A poacher's effort from Michael Dawson ensured Hull City earned a point against West Brom, yet a sparse KCOM crowd would have been wondering what could have been if the Tigers could have produced the same quality in the first half as they did in the second.
West Brom dominate the first half
Despite the Baggies coming into the match with the lowest average possession in the Premier League, Hull set out to let them enjoy the ball as the hosts managed just 18% of possession in the opening 20 minutes. The Tigers did not help themselves by continuous poor passing that allowed West Brom to run the tempo of the game and it was only a matter of time before they would inevitably be punished.
Perhaps more surprising than the visitors opening the scoring was the manner in which they scored considering how much of the ball they saw. The opener came from a corner as poor marking from Curtis Davies allowed Gareth McAuley to stride in and give West Brom the lead. Michael Dawson was then almost made to pay for the same mistake moments later as Hull failed to organise themselves from set-pieces.
The hosts respond
Yet a change of personnel, formation and attitude turned the game on it's head. Adama Diomande replaced Ryan Mason, granting Robert Snodgrass the freedom and space to roam the pitch and take charge of the game. Combined with a more defensive outlook from the visiting side, Hull began to look more threatening and started to formulate some free-flowing phases of football that put West Brom under pressure, with Jake Livermore stepping into more advanced areas.
Eventually the hosts were rewarded for their endeavour as Dawson reacted quickest to a Snodgrass free-kick to draw Hull level. After managing no shots at all in the first half, Hull contributed eight in the second period and it was the central defender who struck the crucial effort.
West Brom did come out of their shells as Hull sat back oncemore and the visitors had chances to win the game, most notably Salomon Rondon in the final minute as the Tigers' central defenders continued to look suspicious in the air. However, one defender who added to his stock for the hosts was 17-year old Josh Tymon who kept the dangerous Matt Phillips quiet for large chunks of the game.