London, Sep 13 (V7N)- Hull City came close to securing a major upset against Chelsea but had to settle for a point after a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Mohamed Belloumi scored twice to put the newly promoted side 2-1 ahead, but João Pedro equalized for Chelsea after the hour mark to ensure the hosts avoided defeat.

The result extended Hull City’s unbeaten start to four matches and moved Sergei Jakirovic’s side to third in the Premier League standings with eight points.

Chelsea took the lead in the seventh minute through Morgan Rogers. Following a Hull corner, the hosts launched a swift counter-attack, with João Pedro finding Rogers, who beat Regan Slater before firing a low shot into the net.

Hull responded strongly and equalized in the 28th minute. Chelsea defender Malo Gusto failed to deal with a long ball from Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, allowing Ryan Giles to find Belloumi, who finished the opportunity.

The visitors then increased the pressure. Levi Colwill cleared a Lewie Coyle effort off the goal line before Belloumi struck again to give Hull the lead before halftime. The ball fell to the Algerian forward after goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez failed to properly deal with a corner, and his effort took a deflection on its way into the net.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso made a change at halftime, bringing on Pep Chavarría for Jorrel Hato. Reece James later tested Tzolakis with a free-kick, but the Hull goalkeeper made the save.

Hull continued to threaten on the counter-attack. Martínez spilled a shot from Slater before recovering, and the Chelsea goalkeeper later denied Maxwell Cornet.

Chelsea eventually found the equalizer after the hour mark. Cole Palmer created space down the left before playing the ball to João Pedro, who fired a powerful shot past Tzolakis to make it 2-2.

Both sides pushed for a winning goal in the closing stages, but Hull’s defense held firm. Semi Ajayi, Giles and John Egan were particularly impressive, while Mohamed-Ali Cho missed a late opportunity when his effort from a Giles cross went straight at Martínez.

Hull ultimately left Stamford Bridge with a valuable point.

Jakirovic played down suggestions that the club could challenge for European qualification, saying Premier League survival remains the team’s primary objective.

Before the season began, Jakirovic had told his staff that they would receive a seven-day break if Hull collected eight points from their opening five matches. The team reached that target before even completing the fifth game.

END/SMA/AJ