A devastating first half performance featuring commitment, slick passing and tidy finishing sees the Tigers reach the half three goals up against illustrious Scouse opposition.  This is Hull City though - after two second half Everton goals the Tigers hang on for a fine win.

Report by Matthew Rudd.

"Please don't take my City away", we sometimes used to sing. Right now, it appears our City really has been taken away and replaced with a collection of focussed, skilful, motivated and caring footballers. But, well, if this really is our City, then certainly we don't want them taken away. They're giving us, for the moment, some of the most thrilling spectacles of football we've witnessed in a while.

The wonderful run in the Premier League in the autumn of last year was, for all its life-enhancing and eye-rubbing qualities, sprinkled with the dust of the unknown. Part of the reason City beat Arsenal and Tottenham and frightened the hell out of Manchester United and Liverpool was because they didn't think they needed to research us much, and the element of surprise came into the equation. Once pennies started dropping, so did City's form, fortune and position in the table.

But now we're beating teams with quality and tactical acumen. The rest of the Premier League know who Hull City are and still can't overrun us, and while the supporters of these sides make snide comments about the manager's earpiece and skin pigment, the management teams maintain a respect for the Tigers in readiness for a battle. David Moyes is as quick to show respect as he is to receive it. And his depleted but still gifted Everton team needed to show plenty after a quite amazing encounter at the KC, because for the first half of the game they were comprehensively humiliated.

Beating Everton at home is a big old step. And City, revived City, rejuvenated City, took that step. Five undefeated at home, with a haul of 11 from 15. Fortress KC is coming back.

Taking to the pitch in swirling winds were...

Duke
McShane Zayatte Gardner Dawson
Garcia Marney Boateng Hunt
Geovanni Altidore

No Jimmy Bullard, whose legs were preserved after 180 minutes of heroics and will be back at the weekend. Craig Fagan had a shoulder problem and was replaced by Geovanni, with George Boateng starting for the first time in weeks as the midfield took on a more pragmatic look. Everton were missing Neville, Fellaini, Arteta, Bilyaletdinov and any number of others, but still had eleven proven, household names on the park and talent on the bench. They also had a couple of thousand travelling supporters who must have chosen to preserve their voices in order to spit maximum bile at the Merseyside derby this weekend, given their abject silence throughout.

The visitors had the early possession but Matt Duke was untroubled as City settled into the game. Richard Garcia, talented but probably misused, looked exhausted after five minutes, but the other greatly maligned figure in the midfield, Dean Marney, was in the mood. As if inspired by Bullard even in his absence, Marney couldn't replicate Bullard's vision or range but looked confident and willing both on and off the ball and turned in his best performance since those heady autumnal days of of 4-3-3 last year.

City took an early lead with the first real chance of the game. Hunt overlapped Geovanni's counter to get possession, then ignored the Brazilian's plea for a return ball to chip towards Jozy Altidore in the box. The hefty American brushed off two defenders and cannoned a shot right at his fellow countryman Tim Howard, with Hunt following up his own centre to drive the rebound home. His third of the season. Atidore didn't join in the celebrations, gutted as he was that another opportunity to break his Premier League duck had gone. But his time will come. He's doing just fine.

It was an unexpectedly brilliant start. City were galvanised, and Hunt was in his element. A skilful, chippy figure, full of running and happy to take stick as much he gives it, the Irishman's early season enthusiasm is as stark an example of the new broom within the club that Adam Pearson's return - or, as accurately, Paul Duffen's departure - has prompted. Hunt was as in the dumps and ineffective as anyone in the death throes of Duffen's spell at the helm. Now he looks like our most important player, especially as Bullard's fitness to play every game continues to need work.

Andy Dawson swerved in a high cross that Garcia won well at the far post to nod back across goal. Half-cleared, the ball reached Geovanni who took a touch on his chest before striking a controlled but vigorous shot which stung Howard's hands as he clung on to it. Promising stuff.

The Brazilian was then fouled just outside the box, and with no Bullard on the park and the placing more of use to a left-footer, the vastly underused and underrated dead ball talents of Dawson were caled upon. His troubles at left back have been much discussed of late, but there's no way Kevin Kilbane could put a ball into the top corner the way Dawson did. Even if you took away the wall and the goalkeeper.

The arc and accuracy of the ball as Howard's arms flailed miserably at it was the singularly most exquisite sight of the season so far. It was beyond beautiful. And that it was such a terrific, unfussy, loyal and untroublesome servant of the club who got it squirted cakewards a nice dollop of extra icing.

So, we're 2-0 up against Everton. This happened last season, and it ended 2-2 and we felt fortunate to end up with a point. Amidst the joyous chatter in seats was a desire to get a third before half time. For all the dominance, this was obviously too much to ask. Until four days earlier we'd never got three at home in the Premier League. So to do it two games in a row? Funny farm for you.

That we scored the third long before the half time whistle still told only half of the far-fetched tale. The other half was told by the identity of the scorer.

Marney was having a fine half, but among the many hundreds of faults the pickier element of City fan finds in him, the lack of accuracy in front of goal counts as one of the main ones. This is a player whose last goal of any description for the Tigers was a penalty at Barnsley in the promotion season. A good 18 months has since passed. He hadn't scored in the Premier League since that famous strike for Tottenham against, erm, Everton a whole five years ago. But at long last, via a Hunt pull back and a deflection off Tim Cahill, the non-scoring run of this energetic player came to an end. The way he sank to his knees and put his head in his hands upon seeing the ball nestle in the net suggested he had been praying for that moment for many a month. You'd like to think it'll inspire him to better things. Goals are as good a therapy as anything else for a footballer of obvious talent but reliant entirely on confidence to show it.

