Hull City continued their impressive Championship form with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Portsmouth at the MKM Stadium, moving up to fifth place in the league table.
Gelhardt's Magic Moment Seals Victory
The match was ultimately decided by Joe Gelhardt's superb 79th-minute winner, marking his fifth goal in just six appearances since joining on loan from Leeds United. The young striker displayed remarkable composure to delicately chip the ball over Portsmouth goalkeeper Josef Bursik after latching onto Charlie Hughes' long pass.
Hull's recent resurgence has seen them suffer just one defeat in their last eight Championship outings, though they faced a stern test against a determined Portsmouth side.
Breathless First Half Action
The opening period delivered end-to-end entertainment, with Terry Devlin giving Portsmouth the lead through a deflected effort. Hull responded positively, with Enis Destan equalising before Kyle Joseph put the home side ahead.
Portsmouth refused to surrender, restoring parity just before half-time when Devlin completed his brace, powerfully heading home Josh Murphy's excellent cross to make it 2-2 at the interval.
Championship Roundup: Mixed Fortunes Elsewhere
Elsewhere in the Championship, Preston North End were left ruing a costly goalkeeping error as they drew 1-1 with Millwall at the Den. Michael Smith had given Preston the lead in the 15th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Camiel Neghli.
The turning point came in the 36th minute when Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iversen completely missed his kick from Liam Lindsay's throw-in, presenting Millwall's Ivanovic with an open goal to equalise.
Derby County continued their excellent run under John Eustace with a 2-1 victory at Blackburn Rovers, marking Eustace's first return to Ewood Park since his departure. Carlton Morris opened the scoring in the 19th minute - his sixth goal in four games - before Patrick Agyemang doubled Derby's advantage just before half-time.
Although Yuki Ohashi reduced the deficit from the penalty spot in the 66th minute, Derby withstood considerable late pressure to secure their fifth consecutive victory, moving them to the fringes of the playoff positions.
In Friday night's action, Scott Twine's excellent free-kick earned Bristol City a 1-1 draw at Watford. Marc Bola had given the hosts an early lead with his first Watford goal, but Twine's precise set-piece denied Watford a fifth straight home victory.
