HATTS OFF TO YOU LU

returning to Kenilworth Road in May, and the delighted boss said: “It’s a brilliant victory and well deserved for the way the lads dug in.

“We’ve come this far now but there’s still a lot of work to get over the line. We need one final big push.”

Hull can save themselves on the final day but need to win at Cardiff and hope other results go their way, along with a potential points deduction for Wigan being upheld.

After just one victory in their last 19 league games, boss Grant McCann admits it is a long shot, and with the Tigers facing a second relegation in four seasons, the Irishman said: “It’s mathematically possible for us to stay up and while that’s the case we’ll keep fighting.”

To the backdrop of fan protests outside the KCOM Stadium against the club’s owners the Allam family, McCann swung the axe, making six changes to the side humiliated 8-0 by Paul Cook’s Latics last time out.

That included dropping skipper Jordy de Wijs and a first league start in almost two years for keeper Matt Ingram. It had the desired effect as the Tigers at least put in a display to restore a measure of pride.

And they could have gone into the interval with a two-goal lead, but for a pair of crucial interventions from Simon Sluga. The Luton keeper had to be alert to tip George Honeyman’s free-kick over inside three minutes.

And he pulled off an even better save to keep out a point-blank glancing header from Mallik Wilks.

James Collins was lucky to receive just a caution for head-butting Angus MacDonald in retaliation to being fouled by the defender, and almost celebrated his reprieve with a goal when he was inches from connecting with a diving header.

It looked to be heading for stalemate until, with time running out, LuaLua plunged a dagger into the heart of Hull’s survival hopes.