Newcastle United beat Hull City 2-1 at St James’ Park to end the visitors’ unbeaten Premier League start, with Joe Willock and Lewis Hall scoring inside the opening seven minutes.
Harvey Barnes created both goals, first releasing Willock to drive past Konstantinos Tzolakis from just inside the area after three minutes. Four minutes later, the winger supplied another precise pass for Hall, who found the bottom-left corner with a composed finish.
Newcastle had the opportunity to extend their advantage before half-time when they were awarded a penalty after Sorba Thomas was judged to have fouled Jacob Murphy. However, Yoane Wissa’s effort was kept out by Tzolakis, who went down sharply to his right and turned the ball around the post.
Hull emerged with greater purpose after the interval and reduced the deficit shortly after the hour mark. Substitute Mohamed-Ali Cho, on the pitch for only four minutes, produced a smart finish which clipped the post before nestling in the Newcastle net.
Hull press for an equaliser
The visitors continued to apply pressure during the closing stages, with Lewie Coyle and Ryan Giles repeatedly delivering crosses into the Newcastle penalty area.
The clearest opening fell to Tim Iroegbunam, whose close-range volley narrowly cleared the crossbar. Newcastle survived the late pressure to secure three points following their 4-1 defeat at Leeds on Monday.
Newcastle had started brightly and could have been further ahead before the break. A dangerous cross from Murphy went untouched by both Wissa and Barnes, while Hall later sent a back-post effort over the bar.
At the other end, Hull threatened sporadically in the first half, including when Mohamed Belloumi dispossessed Lukas Hornicek close to goal. The Newcastle goalkeeper recovered to smother the ball at the second attempt before the danger was cleared.
