Phelan: Hull must cut out simple errors

Basic errors must be cut out of Hull City’s play if they’re to move out of the relegation zone, according to manager Mike Phelan.

The Tigers held Manchester City for well over an hour on Boxing Day at the KCOM Stadium before Andy Robertson’s foul on Raheem Sterling gave away a penalty.

Yaya Toure stepped up to put the spot kick away before Kelechi Iheanacho and a Curtis Davies own goal made the final score 3-0.

And while Phelan refused to blame individuals for mistakes, he was clear that improvements were needed.

“We set up well and I thought we competed terrifically for 65 minutes of the game,” he said.

(Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

“Then we suffered through making elementary errors and we have to stop making those if we’re going to progress up this league.

“We were playing one of the top teams at this level, if not in all of Europe, and I thought the way we went about our work was commendable.

“The home supporters seemed to agree and responded really well to it. But the critical part is the individual errors that cost you.

“There are no scapegoats, though. Andy Robertson has been terrific. I thought his performance on the day was terrific. It was just one moment that put us on the back foot.”