Full Time
Hull City and Ipswich Town drew 2-2 at the MKM Stadium in Matchweek 9, with Julio Enciso rescuing a point for Ipswich in the 74th minute. Florentino Luís had put Ipswich ahead in the 22nd minute, then Tim Iroegbunam and Oli McBurnie (from a free kick) turned it round for Hull inside ten minutes of the second half. Hull's lead lasted just six minutes before Enciso levelled, so they stay winless since August and move to 11 points. Ipswich get to 8 points, still deep in the relegation fight but with a handy reminder they can come from behind.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Stakes: Hull are 9th on 10 points after Matchweek 8, which is a lovely place for a newly promoted side to be looking down from. Ipswich are 19th on 7 points, one above bottom-placed Coventry, so a defeat at the MKM Stadium puts them in proper trouble. Win and Ipswich are suddenly mid-table-ish; lose and the panic starts early.
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2Head-to-head: These two were Championship regulars a season or two ago, so this is a reunion rather than a rivalry, and both are back in the top flight after going up the hard way. Hull got here through the 2026 play-off final against Middlesbrough, their first Premier League season since 2016-17. Ipswich are on their second promotion in three years, which is either impressive or a sign they enjoy a bit of drama.
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3Player to watch: Mohamed Belloumi, who came off the bench to rescue a 2-2 draw with Everton and is one of the first names on fantasy football teams. Ipswich have shipped 17 goals in 8 games, so he is the one to watch. Say he looks like a bargain and you will sound like you have been paying attention all season.
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4The subplot: Gary O'Neil only took over at Ipswich in June, and the results since have been patchy, including a 3-2 loss at Manchester City and a 1-0 defeat at Everton. Hull are unbeaten at home in the league this season, so something has to give. We could not find confirmed team news ahead of kick-off, so check the line-ups before you commit to any strong opinions.
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5The hook: Hull opened the season by beating Manchester United 2-0, and they have kept being awkward ever since. If you want a team to root for from the neutral seats, a promoted side with a record 18 summer signings and a home record to protect is a decent shout. Preview models give Hull about a 54% chance, with 1-1 the single likeliest scoreline, so the smart bet is to say it will be tight and look wise either way.
Team Talking Points
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1Hull lost 1-0 at league leaders Arsenal on Saturday. Martin Ødegaard pounced on a rebound in the 72nd minute after Hull's keeper parried a Noni Madueke shot. Losing narrowly at the Emirates is no disgrace for a promoted side, and Hull fans know it.
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2Manager Sergej Jakirovic was bullish afterwards. He reckoned Hull were the better team on performance and had enough chances to win, adding that the side is 'still growing'. Arsenal fans would disagree, but it's a nice sign that he's not playing for damage limitation.
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3The season started like a dream. Hull had seven points from their first three games and briefly sat second, behind only Manchester City. They haven't won a league game since August, though. It's a winless run of the sort that slowly turns a fairytale into a relegation conversation.
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4Jakirovic only arrived in the summer of 2025 and took Hull up through the Championship play-offs at the first attempt. That's a genuinely impressive bit of work, and Hull fans are still very much on his side. Credit him and you'll be on safe ground.
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5The last outing before Arsenal was a 2-2 draw with fellow promoted side Ipswich, where Hull let a lead slip. Jakirovic publicly demanded better 'control' when they're ahead. Throwing away winning positions is the recurring theme of their autumn.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Hull went to the Emirates and made Arsenal sweat. They just need to remember how to actually win one before the winless run starts to matter.
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Avoid saying
"Hull will be straight back down" — said with total confidence in August, it looked silly when they were second in the table, and fans have not forgotten who was saying it.
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1Ipswich lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, so they go into the break 14th and without a league win in five games. Bournemouth are flying, with eight straight wins, so it's not exactly a shameful defeat. Still, a five-game winless run is the kind of stat Ipswich fans are counting.
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2The opener came after just five minutes, when Evanilson dispossessed keeper Christian Walton and finished with a no-look effort. It made him the first Bournemouth player ever to score in five Premier League games in a row. Unfortunately for Ipswich, they became a footnote in someone else's record.
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3The second goal was cruel. Ryan Christie's shot deflected in off Leif Davis for an own goal. Jack Clarke pulled one back from the penalty spot, but Ipswich couldn't find an equaliser.
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4Gary O'Neil is the man in charge now, after spells at Bournemouth and Wolves. Under him Ipswich have a stubborn streak: they have the best record in the league for winning back points from losing positions. Mention that and you'll sound like you've done your homework.
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5Before Bournemouth came a 2-2 draw at fellow promoted side Hull, a properly chaotic end-to-end game. Ipswich are safely clear of the bottom three for now. The aim this time is to avoid going straight back down, which is what happened after their last Premier League visit in 2024-25.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Ipswich never know when they're beaten, which is great, but they could do with not going behind quite so often.
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Avoid saying
"Ipswich are just here for one season again" — they've heard it every week since promotion, they're sitting comfortably mid-table, and they'd quite like you to look at the actual league table.