This tie isn’t over. Manchester United may head to Hull’s KCOM Stadium with a 2-0 lead from the first leg at Old Trafford, but the Tigers put in a decent showing that night in spite of their injury woes and have strengthened since with transfers to kick off the Marco Silva era.
The Humberside outfit impressed at Chelsea on Sunday, too, matching the in-form league leaders for much of the 90 minutes plus stoppage time, and although the EFL Cup may be seen as a distraction from the important business of avoiding relegation, Silva will be keen to nab a big result to really announce his arrival in English football and silence the sceptics that claimed the club had made an error in looking abroad to replace Mike Phelan.
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It would be a shock to see Hull overturn the deficit and book a trip to Wembley, but stranger things have happened in the beautiful game and Man United really do need to be wary of the gold and black-clad side. Here are three reasons why…
Hull’s Silva lining
West Ham 1-0 Hull – Phelan
Hull 0-3 Manchester City – Phelan
Hull 2-2 Everton – Phelan
West Brom 3-1 Hull – Phelan
Hull 2-0 Swansea – Silva
Man United 2-0 Hull – Silva
Hull 3-1 Bournemouth – Silva
Chelsea 2-0 Hull – Silva
Pundits sneered at the foreigner they hadn’t heard of when Hull appointed Silva as their new manager at the turn of the year, but the Portuguese tactician looks to be laying the foundation for a push to avoid what was a seemingly inevitable relegation under Phelan. The ex-Estoril chief has experience when it comes to managing teams with relatively limited budgets and quality, while he’s also shown an ability to manage bigger stars effectively after winning silverware with both Sporting CP and Olympiakos in his homeland and Greece respectively.
A quick glance back at the last four results of Phelan’s Hull reign and the first four of Silva’s time with the Tigers shows an upward curve too, with two wins from his opening quartet of matches. The losses came in expected fashion away at Man United and Chelsea, but there must be a new feeling of confidence around the KCOM Stadium given that they’ve beaten Swansea and Bournemouth – two decent, football-playing teams.
Silva will be desperate for a headline-grabbing result to really launch his side into the latter stages of the campaign, and with defensive solidity and attacking verve (well, in comparison to the Phelan days) in more plentiful supply, Humberside could be a tough location for Man United.
Man-mountain Maguire
Hull were somewhat unfortunate against Chelsea on Sunday. Granted, they didn’t do enough to lay claim to a win at the home of the league leaders, but they put in a good account of themselves and looked a match for the Blues for much of the clash.
One of their standout players was defender Harry Maguire, who really shone during the first-half in a libero role, which allowed him to get forward and play the ball. His build, 6ft. 2” and broad-chested, suggests that the ex-Sheffield United man should not be a potent threat going forward, but Chelsea struggled to deal with him for much of the opening 45 minutes, plus stoppage time, with only the half-time hooking of Curtis Davies and a the subsequent switch to a four-man rearguard stifling him.
Evandro-Hernandez axis
Snapped up from Porto, Evandro looks to be the technician Hull were crying out for during the latter weeks of 2016. While Robert Snodgrass has been effective, the Scot cannot be relied upon week in, week out (plus he may be off anyway) and the Brazilian appears to be a decent option alongside the more physical Abel Hernandez, who has recently returned from injury.
The Tigers are among the lowest scorers in the Premier League with 20 goals in 22 games, but with the South American duo effectively a new frontline, that could quickly change.
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