Kamil Zayatte could have added a fourth when he stuck a leg out at Hunt's curling free kick but failed to make contact. How we would later wish that the expression "Zayatte failed to make contact" would be apt - twice - as the game continued. Altidore then made room for an angled drive which flew just over as half time approached. And all Christmases had arrived together with a three-goal lead and some deeply upset looking Evertonians - once we remembered they were there - as the City players strutted off the park for the interval, chests out, shoulders back, feeling rather chuffed with themselves.

Now, look. This is Hull City. A three goal lead at half time against anyone is still relinquishable. We have history of cocking it up. Phil Brown's team talk must have been quite difficult at the break - trying to strike a balance between making sure the players didn't get complacent while also making sure he appreciated their work so far.

So, when Zayatte comically miskicked a Johnny Heitinga cross over Duke's head and into the City net fewer than five minutes after the restart, the KC's gravity took a collective downturn as around 22,000 hearts simulatenously sank. Little more than 15 minutes later. Zayatte's desperate challenge as Louis Saha stormed in on goal robbed the Frenchman of his legs and the penalty was given. Zayatte, a player who cries salt tears when things go wrong for him, could easily have been sent off (and for everyone's collective good it might almost have been kinder to do so) but saw just yellow. Saha sent Duke the wrong way and Everton suddenly had a whole 25 minutes to find an equaliser.

That they didn't get one was remarkable, as it was doubtful any City fan in the stadium felt the Tigers would be able to hang on for a 3-2 win. Everton had, however, achieved their partial comeback entirely through two calamitous acts from an opponent, and apart from one distant shot from the industrious Leighton Baines, they didn't create anything solely from their own efforts that constituted a chance. Indeed, when Duke dropped an eminently catchable cross under only mild pressure from Everton attackers, it seemed momentarily that City would be gifting their visitors all three of the goals they needed. This time the Tigers survived.

Garcia chested down Anthony Gardner's free kick and cut in from the wing before rasping a sturdy left foot drive goalwards which Howard had to bat away, then Paul McShane went on an incongruously winding run that suggested he'd been told to do what Bernard Mendy, the man he replaced, could do. Apart from the fouling, diving, sulking and malingering, obviously.

Altidore cut a disconsolate figure as he made way for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, but he needn't worry. His game is getting more and more suited to the Premier League with every appearance, and the goal he needs will come. He's still only a boy. Nick Barmby then replaced Garcia, and Kevin Kilbane later took over from Geovanni. The response for these two ex-Evertonians from the visiting fans couldn't have been more contrasting. Kilbane didn't have the temerity to leave them for Liverpool and duly win lots of trophies, you see. So they like him.

Everton squeezed every drop of defiance from the Tigers in the closing minutes, with Dawson, Gardner and finally Marney all having to commit acts almost beyond the call of duty in their own box to dispose of a cross aimed into the mixer by Baines. The impressive left back then had the chance in the third minute of injury time to ape - and overshadow - Dawson's extraordinary goal in the first half with a free kick in almost exactly the same spot. He hit the wall. The ball was belted clear, Hunt chased it down for the thousandth time and the whistle sounded. The joy in those cheers was as loud as you'll hear at the KC for a long time.

There are issues to sort, but gratiyingly, the absence of Bullard didn't really cause any of them. Geovanni's craft and the collective workrate of Marney and Boateng meant that the centre of the park had very little wrong with it. Zayatte's daftness is something he and we will just have to live with, as his power in the air and occasional tendency to go on wonky runs will always outweigh the odd brainstorm, though it'd be preferable if he never had two in a single game ever again. The defence generally still needs to convince but perhaps the simplest and best way to combat stinky moments at the back, at least until January, is to score more at the other end.

This really is that rare beast - a good time to be a fan of Hull City in the Premier League. Home form is good, goals are going in, our saintly chairman has had an instant impact and the crowd and players are proving to be mutually inspiring. As we prepare to go on our travels for the next two weekends, we can take not just mere comfort, not only meagre solace, but proper inspiration from the way we're playing right now. And if we can possibly have another 3-0 lead at half time this weekend, then there's only one place where Brown should hold his team talk.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): Duke; McShane, Zayatte, Gardner, Dawson; Garcia, Marney, Boateng, Hunt; Altidore, Geovanni.  Subs: Vennegoor of Hesselink (for Altidore, 75), Barmby (for Garcia, 78), Kilbane (for Geovanni, 87), Mouyokolo, Ghilas, Cairney, Myhill.

Goals: Hunt 9; Dawson 20; Marney 28

Booked: Zayatte

Sent Off: None

EVERTON: Howard, Heitinga, Yobo, Baines, Neill, Distin, Cahill, Rodwell, Pienaar, Yakubu, Saha.  Subs: Gosling (for Yakubu, 45), Jo (for Rodwell, 60), Nash, Baxter, Coleman, Duffy, Hibbert. 

Goals: Zayatte (og) 49; Saha (pen) 65

Booked: Cahill, Heitinga, Neill, Pienaar

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:    M Atkinson

ATTENDANCE: 24,685