Hull City defeated Preston North End 2-0 thanks to goals from Abel Hernandez and Curtis Davies.
Hernandez was in the right place at the right time as he got his second goal of the season. Neil Kilkenny attempted to clear the ball from the Preston area, only for his ball to deflect off the Uruguayan and into the goal.
Hull sealed the win in the last ten minutes with Davies thumping in a sensational volley directly from a corner to seal the three points for Steve Bruce's side.
Big Changes
Six changes were made to the Tigers side which won in midweek against Rochdale. Eldin Jakupovic, Ryan Taylor, Alex Bruce, Harry Maguire, Isaac Hayden and Greg Luer made way with first team regulars such as Michael Dawson, Allan McGregor and Ahmed Elmohamady return.
Meanwhile Preston made four changes to the side which upset Watford in the cup in midweek. The notable change was John Welsh returning to the club he played for a decade ago. Paul Gallagher made the cut up front ahead of Jermaine Beckford, who wasn't deemed fit enough.
The first half was all Hull as the home side dominated what was a quiet opening period. Dawson had to be vigilant to stop Joe Garner from being in on goal with what was the first meaningful chance of the game.
It took the Tigers ten minutes to register a chance on goal, despite their dominance. A counter attack saw David Meyler play through Hernandez, who fired his shot over the bar. Hernandez was the player in the action for Hull as he almost scored 17 minutes in after 'keepr Jordan Pickford spilled the ball, but the Preston man foiled the record Hull signing.
'Lucky Goal'
However the former Palermo man finally got his goal, albeit an opportunistic one. Preston midfielder Kilkenny attempted to clear the ball but as he did it deflected off Hernandez and into the net for his second goal of the season.
Hernandez almost grabbed a second but if not for Pickford, who was in fine form for the visitors. However the teams went in at half time with Hull one up and deserving of the scoreline.
It was a tame start to the second half as it took until the hour mark for any notable action to occur. Hernandez the man again in action as he linked up well with Andy Robertson but the Scotsman's shot went wide.
Maloney's Debut
From one Scot to another as new signing Shaun Maloney came off the bench to make his debut for the Tigers. However Preston almost had the equalizer as substitute Alan Browne headed over from close range.
The visitors should have taken the chance however as Hull doubled their lead with a cracking goal from Davies. The defender who had a point to prove to boss Bruce before the season, fired in a volley straight from a corner.
The game ended with Hull dominating and showing off their promotion credentials with a strong win over Preston. Hull boss Bruce will have been happy with the win, with all areas of the team looking solid.