Oh.  My.  God.  A third relegation scrapper in a week is swept aside by the Tiger storm as Leicester are downed by an efficient performance and a goal in each half.

Report by Mike Scott.

Unstoppable. Relentless. Going all the way. Not terms that apply to News of the Screws front page starlet Paul Jewell. All are terms that apply to Hull City. As Adam Pearson shakes his head in disbelief at the avalanche of puns heaped upon his wandering manager, his successor Paul Duffen contemplates the Premiership. What a turnaround for Pearson. What a turnaround for the Tigers.

Leicester City, their existence bloated by European grant handouts from their ludicrous chairman Milan Mandaric but their season in tatters, were despatched by the rampant Tigerforce. The pre-match talk in the programme was of corners turned after last week’s 4-1 thumping of ten-man West Bromwich, but that was clearly a blip as thumpers turned thumpees in the teeth of another Tigers onslaught.

Unchanged, we began:

Myhill
Ricketts Turner Clement Dawson
Garcia Ashbee Marney Pedersen
Campbell Windass

JJ was absent from the bench and was denied his chance to waft his scythe through the Leicester defence, but Folan was ready to go. More of him later. The pre-match talk on the airwaves was of who might secure automatic promotion, none of the discussions mentioned City. Even after today’s win another witless Scouser Kevin Radcliffe snorted at “the likes of Hull City and Bristol City” challenging for the Premiership berths available. But those in the know will surely now take notice, City are the best side in the Championship on current form, and by a distance. Automatic promotion is perhaps already ours to lose.

It was a raucous Bank Holiday atmosphere that greeted kick off from a travelling City support perhaps 2,000 strong in a 30,000 gate. Leicester had the ball early but their passing was ponderous and laboured, whereas City’s was more crisp and incisive. Leicester were set up to defend, deploying a 4-5-1 formation with N’Gotty protecting the back four, Steve Howard as a lone striker and serial thorn in City’s side Barry Hayles hugging the left touchline. City were set up to attack, that’s always the case with these Tigers.

On 4 Windass won a free kick 25 yards out as he trapped the ball with his back to goal and received a very agricultural shove in the back. Whereas City’s defence made use of careful ploughing to break up Leicester’s attacks yesterday, the lunk-headed Leicester defenders McAuley and Kisnorbo preferred the hand grenade. Dean took the free kick himself and curled it on to the roof of Henderson’s net.

Seconds later Howard dispossessed a casual looking Garcia on halfway and fed Hayles on the left, who slalomed through two challenges and reached the byline before his low cross was ushered away by Dawson. It was clear from the off that Howard, in scarecrow mode standing up tall under the high ball, would win most headers but his direction of pass would be critical to Leicester’s attacking success. Too many of these headers clanged off him to City defenders throughout – Howard looked limited at Championship level, goodness knows what he looked like earlier this season for Derby in the Premiership.

On 14 a Myhill drop kick is worked from right to central by Ricketts and allowed Pedersen to find Windass in space. Dean conjured a tremendous lofted pass over the grazing Leicester defence and Campbell hared through, holding off the bullish advances of McAuley before rolling a low shot inches wide. As quarter time came and went, Leicester posed more attacking threat. Howard was tumbled by Clement wide right as they chased a punted clearance, then Howard and Hayles combined to carve an 18 yard shooting opportunity. Both of these chances, and several others, were spurned by the careless haymaker that is the right foot of self-styled Premiership “star” and wet-lipped whinger Lee Hendrie. Hendrie gave an absolute masterclass in how a once-decent player can believe his own hype, imagine he is far better than he actually is and make mistake after dreadful mistake while overestimating his own talent. He was fundamental to much of Leicester’s possession in the final third yet also fundamental to their inability to convert that possession into real chances.

At the other end Stearman’s clearance was intercepted by Ashbee and slipped to Garcia whose shot disappeared way over the bar. On 28 another Kisnorbo shove on Windass elicited a free kick 25 yards out and Clement struck a low left footer that Henderson clawed away at his left hand post – the first of a string of tremendous saves by the Leicester custodian, he was the main reason why City didn’t repeat their five goal haul against Southampton. Good chasing by Campbell won City a throw that Ricketts hurled onto Turner’s bonce, and his flick found the flying Windass 8 yards out - Dean’s shot was well struck but straight at Henderson who saved at the second attempt. Garcia tripped Hendrie and saw yellow, but the resulting free kick was wafted lazily onto the head of a City defender by the former Villa man.

