Everton fell to a 2-0 defeat against Hull City this afternoon to see their losing run stretch to four games in the Premier League.

The Toffees were undone by two first-half goals at the KC Stadium as Ahmed Elmohamady and former player Nikica Jelavic secured the points for Steve Bruce's side.

Despite their efforts the visitors were unable to find a route into the game in the second half, with Antolin Alcaraz receiving a second yellow card late on to compound their misery and set Hull up for a winning start to the year.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed during the 90 minutes of action on Humberside.

© Getty Images

HULL CITY

Goal

Allan McGregor: Had next to nothing to do for large parts, although when he was called into action by Barkley in the second half he produced a fine save to keep his clean sheet intact. (7/10)

Defence

Ahmed Elmohamady: Loves getting into advanced positions, as all good wing-backs do, although his end product is often lacking. More than made up for that with opening goal which he glanced beyond Robles. (7/10)

James Chester: Returned to the side this afternoon following suspension, and he produced a solid enough display as he covered wide positions to thwart any Everton danger. (7/10)

Alex Bruce: Another fine showing from the centre-back, who has become a key player for this Hull side in recent weeks. Helped to deny the Toffees when they managed to get into advanced positions, with crosses into the box easily cleared away. (8/10)

Curtis Davies: Hardly the most testing of afternoons for the Tigers at the back, yet Davies did all that was needed to keep the opposition at bay. His challenge on Kone late on in particular caught the eye, allowing his side to build a counter-attack. (7/10)

Andrew Robertson: Returned to the starting lineup this afternoon but was replaced inside the opening 25 minutes following a poor challenge made on him. A big loss for Hull should he face a lengthy spell on the sidelines. (5/10)

Midfield

David Meyler: A really strong showing in the middle of the park from Meyler, who helped his side tick over while breaking down opposition attacks. (8/10)

Jake Livermore: Another of the players in the Hull engine room who helped take control of the midfield battle. Was not helped by a first-half yellow for challenge on Baines, but stood up to the task to help his side on their way to three points. (8/10)

Gaston Ramirez: Made way for Brady at the interval. Was not too involved in the opening 45 minutes, but it seemed a strange decision to replace him unless he had some sort of injury concern. (6/10)

Attack

Abel Hernandez: Arguably the best player on the field due to his tireless runs. He may not have found the net, but if he can replicate this performance in the coming games the goals will surely start to flow. (8/10)

Nikica Jelavic: Seemed determined right from the off to score against his former side, and he did exactly that shortly before the half-time interval when he coolly lofted the ball over the out-rushing Robles. (7/10)

Substitutes

Robbie Brady: Produced one of the passes of the season to send Hernandez on his way late on, although his teammate failed to tuck the ball away. (7/10)

Harry Maguire: Brought on for the final 25 minutes or so to slot in the backline, bursting forward down the wing on a couple of occasions which surely would not have pleased his manager too much. Did what was asked of him in defence, nonetheless. (6/10)

Liam Rosenior: Brought on in the first half to replace the injured Robertson, providing a perfect cross for Elmohamady to head home before himself leaving the field through injury. (7/10)

© Getty Images

EVERTON

Goal

Joel Robles: While he did well to keep out the majority of attempts on his goal, the Spaniard will be disappointed with his positioning for the second goal. Having raced out he then made it too easy for Jelavic to lob the ball over him. (6/10)

Defence

Seamus Coleman: Produced numerous runs down the right to help create a couple of openings which his teammates could not convert. Not hard to see why he has been linked with a move to Manchester United this week. (7/10)

Antolin Alcaraz: Can perhaps consider himself a little hard done by to have been shown a second yellow card late on, although even before that stage he looked poor. (5/10)

Phil Jagielka: Back in the side but unable to cover up the Toffees' defensive frailties. Everton have now gone 10 games without keeping a clean sheet which is simply not good enough. (6/10)

Leighton Baines: A few positive moments, particularly his pass for Lukaku which the Belgian should have buried, yet he was outjumped by Elmohamady for the first goal which proved costly. (6/10)

Midfield

Muhamed Besic: Replaced at half time as Martinez opted to make a double change, although there were probably more worthy candidates to be hauled off. Needs to improve his disciplinary record, seemingly picking up bookings just for the sake it. (6/10)

Gareth Barry: Another poor showing from the Englishman, who dropped into defence to help his team this afternoon. Was caught out a couple of times, though, and should have been shown a second yellow in the final 10 minutes. (5/10)

Kevin Mirallas: Another of those replaced at the interval, Mirallas looked to be one of the rare players to show some fight for the visitors. Martinez confirmed after the game that the Belgian is carrying a slight knock, which explains his removal. (6/10)

Ross Barkley: Produced a couple of his trademark barnstorming runs through the centre of the pitch, and nearly created a moment of magic only to be denied by McGregor's save in the second half. (7/10)

Steven Naismith: Played in a more restricted central midfield position at the KC Stadium, and although he missed a couple of chances, he looked one of the rare few able to make a difference when he got into advanced areas. (7/10)

Attack

Arouna Kone: Selected ahead of Lukaku, although he failed to push on from his goalscoring exploits against Newcastle United last time out, making little impact on the game. (5/10)

Substitutes

Bryan Oviedo: Did well when he came on at the interval, looking to carry the ball forward. The Costa Rican defender getting some game time under his belt is certainly one of the few positives for Everton supporters. (6/10)

Romelu Lukaku: A £28m gamble that has yet to pay off, Lukaku was left on the bench once more this afternoon before being introduced ahead of the second half. Wasted a glorious chance when picked out by Baines, but other than that he lived off slim pickings. (6/10)