Hull City 1 - 5 Tottenham Hotspur

Jermaine Defoe's hat-trick at Hull made it two wins out of two for Tottenham

From the ridiculous to the sublime. It took Tottenham 10 games to win six points last season; after two outings of the new campaign they boast an impeccable record and sit joint top at the of the Premier League. Having suffered their worst ever start last season, Spurs can now boast, albeit after just two games, their best start since 1965.

Jermaine Defoe led the rout with the season’s first hat-trick, highlighted by a quite stunning third in added time, while Wilson Palacios and Robbie Keane completed this wrecking job. Arsenal made have shocked Everton with a 6-1 win last weekend but Spurs came close.

Tottenham, buoyed by their opening day victory over Liverpool, started strongly with Robbie Keane – and his vivid yellow boots – controlling the game from a deep attacking position.

Peter Crouch had to settle, again, for a strating place on the bench and with only six minutes played Defoe came lose to an opener, the England striker’s delicate chip floating just over Boaz Myhill’s cross bar.

Hull, who gave home debuts to Stephen Hunt, Steven Mouyokolo and Seyi Olofinjana, were struggling to match Defoe’s pace and trickery and when he gave Spurs a 10th minute lead it came as little surprise.

Tom Huddlestone’s low forward pass found Defoe too easily and after easing away from Michael Turner, who found the bottom right-hand corner in sublime fashion.

Hull had shocked Chelsea on Saturday by taking the lead but this time they were the side being embarrassed, with Palacios receiving Keane’s 14th minute ball before finishing in similar fashion.

Spurs’ joy at such an impressive start was tempered by the departure, three minutes after the second goal, of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. He damaged an ankle as he went to gather a ball and was replaced by Carlo Cudicini, making his first Spurs appearance since February, curiously at the KC Stadium.

Hull made a change of their own soon afterwards, with Daniel Cousin sacrificed in an attempt to halt Spurs’ march – Geovanni replaced him – but the striker was not impressed and refused to shake the hand of manager Phil Brown.

But the change brought immediate returns. Hunt’s free-kick caused confusion in a defence missing Ledley King and, with Geovanni in close attendance, Cudicini was guilty of letting the bouncing ball find his net.

However, Spurs restored their two-goal advantage in the final minute of the first half when Alan Hutton and Keane combined for Defoe, who outstripped Turner before finishing in sublime fashion.

Hull, who started their first season in such devastating form with six wins from their opening nine games, made another change, replacing Mouyokolo with former Spurs favourite Nicky Barmby, with Bernard Mendy dropping to right-back.

Spurs, though, continued to dominate with 12 minutes remaining, Aaron Lennon’s cross was headed home by Keane. But the best came last with Defoe’s stunning strike in added time.

Hull 0-1 Manchester United

Tigers together: Hull City display a moment of unity prior to kick off

Hull escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth despite slumping to defeat to an under-strength Manchester United.

Darron Gibson fired the only goal of a tense Barclays Premier League encounter at the KC Stadium with a stunning strike midway through the first half.

Yet with Newcastle losing at Aston Villa, the Tigers just managed to limp over the line to safety with 35 points.

United made 10 changes as Sir Alex Ferguson rested his biggest names ahead of the Champions League final on Wednesday but the final score meant there could be no complaints.

Their starting XI had an average age of just 23, a figure boosted by the return of veteran club captain Gary Neville, 34.

England defender Rio Ferdinand, hoping to prove his fitness to face Barcelona in Rome after a calf injury, failed to make the team.

Hull started brightly by winning two early corners and a long ball from Michael Turner put Craig Fagan in on goal but the forward could not control and Tomasz Kuszczak gathered.

Geovanni then broke clear down the left twice in quick succession but the Brazilian's first cross just evaded Fagan and Kuszczak punched his second clear.

Nani had United's first serious attempt from a free-kick 30 yards out but Boaz Myhill was not troubled.

Hull were almost caught on the counter-attack when a vicious low cross from Rafael da Silva almost found the onrushing Lee Martin.

United then struggled to clear a corner from Andy Dawson and the ball broke to Marney but his shot was easily saved by Kuszczak.

United stunned Hull by taking the lead in the 24th minute with a ferocious strike from Gibson.

The 21-year-old let fly from 25 yards with a powerful shot across goal that flew past Myhill into the top corner.

That goal put Hull into the bottom three, as things stood, and the Tigers needed to respond but Federico Macheda almost doubled their misery when he shot straight at Myhill.

United then began to dominate possession but Dawson did get forward to curl in a dangerous cross which Michael Turner headed over.

Hull were almost caught again after a strong run by Danny Welbeck but the 18-year-old striker dragged his shot wide.

Macheda then engineered another opportunity for himself but failed to hit the target and Hull had a chance when Geovanni blasted a free-kick over.

Geovanni then turned provider to tee up a shooting chance for Dawson but Kuszczak tipped over the left-back's piledriver.

