1 day ago
29
Stoke and Hull's Championship clash ended in an on-pitch brawl sparked by the latter's celebrations after scoring a last minute winner.
Joe Gelhardt scored a last-gasp winner for Hull to earn a 2-1 victory over Stoke, who had begun the day second in the Championship table.
Gelhardt had been played in by Mohamed Belloumi, with the forward scoring his ninth goal of the season.
A brawl appeared to have been sparked by John Lundstram upon the final whistle, after the Hull star gestured with his finger to his mouth in front of the Stoke fans.
Stoke's Ashley Phillips was seen pushing Lundstram, with Hull's Gelhardt and Kyle Joseph joining to defend their team-mate.
Further players from both teams then became involved in the incident, with coaching staff and security then intervening.
Stoke and Hull players clashed at full-time after the latter claimed a last gasp 2-1 victory
John Lundstram had gestured to the Stoke supporters after the final whistle in the match
Stoke's Ashley Phillips confronted Lundstram following his gesture to spark the brawl
Supporters were also seen throwing objects onto the pitch as the brawl continued.
Belloumi had attempted to apologise to the Stoke supporters in a bid to defuse the situation.
Lundstram, Phillips and Joseph were all booked by the referee following the incident.
The result had seen Hull move into the play-off places in the Championship ahead of the 3pm kick offs.
Stoke had led the match with Sorba Thomas scoring a first-half wonder goal to give Mark Robins' side a deserved lead at the break.
Skipper Aaron Cresswell's corner was headed out by Ajayi but the loose ball was thumped into the roof of the net by Thomas from 16 yards.
The Wales international's latest goal-of-the-season contender was his seventh in 18 second-tier games since a summer move to the Potteries.
But for the Hull goalkeeper, Stoke would have been out of sight by half-time - as they were against Charlton in midweek.
South Korean Bae Junho's 20-yard attempt was arrowing into the bottom corner only for Pandur to keep it out.
Players from both sides were involved the incident, which required security and coaching staff to intervene
Stoke had led early in the match through a stunning goal from Sorba Thomas
Hull turned the match around in the second half, with Joe Gelhardt scoring a late winner
Hull shook off their overworked defensive duties to fashion a first effort on target but John Egan's 41st-minute header was easily gathered by Viktor Johansson.
Unsurprisingly, Hull made changes at half-time with Belloumi and Kyle Joseph replacing Darko Gyabi and Joel Ndala.
Within two minutes of the restart they had levelled. Johansson kept out a fierce Ryan Giles shot at the expense of a corner but could not stop Ajayi heading in Belloumi's assist, with no flag raised for either offside or handball against the substitute.
Hull now looked the team most likely and Johansson saved Gelhardt's effort at the second attempt after 62 minutes.
Only a stunning tackle by captain Lewis Coyle denied Stoke as Junho closed in on Junior Tchamadeu's cross, while Tatsuki Seko's header was flying goalwards until blocked by Egan.
John Lundstram might have won it with a late volley for the visitors, but when Belloumi played in Gelhardt, Hull's top scorer did the rest in the closing moments.
