Hull City 2–2 Everton: Belloumi’s equaliser denied Moyes a comeback win

Illustrative football stock photograph; not an image from the Hull City–Everton match.

Hull City drew 2–2 with Everton at the MKM Stadium on Sunday, 11 October 2026. Joe Gelhardt put Hull ahead shortly after half-time, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry turned the match in Everton's favour, and substitute Mohamed Belloumi levelled in the 74th minute. The result preserved Everton's unbeaten Premier League start, but it also showed why a lead against this promoted Hull side is not yet secure simply because the clock is running down.

How a goalless first half became four goals

The match was 0–0 at the break. Gelhardt scored in the 48th minute, with Sorba Thomas credited by the Premier League for the assist. Dewsbury-Hall answered seven minutes later from Ainsley Maitland-Niles' delivery. Barry then put Everton 2–1 up in the 68th minute, with Dewsbury-Hall supplying the assist. The entire scoring sequence lasted just 26 minutes: an opening goal, an immediate reply, a comeback and a second reply.

That order matters. Everton did not spend the afternoon chasing a draw after conceding early; they recovered, found a lead and then failed to protect it. Belloumi's equaliser came only six minutes after Barry had completed the turnaround. The Premier League credits Elliot Stroud with the final pass, meaning Hull's response was produced by two players introduced from the bench. The scoreline is therefore both evidence of Everton's capacity to react and of Hull's refusal to let the game be decided by that reaction.

Belloumi changed the ending

Belloumi's role is more than a convenient late-goal headline. The Premier League's Sunday analysis says Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic had left him out of the starting side after the player reported fatigue and travel. Once introduced, he supplied the goal that recovered a point. The league credits him with three goals and two assists this season, involvement in 63% of Hull's eight league goals. That is a substantial share of the promoted side's attacking output, though it does not mean every future comeback can be assigned to one player.

The same league analysis notes that six of Hull's eight goals this season have come from players retained from last season, despite 18 summer signings. Gelhardt and Belloumi gave that continuity a visible result here. Gelhardt's opener was also his first Premier League goal in more than four years, according to the league. Hull's response was not a theoretical sign of character: it was a specific intervention from familiar contributors at a moment when Everton appeared to have taken control.

Everton's unbeaten run has a warning inside it

There is a counterargument to any bleak Everton reading: they remained unbeaten through their first six league matches, a start the Premier League says the club has managed only twice before. Maitland-Niles recovered from an error in the build-up to Hull's first goal to create the first Everton equaliser. Barry scored after an earlier missed opportunity. The visitors demonstrated recovery and produced two goals away from home. A draw is not proof that their broader start has collapsed.

But David Moyes' frustration is understandable. His side had already done the harder work of reversing the deficit and held a 2–1 lead with less than a quarter of the match left. The Premier League reported his view that Everton's level was below their recent standard and that he had expected them to finish the job after taking the lead. That assessment should not be stretched into a claim of a chronic defensive problem after one match. It does, however, identify the difference between extending an unbeaten run and converting a strong position into three points.

The league table reinforces the split outcome without settling the longer-term argument. Everton finished Matchweek 6 fifth on ten points; Hull were eighth on nine. Both could reasonably point to something positive: Everton's six-game unbeaten sequence, Hull's point after falling behind. Neither can treat this as an unqualified success. Everton let a lead go; Hull had needed Belloumi to rescue a match they initially led.

What the result means

The clearest conclusion is narrower than a prediction about either club's season. Hull's retained attacking core and Belloumi's impact off the bench gave them a way back when Everton seemed to have changed the game's direction. Everton's response to Gelhardt showed quality, but their inability to keep the advantage is the detail that will linger. For the verified score, teams and match status, see the Hull City–Everton match page. The wider Premier League picture is still developing after six rounds; this match is a strong example of how quickly an apparent turning point can be overturned.