On 37 Campbell and Pedersen worried the sheepish McAuley by the corner flag and after he was robbed, he hacked down Pedersen just outside the box. The free kick was dropped into the danger area and Pedersen and Ashbee both had close range shots cleared – the latter’s effort left him clutching his foot in pain after a brief attempt to run it off. Pedersen had another chance, which was skied, before the Tigers opened the scoring on the stroke of half time. Garcia placed a low cross into Leicester’s box and Campbell’s touch took him past his defender wide of the goal on the flank of the six yard box. His reverse pass fell kindly for Marney whose advance into the box was left untracked and Dean hooked a shot into the unattended goal. A relatively even half saw City go in one goal to the good. That’s the sort of thing promoted teams do, that is.

Dawson drew another fine low save from Henderson after McAuley fouled the onrushing Campbell before the half time fan’s penalty shoot out gave way to the second half. Etuhu was introduced for N’Gotty as Leicester returned to conventional 4-4-2, and I think it is safe to say that the young Manchester City loan winger gave the worst performance seen against City since … well, since Gregory Vignal last week. Suffice it to say, he was dreadful and utterly ineffectual. Ashbee soon succumbed to his first half knock and Walton replaced him, but this had no negative impact on City’s form and shape - indeed this was the best I’ve seen from Walton to date as he dominated midfield, passed sweetly and ultimately set up the winner.

The match took an upturn at this stage, and all the chances fell to the Tigers. Campbell twisted his way through a couple of tackles before a 20 yard shot was blocked, then Clement had a free kick rolled to him (Kisnorbo had shoved Windass yet again under a high ball) and he drew a wonderful save from Henderson. Walton fed Windass and he nodded into Campbell’s path but Fraizer was well marshalled and his shot was again deflected away. Leicester attacked briefly in numbers but the threat was removed once more by Hendrie smearing a through ball off for a goal kick.

On 64 Howard struck a low shot wide after Etuhu headed on a clearance, but seconds later City were up the other end as Marney robbed Hendrie on half way and lofted a ball over the back four for Campbell to chase. The chase was a no contest and as Fraizer entered the box Henderson dived at his feet, the ball continued in its path towards the goalline, Campbell hit the deck and referee Beeby awarded a penalty before issuing Henderson with a yellow card. Hendrie wittered away at the referee and taker Marney in petulant fashion as the kick was delayed, and when Dean finally stepped up his shot to the left was powerful but “at a good height” for the keeper who palmed it away.

The ebb and flow continued but Leicester’s final passes were always poor while City’s were cleared in increasingly desperate circumstances. On 71 McAuley finally saw a richly deserved yellow card as he lunged at Campbell, then Fraizer was left in a heap after an off-the-ball incident while the resulting free kick was cleared. Fearing Fraizer retribution and injury, Phil Brown wisely withdrew the young turk while he received magicspongeage and the powerful Folan entered the fray. Leicester bought on non-league tattoo pony DJ Campbell, withdrawing the utterly anonymous Fryatt. Campbell’s entry was greeted in seconds by Walton lofting another ball behind Leicester’s defence, which Folan chased down pacily while claiming a foul before scuffing a shot across the face of goal, finally evading Henderson’s heroics and nestling into the side netting for 2-0.

And that was about it. Leicester were now a spent force, Howard’s headers increasingly resembled clearances and Ryan France bounded on for a tired looking Garcia. The final moments on injury time saw DJ Campbell run at City’s back four and draw a foul from Turner. Myhill was booked for hoofing the ball away before Hendrie, scandalously allowed to complete the full 94 minutes of play, struck a low right foot shot that was deflected wide.

So, three more points. Once again there was a sense of inevitability about the result, the Tigers are simply an unstoppable force at the moment and watching them provides a warm glow of satisfaction that comes from the belief that whatever the opposition might do, City will better it before going on to win. I felt it against Southampton, I felt it at Colchester, I felt it at Leicester. All three teams struggling for their lives at the bottom end of the table, granted, but all three trashed by the rampant Tigers. Next up a truly massive, enormous, gargantuan game against draw specialists Watford. A win might take City top of the league. I’m dizzy, it’s high up here.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Clement, Dawson; Garcia, Ashbee, Marney, Pedersen; Campbell, Windass.  Subs: Walton (for Ashbee, 53), Folan (for Campbell, 73), France (for Garcia, 81), Hughes, Tyler.

Goals: Marney 45; Folan 76

Booked: Garcia, Myhill

Sent Off: None

LEICESTER CITY: Henderson, Kisnorbo, McAuley, N'Gotty, Stearman, Hendrie, Oakley, Clapham, Fryatt, Hayles, Howard.  Subs: Etuhu (for N'Gotty, 46), Mattock (for Clapham, 75), Campbell (for Fryatt, 75), Clemence, Wesolowski.

Goals: None

Booked: Henderson, Hendrie, Kisnorbo, Stearman

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:   R Beeby

ATTENDANCE: 30,374