Second-placed Boro close gap on Championship leaders Coventry to seven points
Strelec steers Boro into ninth-minute lead, Gilbert doubles advantage
Whittaker curls in fine third, McGree makes it four before half-time
Gelhardt wins and converts penalty to pull one back for ninth-placed Hull
Kick-off delayed by 15 minutes due to weather and travel issues
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
All the noise, and the majority of the remaining crowd, are concentrated in one corner of the MKM.
The Boro fans have had a night to remember, and on this evidence they'll have plenty more to come this season.
Just a second win in eight away games but you'd never have known it from the swagger with which they have played most of the game.
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Riley McGree has been excellent tonight, up and down and scoring the fourth goal, and gets a deserved curtain call with Delano Burgzorg replacing him for the final five minutes and change.
Use yellow button on page, #bbcefl on X, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
Image source, PA MediaIt's about time we put a team to the sword. Whittaker after finally breaking his duck is now flying. Really pleased for him. The team as a whole has been fantastic, really clicking tonight.
Mark McElvaney, Middlesbrough
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Matt Crooks brings down Hayden Hackney with a rather crude challenge just outside the box on the Boro left. A frustrating night for the former Boro man.
Hackney takes it himself but his cross-shot is headed behind by Charlie Hughes.
That could have gone anywhere...
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Boro have scored four in the first half for the first time since they did so against Norwich in April 2023 but are keen on a fifth here as Sammy Silvera sees a 20-yard effort cannon behind off a defender for a corner.
Hayden Hackney gets a hero's reception from the travelling fans massed in the corner before he takes it but his deep delivery is narrowly missed by the stretching Matt Targett at the far post.
Two changes for Boro now, opening scorer David Strelec is off, as is Morgan Whittaker, who got the third, with Kaly Sene and Sverre Nypan coming on for the closing stages.
More headaches for the Tigers backline.
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Image source, ShutterstockSome lovely play from Hull, Regan Slater swinging a fine pass out left to Liam Millar who plays in the flying Ryan Giles on the overlap against his former club, but his low cross is cut-out at the near post.
Darko Gyabi and David Akintola are now coming on for Slater and Joe Gelhardt for the final 15-odd minutes.
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Matt Targett whips in a free-kick from the left which Lewie Coyle does well to head away, with Mo Belloumi completing the clearance via a nice one-two and a couple of shimmies on the tight hand side to beat his marker.
He's definitely caught the eye since coming on at the break. Good player last season too before suffering a serious knee injury. You might even see him light up the World Cup with Algeria next summer if he keeps this up.
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Mike White
Commentator on BBC Radio Humberside
We have said this this second half was all about damage limitations and they have done that.
They have probably been the better side this half as well.
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Alex Bangura's race is run, George Edmundson is coming on for him, while Sammy Silvera will replace Tommy Conway.
Matt Targett will likely revert to full-back.
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Boro threatening a fifth as Callum Brittain storms down the right and whips in a low cross which Ivor Pandur parries out at his near post, only to Hayden Hackney whose fierce follow-up deflects across goal and past the upright.
Use yellow button on page, #bbcefl on X, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
Never a penalty, there is absolutely NO contact. Gelhardt stubs his foot in the turf after he's passed the keeper. It's cheating yet he's got away with it.
Richard Hare, Scunthorpe
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
The good spell continues as Joe Gelhardt's far-post header earns a corner before Charlie Hughes glances across the face of goal from the subsequent set-piece.
Another Hull sub as Enes Destan is off with fit-again Liam Millar heading on.
Hull City 1-4 Middlesbrough
Neil Maddison
Former Middlesbrough midfielder on BBC Tees
Boro got really sloppy playing out from the back with a loose ball, and Brynn gets a connection on the player, so it is a fair decision.
It isn't a great penalty, it goes down the middle but it did the job.
Joe Gelhardt (pen)
Image source, Getty ImagesJuuuust.
Joe Gelhardt picks himself up and takes it himself, curling it down the middle and just about sneaking past the trailing studs of Sol Brynn, diving to his left.
That's 10 for the season for Gelhardt and the comeback is on... maybe.
Hull City 0-4 Middlesbrough
Sol Brynn wipes out Joe Gelhardt and City have a penalty.
On second glance there's not a lot of contact there. Brynn raced off his line to get to a weak backpass from Hayden Hackney on the edge of the box but Gelhardt nipped in just before to tap it round him and then went to ground after a very slight clip on his heel, when he might have had the chance to tuck into an unguarded net.
Hull City 0-4 Middlesbrough
Boro's turn to threaten, and boy do they look composed in tight spaces in and around the box, with Hayden Hackney sliding it left to Alex Bangura, who sees a low cross into the goalmouth well cut out by a sliding defender.
Hull City 0-4 Middlesbrough
Dean Whitestone has kept his cards in his pocket until now but has no choice but to whip out a yellow for Regan Slater as he hauls down Tommy Conway as he tries to break away through midfield.
One for the team, they are called.
Hull City 0-4 Middlesbrough
A shot on target for the Tigers.
A free-kick into the box from the left causes a melee with Alfie Jones and John Egan almost getting in each other's way until the ball drops to Egan to fire a low volley straight at Sol Brynn, whose name I write for the first time this evening.
Hull having a good spell...
Hull City 0-4 Middlesbrough
Peter Swan
Former Hull City player on BBC Radio Humberside
Boro are having to change the way they play, as they are not getting that space in wide areas that they were in the first half.
