Hull City 3-0 Liverpool: Premier League side humbled by Championship opposition as Brady, Koren and Simpson hit target

The visitors had Andy Carroll, Dirk Kuyt, Charlie Adam, Jay Spearing and recent signing Stewart Downing on the bench, and they all came on for the start of the second-half, but it was too little too late as they were already two goals down by that point.

Aaron Mclean fashioned the first opening of either teams when he turned and shot from outside the box, but the ball was always rising over debutant Alexander Doni’s goal.

Robbie Brady down the left hand side, but was taken wide by Martin Kelly and his weak shot was comfortably held by Doni.

The home side opened the scoring just after 20 minutes and their was nothing weak about this attempt.

Brady again burst down the left hand side, this time decided to cut inside, and the ball rolled just outside of the box before he curled home a fine effort past Doni.

Peter Gulascsi, on loan from Liverpool, denied David N’Gog with curled shot that was not to dissimiliar from Brady’s goal, but could only palm the ball out to Joe Cole, who ballooned the rebound over from six yards.

Robert Koren’s free-kick found an unmarked McLean who headed over, when he really should have tested Doni at least.

Hull found themselves two-nil up just after the 30 minute mark, Koren playing a one-two with Mclean before drilling a 20-yard left-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, which somehow squirmed it’s way past the Brazilian.

N’Gog felt he should have been awarded a penalty, after defender Paul McShane brought him down, but the referee got the decision right as McShane got the ball first, not the man.

The Irishman decided to have a punt from distance, but his reaction afterwards was that of laughter, but there was nothing funny about his attempt, as the ball always rising over the moment it left his foot.

The second-half started much brighter for Liverpool, and debutant Stewart Downing almost scored with his first touch, capitialising on a defensive lapse, but half-time goalkeeping replacement Matt Duke got down low to palm the winger’s right-footed effort around the post.

Downing again proved to be a nuisance, but his second shot at goal was comfortably held.

Andy Carroll headed a Charlie Adam corner of the back of team-mate Dirk Kuyt when it was going goalbound.

But it was Hull who extended their lead just before the hour mark with their first attack of the second-half.

The ball was crossed into the box and it fell kindly to Jay Simpson, who turned and shot completely unmarked.

He looked to be offside, but the linesman kept his flag down, and the striker sent replacement goalkeeper Brad Jones the wrong way.

Liverpool substitute Jordan Henderson bundled the ball home, but it was chalked-off for being offside.

The game ebbed and flowed, and Carroll worked his sock off up fron to no avail, and the Championship held-on well to secure a comfortable victory.