Coventry City's long-awaited home return in the Premier League ended in a 1-0 defeat to Hull City as Liam Millar's 82nd-minute winner secured a 1-0 victory on Saturday.

The Sky Blues had not played at home in this competition since 2001, but substitute Millar's breakaway finish – set up by the excellent Mohamed Belloumi – ruined the big occasion at the CBS Arena.

Hull were up against it for long periods versus Frank Lampard's Championship winners, who finished 22 points ahead of the Tigers in 2025-26, but they fought hard for a second win in as many top-flight games this season.

Sergej Jakirovic's side were also indebted to an outstanding Konstantinos Tzolakis, who produced one stunning first-half stop against Taiwo Awoniyi from point-blank range.

Awoniyi had earlier seen a drive well blocked by Nobel Mendy before Loum Tchaouna hammered over as Coventry looked to mark their top-flight return at home with a rapid start.

Awoniyi headed off target again soon after from Matt Grimes’ cross, albeit the offside flag belatedly went up, with Coventry pinning in their visitors.

Elliot Stroud kept Carl Rushworth on his toes down the other end, arrowing a long-range strike wide, before Tzolakis thwarted Awoniyi’s downward header.

Tzolakis pulled off his eye-catching stop before half-time, going at full stretch to tip wide after Caleb Yirenkyi’s right-sided cross found Awoniyi inside the six-yard box.

Centre-back Mendy almost stunned Coventry after the interval, smashing a half-volley from distance that Rushworth parried, before Regan Slater’s inviting low delivery went without reward.

Coventry then ramped up the pressure but should have been punished with 15 minutes remaining, when substitute Millar dragged wide after ignoring an unmarked Belloumi.

But Hull did not rue that miss as Belloumi controlled well inside his own half and released Millar, who burst away and slotted into the bottom-right corner to snatch a valuable three points for the visitors.

Tigers finally roar past Lampard

Although these teams shared two goalless draws in the 2025-26 campaign, Coventry finished well clear of last season's play-off winners, and many expected a home win here.

Indeed, heading into this one, Coventry boss Lampard had never lost in eight games against Hull as a manager, his most against any opponent without defeat.

But this is an entirely new-look Hull, who once again upset the odds, despite conceding 1.28 expected goals (xG) and amassing an inferior 0.73.

"Money doesn't play. I never see money scoring the goal," Hull head coach Jakirovic had said before this clash, though summer arrival Tzolakis could well have proved that statement redundant.

Tzolakis, Hull's club-record signing before Mendy's arrival, was excellent, backing up his clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Manchester United with another three saves and a shutout here.

And while there is a long way to go this season, Hull will be buoyed by the fact that only three teams have ever been relegated from the Premier League having won their first two games.

However, one of those instances was Hull in 2016-17 (also Wolves in 2011-12 and West Brom in 2017-18), and Jakirovic will know his side can ill afford to take their foot off the gas when they next host Aston Villa.

In stark contrast, Lampard desperately needs to find solutions ahead of visiting Manchester City, having lost back-to-back games after this one and an opening defeat to Arsenal.