Hull have been the better of the two sides so far after the break.
Hull City 0-4 Middlesbrough
Former Boro man Matt Crooks is showing some fight in the second half, literally, flying into a fierce sliding tackle on halfway to win the ball firmly but fairly.
A relic of a bygone age, that challenge, on a slick surface with a five-yard follow through. Glorious.
Hull have certainly been better since the break, but the bar was fairly low to begin with.
This was the first time Middlesbrough had scored four goals in the first half of a match since a 5-1 home win over Norwich City in April 2023
Promotion-chasing Middlesbrough inflicted an emphatic defeat on Hull City after scoring four first-half goals.
The kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes as heavy rain and strong winds affected traffic conditions, but the visitors were totally unperturbed by their late arrival to the ground and made a storming start.
David Strelec gave them an early lead with a composed finish and Alex Gilbert doubled their advantage with a crisp 20-yarder, before Morgan Whittaker lashed home from just inside the area and Riley McGree made it 4-0 from close range a minute before the break.
Shell-shocked Hull replied in the 62nd minute as Joe Gelhardt scored his 10th goal of the season from the penalty spot after being felled in the area, but there was never any chance of a comeback.
Victory moved Boro five points clear of third-placed Millwall, although they are still seven points behind runaway leaders Coventry City.
The Tigers, who have scored the second most goals in the league, but also conceded the second highest, remain one point outside the play-off spots in ninth.
This comfortable win made it two wins from as many games for Boro's new Swedish boss Kim Hellberg.
His side completely outclassed the woeful hosts in the first half to leave the match over as a contest before the interval.
Strelec finished smartly after Whittaker got first contact on a McGree cross from the left and the ball landed at the Slovakian international's feet.
The Tigers did not manage a shot of any sort in a horrible opening period and fell two behind when Gilbert, making his first appearance of the season, hit a quality low strike beyond Ivor Pandur in the home goal after lacklustre defending.
Gilbert then set up Whittaker to cut inside from the right and fire a third minutes later, although the Tigers were perhaps a little unfortunate as the Boro midfielder may have fouled Regan Slater in winning the ball on halfway.
The passive hosts could have no complaints at the fourth goal, though, as they allowed the visitors to pass through them with ease and McGree was able to score at the second attempt.
Boro, understandably, dropped off in the second half and Gelhardt pulled a goal back after visiting keeper Sol Brynn caught him in the area, although the contact seemed minimal.
Middlesbrough will look to build on this when they travel to out-of-sorts Charlton on Tuesday, 9 December (19:45 GMT). Hull, who would have gone third with victory on Friday night, will aim to put this dismal showing behind them when they host Wrexham on Wednesday, 10 December (20:00 GMT).
Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside:
"It's very simple, we gave away a lot like it's Christmas today. We were very bad in possession and open play. There were so many mistakes I could not believe it.
"It was a bad day in the office. Middlesbrough were much, much better than us.
"This was my worst game since I was here.
"I knew it would be tough because they are a very good team but I was thinking that we would give more resistance. We gave away too much and in this league that is goals."
Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees:
"The players' performance today was absolutely brilliant.
"We executed the plan to make it difficult for Hull. We were very good at playing where the space was, if it was behind them we used that space or in front of the backline and we were good on the counter and pressing.
[On Alex Gilbert's first game for the club since January] "He's a very clever footballer and he's very good at taking information quickly and adapting to that on the pitch. He's good on the ball and in the duels. I've seen the good things he's done in training and I gave him the opportunity today.
"I'm looking forward to a good weekend I must say that - I'll watch a lot of football tomorrow and then back in training on Sunday."
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 18 | 32 | 43 |
| |
| 19 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 28 | 20 | 8 | 36 |
| |
| 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 25 | -3 | 31 |
| |
| 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 30 |
| |
| 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 19 | 6 | 30 |
| |
| 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 29 |
| |
| 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 30 | 19 | 11 | 28 |
| |
| 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 27 | 20 | 7 | 28 |
| |
| 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 34 | -3 | 28 |
| |
| 18 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 26 |
| |
| 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 26 |
| |
| 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 20 | 22 | -2 | 25 |
| |
| 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 28 | -6 | 25 |
| |
| 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 25 | 3 | 24 |
| |
| 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 23 | 1 | 24 |
| |
| 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 23 | -1 | 24 |
| |
| 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 23 |
| |
| 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 21 |
| |
| 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 20 | 28 | -8 | 19 |
| |
| 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 25 | -5 | 18 |
| |
| 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 27 | -9 | 17 |
| |
| 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 17 |
| |
| 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 29 | -10 | 13 |
| |
| 18 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 14 | 36 | -22 | -10 |
|
Manager: Sergej Jakirovic
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Kim Hellberg
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Manager: Sergej Jakirovic
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Kim Hellberg
Formation: 4 - 4 - 2
Championship
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
Hull have won just one of their last six league games against Middlesbrough (D1 L4), a 2-1 away win in December 2023.
Following a 1-0 win in this exact fixture last season, Middlesbrough are looking to win consecutive away league games against Hull for the first time.
Hull City have won six of their last 10 league games (D1 L3), with only league leaders Coventry City winning more since the start of October (10).
Having won their first two Championship away games this season, Middlesbrough have since won just one of their last seven on the road (D4 L2).
Joe Gelhardt has been involved in nine goals in his last nine Championship appearances (7 goals, 2 assists), netting the winning goal in all five of Hull City’s victories in that run.
