By Onyekachi Chimezie
Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi made a long-awaited return from injury on Saturday as Hull City earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in the Championship.
Ajayi, who had been sidelined for over a month with a hamstring issue, came off the bench late in the game but almost turned from hero to villain when he conceded a penalty just three minutes after his introduction. His challenge on Danny Ings handed Sheffield a lifeline, yet goalkeeper Ivor Pandur came to Hull’s rescue with a crucial save, the first penalty stop of his career.
Earlier, Nigerian forward David Akintola scored the decisive goal in the first half. His speculative effort took a wicked deflection off Chiedozie Ogbene, wrong-footing the keeper and finding the far corner.
Despite dominating possession and striking the post through Gus Hamer, Sheffield United failed to capitalize on their chances, extending their poor run under Chris Wilder to seven defeats in nine league matches.
Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic hailed his side’s resilience, saying:
“It’s a massive win. We fought for every inch, and thank God Ivor saved the penalty. He deserved it.”
The result lifted Hull to 10th place, securing only their second home clean sheet in 26 games, while Sheffield remain bottom of the table.