The atmosphere intensified considerably before the break as news filtered through of goals being scored against relegation rivals Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Hull had a good chance early in the second half when Kevin Kilbane's cross picked out Nick Barmby but the former England international failed to make firm contact and Kuszczak tipped wide.

Gibson tried his luck again from distance just before the hour but this time his effort sailed well over the bar.

Hull boss Phil Brown replaced the creative talents of Geovanni, his top scorer, with a target man in Caleb Folan but nerves were affecting the Tigers' play.

Hull failed to make the most of their possession with Richard Garcia letting himself down after a good break with a poor ball for Folan.

Gibson conceded a free-kick for handball on the edge of the area but Dawson curled his shot straight at Kuszczak.

United countered and Macheda again had a chance to double the lead but shot wide.

Fagan attempted a spectacular volley after a long Sam Ricketts throw into the area but was well off target.

Turner got his head to another Ricketts throw but his looping effort was clawed out from under the bar by Kuszczak.

The closing minutes were tense with City trailing but knowing a goal for Newcastle at Villa Park could relegate them.

Nani almost put them further behind with a powerful shot four minutes from time but Myhill pushed the ball wide.

Hull struggled to get the ball in injury time and they had a nervous few seconds' wait after the final whistle before their survival was confirmed.

Many fans invaded the pitch when the news was confirmed despite the efforts of police to contain them.

Hull City 1-2 Stoke City

EASY, TIGERS: Hull are flat out as Stoke hail Ricardo Fuller's opener

Liam Lawrence guaranteed Stoke's Premier League survival with a stunning strike that pushed Hull closer to relegation.

Lawrence blasted home from 25 yards with 18 minutes remaining at the KC Stadium to double his side's advantage after an earlier Ricardo Fuller effort.

Andy Dawson replied with an injury-time free-kick but it was too late as Stoke held on to clamber to 42 points and safety.

Hull complained after substitute Geovanni thought his late shot had been deflected for a corner but referee Howard Webb awarded a goal-kick and then blew the final whistle.

The result left Hull with just two wins in 26 games since October and with their survival hopes depending largely on the form of Middlesbrough and Newcastle below them.

Stoke, whose position had seemed relatively safe anyway, can now plan for next season with certainty they will again be rubbing shoulders with the elite.

And in a season when they have been criticised for their direct and physical style, they could reflect on the fact a genuine moment of brilliance from Lawrence had secured their safety.

Both sides showed plenty of early determination and chances came at either end in the opening 10 minutes.

Matthew Etherington created the first opportunity for Stoke but drilled a low shot wide and a menacing cross from Lawrence was scrambled clear by Sam Ricketts.

Ricketts then broke clear for Hull down the right but was fouled by Etherington, who was booked for the challenge, and Dawson wasted the free-kick.

Thomas Sorensen was the first goalkeeper tested when he palmed over a Daniel Cousin header after Craig Fagan won the ball on the right.

Richard Garcia then showed great control in the Stoke box to create a shooting chance but Sorensen clung on.

Lawrence responded with an ambitious attempt from wide on the right which Boaz Myhill felt was sailing well over, but it dipped and only just cleared the bar.

Hull's supporters then appealed for a penalty after Nick Barmby went down under a Ryan Shawcross challenge as George Boateng crossed but the players themselves seemed unconcerned.

Stoke finished the first half strongly and snatched the lead after Lawrence, afforded too much space by Hull, had a shot deflected for a corner by Kamil Zayatte.

Lawrence's cross from the resulting set-piece caused chaos and Zayatte and Boateng both ended up on the ground in the ensuing scramble.

The ball kindly broke to Fuller and the striker made no mistake as he turned and fired past Myhill from close range with 40 minutes gone.

Hull at least started the second half brightly with Kevin Kilbane's mishit shot still bringing a good save out of Sorensen.

Glenn Whelan went close to adding a second for Stoke with a dipping half-volley from the edge of the box which just dropped over the bar.

Hull needed to rouse themselves and Garcia forced Sorensen to save with a firm header from a Barmby cross.

Garcia then won a free-kick when he was brought down on the edge of the area by Andy Wilkinson but Dawson blasted wide.

With a replica of his earlier effort, Whelan then went even closer just after the hour with a well-controlled shot which crashed against the inside of the post.

Hull, having moments earlier brought on Manucho and Bernard Mendy in a double attacking change, were forced into a third when Zayatte went off injured.

The defender, already bandaged with a head wound, needed lengthy treatment after a further blow and Brown attempted to lift his side by boldly replacing him with Geovanni.

It did not pay off as Lawrence doubled Stoke's lead with his stunning strike.

Again afforded far too much space on the right, Lawrence took a Fuller pass in his stride and unleashed a fierce shot which gave Myhill no chance.

Hull heads dropped and they struggled to find a way through a resolute Stoke defence.

Barmby did get one opportunity when he headed narrowly wide from a Ricketts cross but time ran out for the Tigers.

