HULL CITY RISE TO THIRD IN PREMIER LEAGUE AFTER CHELSEA DRAW

Hull City sat third in the Premier League with eight points after drawing 2-2 away at Chelsea, extending their unbeaten run to four matches, according to a report on the club's season. The result came little more than a year after Hull avoided relegation to League One on goal difference on the final day of the 2024-25 Championship season, when a 1-1 draw away at Portsmouth, combined with Luton Town's defeat to West Bromwich Albion, kept them up. Hull have also beaten Manchester United and Coventry City this season, alongside a draw against Aston Villa, the report said. Before the season began, pre-season predictions had tipped Hull to challenge Derby County's record for the lowest points total in a Premier League season, according to the report.

The report traced Hull's turnaround back to their Championship promotion campaign. A transfer embargo, imposed after the club failed to pay Aston Villa £1million for Louie Barry's loan fee, left manager Rubén Sellés unable to strengthen a squad that had scored the fewest goals in the division the previous season, the report said. Sellés was dismissed five months into his tenure. Sergej Jakirovic then took charge at the start of last season and led Hull to a sixth-place finish and a place in the play-offs, picking up 73 points while scoring 70 goals, according to the report. Hull beat Sheffield United via a late goal from Oli McBurnie in the Championship play-off final at Wembley to secure promotion, the report said.

The report noted Hull face 34 more matches in the Premier League this season and said the club will not be competing with Arsenal or Manchester City for the title by the end of the campaign. It described Hull's start to the season as remarkable, noting that scepticism about the club's ability to sustain their form was not without foundation given their recent history of financial and playing struggles. No further fixtures or results were confirmed in the report beyond Hull's draw at Stamford Bridge.