The goalless draw at Watford on Saturday might be the last for Hull City in their chase for a spot in the Championship’s top six.
Dan Bachmann stopped Ozan Tufan’s penalty after ten minutes, and even though the Hornets goalkeeper made several late saves, City failed to find a breakthrough that would have moved them to within four points of Norwich with their remaining game on Wednesday night.
Liam Rosenior’s team is still in the hunt, but they are aware that winning the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday requires three points, and losing will mean the end of their journey.
Here are a few key talking points from City’s second straight goalless draw against the Hornets at home.
A big chance missed
Prior to the game, City was aware that they needed to win, and they were not going to be able to do that. They had a great start to the game and could have won it if the penalty had been called. In football games, moments count, and that particular moment came and went, leaving them to lament.
Watford let up chances, especially in the last ten or so minutes when Dan Bachmann produced some vital stops to keep out Matty Jacob, Jacob Greaves, and Fabio Carvalho. It will be frustrating because, for the most part of the first half, City didn’t produce enough goals for a team that needed to win.
To be fair, the hosts had some excellent opportunities of their own that they were unable to take, so it would be difficult to argue against a draw as a fair outcome.
Rosenior’s booking
Referee Ben Toner’s booking of the City manager during the second half of the match at Vicarage Road may have indicated the Tigers’ dissatisfaction with the way the game was going.
Referee Ben Toner disregarded strong calls for a penalty against Liam Delap, who looked like a real threat after breaking past his man and almost taking off his shirt. Alfie Jones was called for a near-identical foul on the edge of his own box a few seconds later at the other end.
Although Rosenior makes a valid point in not allowing two penalties to be given away from home, this shouldn’t be the case. Every foul committed in the penalty area should be given if there are ten of them. Given that it was a ridiculous penalty given early in the game, City shouldn’t be penalised for receiving one.
Tufan’s terror
Seven days after being the hero of last week’s fantastic goal and Man of the Match performance against his old club, Tufan had a forgettable seven days. It surprised me that Bachmann saved his relatively mild penalty. With the possible exception of Carvalho, the Turkish sensation is the player you want to take the penalty kick for City.
Though it wasn’t in their favour, this was one of those crucial moments when he’s usually accurate from 12 yards. Normally, you’d be backing him to slam the net, but his run-up shape made him a little too obvious. But it does happen, as demonstrated by Manchester City’s loss to Real Madrid in the middle of the week. I wouldn’t worry about him accepting another spot-kick from City if that happened on Wednesday.
In an odd coincidence, it’s also the second penalty that City has seen saved against Watford this year, as Ben Hamer beat away Jaden Philogene’s spot kick in the rematch in December.
Matty’s mission
There were some excellent performances despite everyone’s frustration at losing, and Matty Jacob was one of them. He made an excellent clearance in the first half, putting his head where it hurts, and an even more impressive sliding tackle to deny Emmanuel Dennis in the second half.
To ensure he got them exactly right, he needed to read the game expertly and time them perfectly. If he didn’t, he would have been in hot water for goals or penalties.
One of the season’s many positives has been Matty Jacob’s rise to prominence. He will be an important member of Rosenior’s team going into the following one.
Still alive – just
This felt like a crucial game, of course. This felt like a huge opportunity to really get ground, with Norwich dropping two points and West Brom losing, which you wouldn’t have expected. Unfortunately, City hasn’t been able to capitalise on those two teams’ recent point losses, and it seems like they’re setting themselves up for failure.
Their only remaining option is to travel to Coventry on Wednesday night and win the match, which will undoubtedly not be simple. It will be interesting to see how the Sky Blues fare in their FA Cup semi-final and what kind of shape they’ll be in. What is certain is that Mark Robins’ team understands they must prevail.
They will have to be far more clinical in the midweek than they were here, but three points in the Midlands means it goes to the weekend and that’s all you can do.
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