Hull City continued their unbeaten home record in the Premier League thanks to a 1-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
The home side took the lead in the 25th minute when Carlos Cuellar headed the ball into his own net under pressure from Yannick Sagbo.
Sunderland were put in an even more difficult position before the break when both Lee Cattermole and Andrea Dossena were shown red cards.
Below, Sports Mole takes a look at how Hull secured the win at the KC Stadium.
Match statistics:
Hull:
Shots 25
On target 2
Possession 70%
Fouls 16
Corners 4
Sunderland:
Shots 9
On target 1
Possession 30%
Fouls 11
Corners 2
Was the result fair?
Hull certainly deserved to collect all three points from the game due to their domination in midfield. It's not often that a team has 70% of the possession and although that was mainly because of the two red cards, Hull were in charge long before those incidents. In truth, the difference between the two teams is not that big but Hull performed slightly better today.
Hull's performance
The home side were absolutely superb in the first half. Their defenders were barely troubled and they passed the ball around brilliantly for most of the game. However, Steve Bruce will be slightly disappointed that his side only managed two shots on target against a team that played half of the game with nine men. Promising signs but there is more to come from Hull.
Sunderland's performance
The Black Cats have played a lot worse this season but that probably won't be much consolation for the club's supporters. Cattermole and Dossena forced Sunderland into an awful position at the end of an uninspiring first half display. However, the visitors showed great heart when they were reduced to nine men and they could have even snatched a point. Gus Poyet will be delighted with his side's second-half performance but his opinion of the two dismissed players will be very different.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Tom Huddlestone: The midfielder's stock continues to rise since his move to the club in the summer. Huddlestone's quality on the ball has never been in doubt but he is beginning to show how much of a good leader he can be for Hull. He was the outstanding player on the pitch this afternoon.
Biggest gaffe
To be honest, Cattermole and Dossena should probably share this honour but it's the latter who I will pick on today. Just moments after Cattermole had been shown the red card, and with his side under pressure, Dossena stamped on David Meyler to make life even more difficult for the visitors.
Referee's performance
It is difficult to see how even the most dedicated Sunderland supporter could point the finger at Andre Marriner today. The referee made the correct decision to send off both Cattermole and Dossena. He was given no choice by either player and he will be happy with his display in the middle.
What next?
Hull: Bruce's side face a difficult task next Saturday when they make the trip to face Southampton.
Sunderland: The Black Cats also face Southampton in their next game as they take on the Saints in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday.
Callum Mulvihill
