REPORT: HULL CITY 1, PETERBOROUGH UNITED 2: Posh move out of the bottom three after breaking their duck on their travels at Hull City

It wasn’t pretty and it was a little lucky as Hull missed a spot-kick midway through the second-half, but that won’t matter to a hard-working group who collected their first away points of the season thanks to two terrific, albeit very different, goals from Jack Taylor and Siriki Dembele.

Taylor’s 20 yarder gave Posh a 43rd minute lead which Josh Magennis cancelled out within two minutes.

Magennis then spoilt his night with an awful penalty into Hull High Street before Posh won the game with their only piece of fluent football of the second-half in the 72nd minute as Dembele delivered a delightful finish to Jorge Grant’s excellent pass.

Posh had to survive some nervy moments with home substitute Tom Eaves hitting the top of the crossbar before they could celebrate an escape from the bottom three.

For Posh boss Daren Ferguson there was pure delight, but it was a different tale for Hull manager Grant McCann who was serenaded with ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ by home fans as the game slipped away.

Both sides were beaten 2-0 away from home on Saturday, but the managers reacted very differently. Ferguson named an unchanged starting line-up, while Tigers chief Grant McCann made three changes and recalled former Spurs and Derby midfielder Tom Huddlestone following a spell on the sidelines with an injury.

It meant a Posh side for a game against a team who had failed to score in eight of their 12 Championship matches included five defenders and two, presumably, defensive midfielders.

Posh started neatly with Dan Butler enjoying the freedom of the left hand side and Sammie Szmodics also operating effectively from that side.

On seven minutes Taylor was found free by Nathan Thompson with a clear run on goal, but he didn’t have the pace to stay clear and a hurried shot went wide.

Posh then started giving the ball away with alarming regularity, often in dangerous areas. Set-pieces were always an issue with Callum Elder’s delivery from the right leading to a Magennis header that flew wide and a Di’Shon Bernard shot that went over the bar.

Posh ‘keeper Dai Cornell was soon saving well to thwart Keane Lewis-Potter after Hull had pounced on another loss of possession. Josh Knight then made a decent saving tackle on the same player.

Huddlestone hit the outside of a post from 20 yards after Dai Cornell had punched a set-piece clear, but that was to be the midfielder’s last involvement as he picked up an injury and departed.

Posh took advantage of the home change to enjoy a decent spell of pressure. Grant delivered the first Posh shot on target for a couple of hours, but it was a weak one before a free-kick from the same player shaved a post.

Posh played some good stuff at times and there was certainly more urgency from the forward players, but too often they couldn’t find an accurate cross. Until Bernard helped them out with a wayward backpass which Szmodics reached first, but couldn’t beat home ‘keeper Matt Ingram.

But no matter as Posh struck from the corner, yes really. A short one between Grant and Dembele led to the former passing to Taylor 20 yards from goal and his first time shot flew over Ingram into the net.

There were just two minutes to the break so a time for organised defence, but no. One simple pass found Elder free on the left and his precise cross was headed home by the unmarked Magennis from just six yards out. The positioning of Thompson for the cross and Mark Beevers and Butler for the header could be questioned.

Hull dominated the start of the second half and regularly found space behind the Posh wing-backs. Lewis-Potter nipped in front of Cornell to meet a Magennis cross, but clipped his shot wide. Magennis headed wide and Posh had to work hard to scramble a corner clear after Cornell had messed up a simple catch.

Lewis-Potter sliced another good chance wide and the inevitable goal looked to have arrived when Butler tripped Mallik Wilks to concede an obvious spotkick in the 65th minute.

Magennis stepped up, but blazed his shot high and wide.

If Posh needed a lift, that was it and they pieced together one splendid move to retake the lead 18 minutes from time.

Szmodics and Taylor were involved before Grant’s sliderule pass sent Dembele scurrying clear and he chipped his left foot shot expertly over Ingram and into the net. Dembele also scored the winner in this fixture last season.

Hull pressed hard for the equaliser, but Posh held firm with Beevers winning some key headers. Eaves headed just wide before he hit the crossbar, while Posh broke away with Ingram stranded upfield, but Dembele’s tap-in was rightly ruled out for offside.

It didn’t matter. Posh were far from great tonight, but the result night just gives them a much-needed confidence boost.

Posh: Dai Cornell, Dan Butler (sub Harrison Burrows, 66 mins), Mark Beevers, Ronnie Edwards, Josh Knight (sub Joe Ward, 60 mins), Nathan Thompson, Oliver Norburn, Jack Taylor, Jorge Grant (sub Conor Coventry, 78 mins), Sammie Szmodics, Siriki Dembele

Unused subs: Will Blackmore, Idris Kanu, Frankie Kent, Joe Tomlinson.

Hull: Colin Ingram, Lewis Coyle, Callum Elder, Jacob Greaves, Mallik Wilks, Greg Docherty, George Honeyman (sub George Moncur, 73 mins), Keane Lewis-Potter, Tom Huddlestone (sub Richard Smallwood, 28 mins), Di’Shon Bernard, Josh Magennis (sub Tom Eaves, 73 mins).

Unused subs: Nathan Baxter, Josh Emmanuel, Andy Cannon, Randell Williams.

Goals: Posh – Taylor (43 mins), Dembele (72 mins).

Hull – Magennis (45 mins).

Cautions: Posh – Edwards (foul)

Hull – Huddlestone (dissent).

Referee: Leigh Doughty 7.

Attendance: 10,246 (500 Posh approx)