Hull City 2 Leeds United 0: Beaten Warnock full of praise for Tigers

Steve Bruce’s side dominated a one-sided Yorkshire derby and collected three points with a brace of finishes in the space of three minutes.

Hull’s first-half dominance continued immediately after half-time and it took a low, one-handed save from Paddy Kenny to deny Meyler on 48 minutes.

Sone Aluko pulled a shot narrowly wide moments later as Meyler slid in at the far post but City took the lead on 52 minutes when Evans latched onto Aluko’s through ball and slipped the ball inside Kenny’s far post.

City consolidated their lead three minutes later when Meyler met Robbie Brady’s corner with a clinical header which flew into the top corner of the net Kenny denied Hull a third goal by diving to parry Stephen Quinn’s curling effort and a tired-looking Leeds side struggled to create any chance of note in reply.

“It’s been a huge month for us. Six games, won five, drawn one...” Bruce said.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better return. We looked like we wouldn’t score in the first half but we went about our business properly and we were great to watch. Some of our players, Sone Aluko, you’d pay to watch.”

It was perhaps Leeds’s most anaemic performance of the season, with just one half-chance of note on an afternoon when 17-goal striker Luciano Becchio was benched because of concern over a thigh problem.

Warnock is desperate for the January transfer window to come in order to bolster his squad - new owners GFH Capital were present today - and the veteran boss knows Hull are the benchmark.

“I think Hull are a one-off, I don’t think there’s another team like them in the league,” he said.

“They are by far the best organised team in the league, they play the same home and away. They have a good squad with decent replacements.

“I feel the frustration that the fans feel with our squad, but we’re all glad it’s January coming up. I’m trying to get new players in, the new owners are supporting me and want to bring players in.

“Whatever we do, we’re not going to cope with Hull and Cardiff, but looking at the other teams, we don’t have much to fear. We need to get our own house in order.

“Hull are where they are and I can’t see many overtaking them. They play with one up front and have a desire, they don’t give goals away and they have a good recipe for success.”

Hull City: Jakupovic, Chester, Faye, Hobbs, Elmohamady, Brady, Meyler, Evans, Quinn, Koren, Aluko. Subs: Amos, Rosenior, Olofinjana, Cairney, McShane, Simpson, Proschwitz.

Leeds United: Kenny, Lees, Pearce, Tate, Byram, Green, Brown, Norris, White, Somma, McCormack. Subs: Ashdown, Drury, Austin, Thomas, Becchio, Varney, Hall.