldn't have the ball because they are very good in possession, but the plan was that we were compact if we are low or in the middle zone.

"At the end it succeeded because we scored three beautiful goals, especially with crosses, because when we analysed Southampton they struggled with controlling the players in the box."