Millers Mauled By Tigers

Hull City 4 Rotherham United 1
Morton (5)                  Hall (59)
Philogene (9,48)
Twine (20)


Rotherham United’s travel woes didn’t get any better at the MKM Stadium last night when they never recovered from going two down in first ten minutes.

It took the hosts just five minutes to open the scoring when a Grant Hall back pass to Viktor Johansson put the Millers’ ‘keeper in all sorts of trouble although he came out to tangle with
Liam Delap who had got past the Millers static defence the loose ball finding Tyler Morton who slipped it into the back of the net. Just four minutes later a Jason Lokilo ball into the box hit the back of Rotherham defender Dexter Lembikisa and while the Millers’ defenders again stood watching it fell to Jaden Philogene who back-heeled the ball into the corner of the net to make it two-nil. Georgie Kelly won a free-kick which found Christ Tiehi his initial shot rebounding back to him, his second shot going way over the crossbar. Hull kept pressing and the Millers had to response and after Manchester City loanee Delap sent a good cross for Morton Johansson got down well to punch the ball away but it fell to Scott Twine who put the ball into the net to make it three-nil on twenty minutes. The Millers had a half chance a few minutes later when the ball found Jordan Hugill whose shot from outside the box bothered nobody before Philogene got the better of his marker and found Jean Michael Seri whose shot was identical to Hugill’s a minute earlier. Johansson did well to get to a shot from outside the box from Twine before he made a good save from Delap while Philogene saw a shot blocked. Kelly got the Millers a bit of reprieve by winning a free-kick which was put out for the first corner of the game but the resulting set-piece didn’t even go over the first defender. Twine was seeing a lot of the ball and when he sent a cross in for Jacob Greaves it was only some good goalkeeping from Johansson that put the ball out for a corner instead of ending up in the net. A foul on Greaves saw Hugill get the first yellow of the game before a similar foul on Hall by Delap saw the Millers get a free-kick. In time added on Seri saw Lokilo unmarked on the edge of the box sending him a lovely ball which he put just over the crossbar. I think it’s fair to say half-time came as a bit of relief for the travelling five hundred or so Millers fans.

But things didn’t get any better when just three minutes into the half Hull left the Rotherham defence in tatters and only a good save from Viktor Johansson stopped Scott Twine from making it four, unfortunately for the visitors there was no Millers player there to help clear and the ball went straight to Jaden Philogene to give the hosts a four-nil lead. Tyler Morton and Lewie Coyle worked well together the latter’s shot going high and wide followed by Coyle setting Philogene up for a shot which was blocked. The first change of the night saw Rotherham fetch on Arvin Appiah for Cohen Bramall. The Millers had a chance ten minutes into the half when Dexter Lembikisa found Ollie Rathbone just outside the box who brought off a good save from City ‘keeper Ryan Allsop. Just before the hour mark Rotherham won a corner which Rathbone took short to Appiah who put the ball into the middle which saw Grant Hall rise about everyone else to head home his first goal for the Millers. The cries of ‘we’re gonna win five-four’ came from the cold away end of the ground. A foul by Seb Revan brought him a yellow card which was followed by a double change for the hosts Jaden Philogene and Jean Michael Seri made way for Ozan Tufan and Adama Traore. Twine had a shot blocked before a header from Liam Delap was put behind by Johansson, the corner coming to nothing. A Rathbone free-kick found Georgie Kelly in the box his header going over which was followed by three changes for the Millers Tom Eaves, Lee Peltier and Jamie Lindsay taking over from Jordan Hugill, Grant Hall and Hakeem Odoffin while Hull brought on Aaron Connolly and Sean McLoughlin for Liam Delap and Cyrus Christie which was followed minutes later by Sam Nombe coming on for Georgie Kelly. Sean Morrison put a cross behind for a corner to Hull which Greaves headed just over which was followed by a rare foray up front for the Millers with Christ Tiehi getting down the pitch sending the ball to Appiah who saw his shot blocked. At the other end Twine sent a great ball for Tufan whose shot from outside the box went inches past the upright. Another change for the Tigers saw Regan Slater replace Tyler Morton. A Rotherham corner saw Lindsay have a shot saved with a poor challenge on Nombe earning a booking for McLoughlin. Hull finished the game with two corners before Rebecca Welch decided she, like the Millers fans, had had enough and blew the whistle.

Words failed me as I came home from Hull last night and they still fail me this morning if I’m honest. There was little to no fight in the Rotherham side last night and the defence started at sixes and sevens and got worse as the game went on and it was that defending that gave Hull their first two goals.

It was shocking.

Attendance – 19,766

Referee – Rebecca Welch