Dawson netted belatedly with a curling free-kick as the game entered six minutes of injury time but it was too little too late.

Hull created one last chance and Geovanni thought his shot had been deflected for a corner but Webb did not agree.

With a trip to Bolton and a home clash with Manchester United remaining, Hull's position is looking precarious.

Wigan 1 - 0 Hull City

Midfielder Ben Watson scored the only goal as Wigan wasted a host of chances yet still beat struggling Hull 1-0 at the JJB Stadium.

It appeared the Latics were heading for their seventh blank in 10 Barclays Premier League matches, after Mido and Hugo Rodallega had twice each squandered opportunities.

But Watson, signed from Crystal Palace in January, scored his second goal in a week with a looping 84th-minute volley.

It ended Wigan's run of back-to-back goalless home games and re-ignited hopes of qualifying for Europe next season as they moved up to seventh.

Hull are still in trouble near the foot of the table, just four points above the relegation zone and with only one win in their last 14 matches.

The pattern of play was established in the second minute when Charles N'Zogbia's long-range cross-shot had Matt Duke back-pedalling - and he only just managed to tip the ball over with the help of the bar and post.

When Dean Marney was robbed by Michael Brown from a Hull corner Wigan launched a swift counter-attack which saw N'Zogbia drill a pass across the six-yard area, the fingertips of Duke preventing Watson getting a touch.

Watson also forced Duke into a low save with a 25-yard shot in the 12th minute. Mido was next to squander a chance after Rodallega and Paul Scharner, making his 100th Premier League appearance, had exchanged quick passes to bypass the Hull midfield.

Scharner won a free-kick 20 yards out when Sam Ricketts pulled him down - a foul for which he was booked - but Rodallega curled his shot straight at Duke.

Mido fired over again from six yards after Scharner had out-jumped the defence to head Maynor Figueroa's long ball down to Rodallega.

The Colombia striker should have done better moments later, having raced on to Scharner's through ball with only the goalkeeper to beat - but Duke half-saved and then turned Scharner's follow-up for a corner.

Hull were forced to make a substitution in the 38th minute when the injured Andy Dawson was replaced by Richard Garcia.

It meant a reshuffle - with Ricketts switching sides, Bernard Mendy dropping to right-back and Garcia playing in front of him.

Mendy's first act as a defender was to be booked for a waist-high challenge on N'Zogbia in the centre-circle.

The Wigan midfielder was forced off after a crunching challenge with Kamil Zayatte in first-half injury time and was replaced after the interval by Daniel de Ridder.

Having spent long periods with little to do, Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland had to be alert to tip over Manucho's flashed header from Marney's 50th-minute corner.

Titus Bramble dived in at Garcia on the edge of the penalty area and was booked. But Wigan managed to clear former Wigan midfielder Kevin Kilbane's inswinging free-kick, before Craig Fagan was then cautioned for an unnecessary challenge on De Ridder.

Zayatte lasted just 15 minutes of the second half before being replaced by another Wigan old boy Caleb Folan, resulting in another defensive reshuffle.

Yet another chance went begging when Watson drilled a shot into the side-netting from the left corner of the penalty area - before substitute Amr Zaki rose highest in a crowd to head De Ridder's cross against the foot of a post with Duke beaten.

But the goal finally came in the 84th minute, partly thanks to a mistake from Duke.

The goalkeeper's weak punch did not get out of the penalty area - and when the ball dropped Watson looped a volley over Duke and in at the far post, despite Kilbane's best efforts to keep it out.

It was the former Crystal Palace midfielder's second goal in a week, after opening his account scoring in the 2-1 victory at Sunderland, and could not have come at a more timely moment with Wigan looking to have run out of ideas.

Match-winner Ben Watson believes Wigan's last gasp victory over Hull was just reward for a dominant team performance.

Watson scored his second goal in a week with a looping 84th-minute volley to end Wigan's run of back-to-back goalless home games and reignite their hopes of qualifying for Europe next season as they moved up to seventh in the Barclays Premier League.

But for long periods it had looked as if Steve Bruce's side might draw yet another blank after squandering a number of opportunities against the Tigers.

Watson said: "We had so many chances in the first half but we dug in and kept going and we got our reward.

"I should have got one in the first minute I think but it went straight through my legs, and then there was another one in the second half.

"But I think we dominated from the first whistle to the last whistle and we carried on, kept going and got our reward."

Watson said the squad had not let thoughts of Europe distract them from their main aim of staying in the Premier League.

He added on Sky Sports News: "We've not spoken about it, the main thing is staying in this division. We're taking it one game at a time and looking forward to the Everton game now."

Mendy Suspended For Chelsea Trip

Bernard Mendy will be suspended for the Tigers' trip to Chelsea after picking up his fifth booking of the season during the 2-2 draw against West Brom at the weekend.

Mendy, who scored City's first goal and created the second, was cautioned during the second half and will now serve a one-match ban.