St Helens go second with hard-fought win over Hull

Moses Mbye scored St Helens' second try

Betfred Super League

St Helens (8) 16

Tries: Knowles, Mbye Goals: Feldt (4)

Hull FC (6) 10

Tries: Litten, Martin Goals: Hardaker

Tries from Morgan Knowles and Moses Mbye proved enough for St Helens to beat Hull FC and move second in the Super League table.

Knowles' run from halfway gave them the opening try after seven minutes and the boot of Kyle Feldt put them 8-0 ahead.

But Davy Litten pounced on a loose ball to score for Hull and leave them trailing only 8-6 at the break.

Feldt kicked a penalty to extend Saints' lead after the break, before Mbye scored a second try that made sure of victory despite Lewis Martin's late score for Hull.

It was Saints' 10th consecutive home victory over the Black and Whites and moved them second on points difference above Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors - who also have 32 points, but a game in hand - with Hull back in sixth.

Hull's Jed Cartwright was forced off with an injury less than five minutes into the game, and minutes later St Helens went ahead as Knowles burst through the tackle of Jordan Rapana on halfway and outpaced Zak Hardaker to the line.

Mbye then made a break, was tackled high, and Feldt kicked the penalty to make it 8-0, before Matt Whitley had a try ruled out by the video referee for a knock-on in the build-up.

The video referee then awarded Hull a try after Harry Robertson spilled a pass, which bounced in-goal, and Litten was first to it to get the visitors back in the game.

After the break, Hardaker missed a penalty that would have levelled the game, before Feldt landed his own attempt to edge Saints further clear at 10-6.

The hosts then gained control, and waves of attack were eventually rewarded as they ran the last tackle and Jack Welsby delayed a pass perfectly for Mbye to break the defence and score his first try of the season.

Both sides went close before Hull scored a second try with eight minutes remaining, as Aidan Sezer's perfectly floated pass sent Martin into the left corner.

Feldt missed a penalty that would have given Saints some breathing space, and they were forced to defend the last play of the game to hang on for victory.

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens told BBC Radio Merseyside:

"We've come off a couple of games where we've had some fun and scored some wonderful tries, but I felt we needed a game like tonight with what we've got coming up.

"Hull are a really gritty team and it's hard to find points against them. They work hard for each other and defend very well.

"But we've won another tight game and one where we inflicted too much pressure on ourselves at times."

Hull FC coach John Cartwright told BBC Radio Humberside:

"Physically, I thought they outweighed us a bit, and we found it hard to get out of our own end.

"We were confident at half-time and when you play with that much courage, sometimes you deserve a bit of luck, but it wasn't to be tonight.

"Jed [Cartwright] doesn't look good. It looks like it's his pectoral [muscle]. He's very good defensively on that edge and he's a handful with the ball."

St Helens: Welsb; Feldt, Robinson, Percival, Dagnall; Sailor, Mbye; Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Whitley, Knowles.

Interchanges: Lomax, Batchelor, Paasi, Delaney.

Hull FC: Hardaker; Barron, Briscoe, Litten, Martin; Rapana, Sezer; Ese'ese, Bourouh, Aydin, Cartwright, Lane, Fash.

Interchanges: Chamberlain, Cust, Ashworth, Laidlaw.

Referee: Liam Moore.