Hull City and West Bromwich Albion played out a 0-0 draw in Saturday afternoon's Premier League clash at the KC Stadium.
The visitors were gifted a penalty in the eighth minute when Jake Livermore fouled Victor Anichebe in the Tigers box, but goalkeeper Allan McGregor came to the rescue with a diving save from Graham Dorrans's spot kick.
After a tense, turgid first half, the second period proved more lively, with Hull dominating proceedings, but the Baggies had their chances and could have scored were it not for McGregor's alertness between the sticks.
Ultimately, the match finished goalless, with Steve Bruce's side dropping into the bottom three, and Alan Irvine's charges now hovering just above in 16th place.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at whether a goalless draw was a fair result between the two struggling teams.
Match statistics
HULL
Shots: 12
On target: 2
Possession: 49%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 10
WEST BROM
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 51%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 16
Was the result fair?
Over the 90 minutes, both teams were pretty even. Hull appeared to have the better of things by the latter stages of the game, but the Baggies stepped it up towards the end and could have nicked it, were it not for the heroics of McGregor.
Hull's performance
The hosts did well, with McGregor the standout performer in between the sticks. Their defence put in a great shift, with James Chester thwarting Anichebe time and time again, while the midfield also provided good play with some good runs down the flanks. Up front, however, the forwards came up short and gave Ben Foster little trouble.
West Brom's performance
Their goalkeeper was not kept particularly busy as the Tigers mustered just two shots on target all afternoon, while the defence was steadfast and stopped their opponents from causing too much trouble in the box. Andre Wisdom was a constant threat coming forward too, supplementing the midfield in their forays into Hull's final third. Dorrans should have done better with his spot kick, though, while the attacking players, in particular Anichebe and substitute Saido Berahino, did not have their best games.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Allan McGregor: The Tigers stopper was the standout performer in the match, preventing West Brom from getting in front with an acrobatic penalty save early on. He continued his good form thereafter, and also saved a seemingly goal-bound effort from Silvestre Varela right at the death.
Biggest gaffe
Dorrans's penalty in the eighth minute was struck quite meekly, and despite McGregor pulling off a good save, the West Brom man did not make it too difficult for the Scottish stopper. It could have been a different game entirely had it gone in.
Referee performance
Michael Oliver did not have the best start, as he denied the Baggies a penalty when Anichebe appeared to be pulled back by scrambling defender Michael Dawson in the third minute. Just five minutes later, however, he did award one when Livermore was guilty of a similar transgression on the Nigerian, and after this spell, he had a pretty unenventful game.
What next?
Hull: The Tigers, now in the bottom three, travel to Premier League leaders Chelsea on Saturday, December 13.
West Brom: The Baggies, sitting precariously in 16th place, host Aston Villa on the same day next weekend.
Giuseppe Labellarte
