Abel Hernandez and Mo Diame net on their Hull debut in a pulsating 2-2 home draw with West Ham. Enner Valencia strikes on his first start for the Hammers, while James Chester remains on the bench after Steve Bruce shifts to a four-man defence.
Tigers New Boys in the Goals
Steve Bruce handed deadline-day buys Mo Diame and Abel Hernandez their debuts for last night’s encounter and was rewarded after the new boys bagged a goal apiece. Diame’s introduction saw Jake Livermore shift to the right flank as the Tigers boss opted for a 4-4-2, while Hernandez joined Nikica Jelavic up front, with Tom Ince – who had previously been fielded alongside the Croatian, dropping out of the matchday squad altogether. Hernandez’ opener certainly suggests he could prove to be an inspired signing by Bruce but with City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the next five, few will be looking to invest in Hull right now.
Chester Benched as Bruce Shifts Formation
After starting the first three matches with a 3-5-2 system, Bruce’s decision to opt for a four-man defence left James Chester’s Fantasy owners with a dilemma. Granted, the Hull boss switched tactics on a number of occasions last season but if he continues with a back-four, the 5%-owned Chester may struggle to climb ahead of Curtis Davies and Michael Dawson in the pecking order. Going on Bruce’s team sheets so far, then, left-back Andrew Robertson, at 4.5, seems the safest budget route into the Hull defence.
Valencia Helps Hammers to a Point
After playing just 22 minutes in the opening three Gameweeks, the Ecuadorian netted a superb long-range effort on his first start of the season. Sam Allardyce fielded all three of his new forwards together for the first time and altered his tactical approach, as the visitors lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation with Mauro Zarate tucking in behind Valencia and Diafra Sakho. While their two-goal haul will please the Hammers boss, his side have now failed to keep a clean sheet as he goes on the attack – with Liverpool and United next, defensive returns look hard to come by.
