Hernandez returns to give Silva perfect start

THERE is already a season in Hull City’s history which has gone down in the club annals as their Great Escape, but Marco Silva began the quest to manufacture Mark II in perfect style at the KCOM Stadium.

Abel Hernandez’s brace, his first league goals since August, and a Tyrone Mings deflection saw the Portuguese coach’s Premier League dug-out debut end in a deserved comeback victory against a team that had thumped them 6-1 earlier this season.

The fans, though, are daring to dream that the 1998-99 season, when Hull retained Football League status despite starting January with only 15 points, can be emulated.

Silva is used to winning. Under him, Olympiacos did so 28 times in 30 attempts as they romped to the Greek title last season. And he is already having a significant effect on a team used to losing. Only once before this season had Hull overturned a deficit to claim three points.

‘I believe in our team and I believe in our quality,’ Silva said. ‘If I did not believe I would not have come here.’

His team had to overcome the concession of Junior Stanislas’ third-minute penalty, but has clambered off the bottom of the table, leap-frogging Swansea and Sunderland.

With Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal representing Hull’s next four fixtures, it meant this was the proverbial must-win match for the club’s 39-year-old coach. Yet it could not have started any worse, as Harry Maguire, playing out of position at right-back, was sucked into a needless challenge on Ryan Fraser to give the penalty.

Bournemouth had a monopoly of the ball for 30 minutes, but Eddie Howe’s defence was missing the suspended Simon Francis and Chelsea had recalled Nathan Ake from loan.

Andrew Robertson’s delicious centre invited Hernandez, starting for the first time in more than two months after a groin injury, to nod in a far-post equaliser. Then, four minutes after the re-start, the Uruguayan forward tormented Mings and fizzed his low shot past Artur Boruc.

Suddenly optimism pervaded the East Yorkshire air as Tom Huddlestone’s innocuous shot was re-directed into the net by Mings’ chest.

‘I’m happy the fans were singing my name,’ said Silva. ‘It was a wonderful atmosphere, and we are going to need that.’