It's amazing what a difference 90 minutes can make to the feelings of football fans and Hull City's faithful were the beneficiaries after an incredible start to the Premier League season for the club in turmoil against champions Leicester City.
Diomande eases Hull problems
After a disastrous pre-season campaign, many pundits described Hull's season preparations as the "worst in Premier League history".
As the countdown to the Tigers kicking off the new season descended, the off-field problems continued as many fans joined a protest march against the owners, leaving thousands of empty seats within the KCOM stadium. There were also reports of graffiti on the stadium walls stating "Allam out".
Yet Hull fans do have a glimmer of hope as speculation of a takeover bid grew with a couple of visitors present said to be representing a Chinese takeover consortium. The group are believed to have met the current owners in the morning before they left the stadium to avoid the protests. The crowd that made it into the ground were boisterous and hoping their team could see off the champions, hanging on to the belief they could get at Leicester's defence after the Foxes conceded ten goals in their last three pre-season matches.
Unsurprisingly the visitors posed more threat in the opening stages, as a deflected Demarai Gray effort struck the side netting on three minutes. Curtis Davies nodded wide from a Robert Snodgrass corner before Leicester cranked up the pressure. Jamie Vardy failed to make contact with the goal gaping, before Riyad Mahrez fired wide after cutting in from the flank. Danny Drinkwater also had a couple of efforts that narrowly missed the target.
Leicester had three chances to take the lead with five minutes left of the half. Christian Fuchs was thwarted by Eldin Jakupovic after darting into the box, before Jake Livermore made a goal-saving block from Vardy. Mahrez then fired wide on the rebound. Five minutes later new signing Ahmed Musa pulled a pass back to Vardy who skied an effort he would have buried last season.
As is so often the case in the Premier League, the side on the backfoot soon made the dominant team pay for wasting their opportunities. With the first-half whistle about to blow, Snodgrass found Davies who had his header clawed away by Kasper Schmeichel, only for Abel Hernandez and Adama Diomande to both make contact with the aerial ball with acrobatic bicycle kicks, the latter getting the last touch to give Hull a shock lead.
Leicester fightback is thwarted by growling Tigers
The message from caretaker manager Mike Phelan would have been for his Hull side to keep a tight defence in the opening stages of the second half. Yet it took just 16 seconds for Tom Huddlestone to bundle over Gray with a clumsy challenge to give Leicester a chance to equalise from the spot. After 10 successful penalties last season, the smart money was on the Player of the Year to deliver the telling strike and Mahrez did not disappoint as he drew the champions level.
However it took just 11 minutes for the hosts to restore their advantage. Ahmed Elmohamady's cross was only half cleared by Danny Simpson and Snodgrass smashed the ball into the bottom corner to make the score 2-1. Claudio Ranieri rung the changes before Mahrez tested Jakupovic with a trademark free-kick.
As the game entered it's final ten minutes, substitute Shinji Okazaki was as lively as usual and headed a cross into Jakupovic's arms. At the other end the impressive Snodgrass almost wrapped up the points as he tested Schmeichel with another excellent set-piece. Yet a Hull defence depleted by injuries held firm for the three points and briefly sent the Tigers to the top of the league.