Mohamed Belloumi grabs point for Hull in seesaw draw with Everton

Mohamed Belloumi shows his delight after equalising. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Richard Sellers/Apl/Sportsphoto

Mohamed Belloumi grabs point for Hull in seesaw draw with Everton

Hull retained their unbeaten home record since returning to the Premier League with an entertaining draw against Everton at the MKM Stadium.

Brennan Johnson found the net in the 34th minute but was denied a first Premier League goal for Everton following a video assistant referee check, leaving the sides to go in goalless at the break. The hosts wasted little time after the interval, however, as Joe Gelhardt opened the scoring in the 48th minute following an error by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall equalised for Everton seven minutes later, and Thierno Barry, who had squandered plenty of earlier chances, then put the visitors ahead midway through the second period. Hull responded swiftly, though, with the substitute Mohamed Belloumi pulling the home team level in the 74th minute.

The Tigers have returned to the top flight with an unexpected bang, tasting defeat for the first time in their final fixture before the international break at Newcastle. They were slow off the mark in the early exchanges here, but eventually produced a forward burst of play that saw both Oli McBurnie and then Lewie Coyle threaten before being thwarted.

Gelhardt caused danger with a run down the right in the 22nd minute but his shot was comfortably collected by Jordan Pickford. Matt Crooks got his head to a corner 10 minutes later, but James Tarkowski cleared and play sped to the opposite end.

Barry unleashed a shot that was gathered by Konstantinos Tzolakis, but the ball rolled from his hands and was fired in by Johnson for what appeared to be the opener 11 minutes before half-time. But, after a lengthy VAR check, the winger was ruled offside. Gelhardt and Nobel Mendy then went close to easing the nerves of home fans with near-misses before half-time.

The hosts did not have to wait long for the opener after the break though. Sorba Thomas capitalised on a mistake from Maitland-Niles and fed Gelhardt, who coolly nudged the ball beyond Pickford in the 48th minute.

The Everton response was fairly rapid, however, and Maitland-Niles atoned for his slip-up by finding Dewsbury-Hall, who headed home in the 55th minute.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall heads home to make it 1-1. Photograph: Lee Parker/CameraSport/Getty Images

Barry, who had much to ponder after missing two earlier chances, then redeemed himself when he pounced to lash beyond Tzolakis to put the visitors ahead for the first time in the match.

But Hull, who had made a handful of changes, were not behind for long as the substitutes Elliot Stroud and Belloumi linked up and the latter sent a left-footed shot past Pickford in the 74th minute to secure a point for the Tigers.

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David Moyes felt his Everton squad completely underperformed. Change is afoot at the club after it was announced earlier in the week they would be put up for sale, but their manager was in no mood for excuses after the draw.

He said: “I’m really disappointed that we didn’t come away with three points, I couldn’t see them getting a goal when we went 2-1 up – I thought if anything we would go on and finish it. It looked really unlike us, the way we gave the goals away today, it was very, very poor.

“Hull have had some great results here, against Manchester United and Villa, they’re not easy to beat and they weren’t [today] but I thought we should have gone on and won the game comfortably.

“The overall performance from everyone was so far below our level, way below where we should be. I’m not giving the players any room for excuses because of what’s going on, whether that be the transfer window or that be ownership.”