City thrust themselves into the title race with a huge away success
Barry Cooper Hull City correspondent
09:00, 01 Feb 2026
Lewis Koumas bagged the winner at Ewood Park
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Lewis Koumas bagged the winner at Ewood Park(Image: Alex Dodd/Shutterstock)
In-form Hull City made it four straight league wins and as many in a row on the road after finally breaking down Blackburn Rovers' stout resistance.
It may have taken more than 300 minutes of action across two league and one cup game to score, but for Lewis Koumas and 3,000 away fans, it was worth the wait.
Koumas' 81st minute goal was enough to seal an eighth away win of the season and move City up to third in the Championship, just five points off the top with Tuesday night's game in hand against Watford to come.
Instant impact
Lewis Koumas couldn't have wished for a better introduction to City's supporters, scoring the winner in front of a big away following four minutes after coming on and only nine minutes from time.
The youngster only arrived late in the week, but after coming on with Kyle Joseph he latched onto KJ's perfectly weighted pass before steadying himself and firing in the corner.
He should have claimed an assist too, with a lovely ball through for Joseph, who saw his shot well saved by the goalkeeper. In truth, KJ should have buried it.
My eyes are bleeding
Every interaction with Sergej Jakirovic is memorable and his post-match interview was more of the same. He knew it was a tough watch, summed up by admitting that the game hurt his eyes.
Ultimately, that didn't really matter because in the end his side got the job done and made it a fifth league clean sheet in their last 10 games.
City have now won 16 games, with eight coming away and the same at home. Good sides win ugly, and as pretty as it was at Deepdale and at times in Southampton, this was not that. But it was still three points and at this stage of the season that's all that matters.
A little over 24 hours to go
The Tigers have a day of the window left to finalise any late business. It's already been a hugely productive month for the club with the arrivals that have already come through the MKM Stadium doors.
Given all bets are often off in the final 24 hours or so, it would be a brave man or woman to predict what may or may not happen between now and 7pm on Monday night.
History suggests there could be some late drama because City are a club that often tries to conjure up something right until the final moments, and even beyond, so let's see what Monday brings.
A big following rewarded
Around 3,000 fans turned out in force at Ewood to back their side, and for long periods they were frustrated at what was a really scrappy, disjointed display.
All of that was forgotten when Koumas slammed in the winning goal in front of them. What had been a frustrating afternoon suddenly turned into a memorable away day.
City's fans have a huge role to play in the final weeks of the season. Their support cannot be underestimated, especially at the MKM Stadium over the next month with four league games to come.
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Attention turns to Tuesday
City face Watford on Tuesday night in that rearranged game from the first few days of January. Temperatures are forecast to be low, so let's hope all eventualities are covered.
Joking aside, the return of the Hornets sparks a flurry of home games for the Tigers, with Bristol City, Derby County and QPR to follow closely, along with the small matter of that FA Cup meeting with Chelsea.
That gritty win over Swansea City last weekend was crucial, and saw Jakirovic's side respond well to defeat against Stoke City in their previous home outing. It's now huge for them to create some momentum at the MKM Stadium and create a mammoth gap.
What an opportunity it is to not only close the gap on leaders Coventry City to two points, unthinkable a few weeks ago, but more importantly create an 11-point gap to Derby County, who occupy seventh place just outside the top six.
Manager of the Month
And finally, after being nominated twice and missing out, Jakirovic must be close to finally winning the prize. After losing at home to Stoke City, City have won all four league games since, including big wins at Southampton and PNE. His main competition comes from Boro boss Kim Hellberg, with the Teessideers winning all five following their own New Year's day defeat at Derby County.
If he's not to make it third time lucky in terms of winning it, he's certain to be nominated again. While not a massive thing in the grand scheme of things, being nominated three times in five months is quite something.
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