Jakirović’s Hull remain unbeaten: “It would be ungrateful of me to regret the missed chances”

Hull City continue to impress on their return to the Premier League. After beating Manchester United and Coventry, Sergej Jakirović’s team held Aston Villa to a 0-0 draw and completed three matches without conceding.

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It would be ungrateful of me to regret those missed chances at the end because Villa also had chances to punish us.

Hull might have taken all three points late on. Mohamed Belloumi hit the crossbar, but Jakirović refused to dwell on the missed opportunities. “It would be ungrateful of me to regret those missed chances at the end because Villa also had chances to punish us,” the Croatian coach said.

He praised the way Hull coped with a demanding opponent and highlighted the work done without the ball. The players closed spaces, moved together and switched quickly into attack after winning possession. “It is not easy to be without possession for so long, but we showed outstanding willingness to run, move and reduce the space between the players, and then enough energy to be quick in transition,” Jakirović said.

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The point is great and this is a fantastic start for us.

Villa looked particularly dangerous at the start of the second half. Jakirović said Hull had made life harder for itself by losing successive duels for the ball, which led to two clear chances. Hull also had opportunities, especially in the closing stages, but the coach viewed the result as realistic.

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It is not easy to be without possession for so long, but we showed outstanding willingness to run, move and reduce the space between the players, and then enough energy to be quick in transition.

“I am a realistic person and I think this is a realistic result,” he told the BBC. “We gave everything. They had two clear chances, but we could also have won at the end. I will not be ungrateful, this is a great result for us.”

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I am a realistic person and I think this is a realistic result.