On the other side, Hull City's formation was pretty much as Zhao Zhao expected, a 4-3-3.
Goalkeeper: Jakupović.
Defenders: Robertson, Maguire, Ranocchia, Elmohamady.
Midfielders: Huddlestone, Clucas, Ndiaye.
Forwards: Niasse, Hernandez, Bowen.
This was also a relatively offensive lineup.
Especially on their right flank, Elmohamady, a right-back who was originally a winger, frequently pushed forward to assist, combining with the young right winger Bowen, immediately making Sunderland's left defensive line look very dishevelled.
When the match reached the 10th minute, Hull City formed an attacking combination precisely on the right flank.
After the tall and strong England defensive midfielder Huddlestone won the ball, he immediately passed it to the winger Bowen on the right flank.
Bowen was very small, which made his dribbling extremely agile; he directly bypassed Sunderland's left-back and then dribbled straight towards Sunderland's penalty area!
At this point, Sunderland Captain O'Shea quickly came over to intercept; Bowen stopped to shield the ball, then back-passed it to Elmohamady, who had come up from behind, while he himself sprinted into the penalty area at top speed.
Elmohamady adjusted slightly and immediately lifted the ball with a diagonal pass to the center of the small box, looking for his forward Hernandez.
This tall Uruguayan international leaped high, got to the landing spot, and headed the ball towards the goal.
Although the distance was very close, Sunderland goalkeeper Pickford reacted incredibly quickly, making a diving save to block the ball away.
The ball landed on the other side of the goal, right in front of the onrushing Bowen!
The small forward shot directly without stopping the ball!
At this moment, there was no one interfering with Bowen, and Pickford, after his save, couldn't get up to make a second reaction.
The ball went in very easily!
1:0!
Just 10 minutes into the game, Hull City took the lead at home!
Pickford lay on the grass, looking at the ball in the net powerlessly, feeling very frustrated.
Meanwhile, Bowen excitedly ran towards the stands, celebrating with the Hull City fans!
On the sidelines, there was naturally a scene of contrasting emotions.
On Hull City's side, Coach Marco Silva also vigorously waved his fists after seeing Bowen score, venting his excited emotions.
The coaches and players on the bench all jumped up, embracing each other in celebration.
After all, everyone knew what this match meant for both sides.
Scoring first in such a crucial relegation battle seized the initiative!
On the other side, Sunderland's coaches and players were in a moment of silence.
Alan Tate, who had just joined the Sunderland coaching staff, even slammed his mineral water bottle onto the ground to vent his dissatisfaction.
But there was only one exception.
That was Zhao Zhao.
He had conducted a simulated match a few days ago and another before today's game, and he had seen such a goal in both.
This was already the third time he had seen Bowen score, so what was there for him to be frustrated about?
As for why Zhao Zhao had seen the opponent score early in the simulated matches but did not implement targeted defense to stop it…
Of course, it was because the outcome was developing in a direction favorable to Sunderland!
It was precisely because Hull City scored early that their Coach Marco Silva became burdened with the desire to win but fear of losing, and he quickly pulled back his formation to solidify their defense.
And this precisely entered the tactical content that Sunderland had focused on practicing!
Therefore, after seeing this goal, Zhao Zhao merely stood on the sidelines, shouting at his players:
"Relax, relax… It's just one goal, don't take it to heart!"
"Pickford, what the hell are you still sulking for? Your save just now was very beautiful, the goal conceded wasn't your fault!"
"Hey you, run for me! Oviedo, he got past you once, don't let him get past you again next time. Can you tackle?…"
After all, this match was very important, and conceding so quickly was quite a blow to the players.
But under Zhao Zhao's roar, everyone quickly returned to normal.
That's right, the Coach wasn't flustered, so why should they be?
Being one goal down was nothing; when they played Manchester United, they were two goals down, and they still managed to come back, didn't they?
Keep playing, play well, don't let the Boss down!
And this scene, seen by Hull City's Coach Marco Silva, was still a bit surprising.
He had, of course, researched Zhao Zhao and Sunderland, and had concluded that their left-side defense was relatively weak.
This left-back, Oviedo, his overall offense and defense could only be considered decent; he was the type who looked acceptable but lacked that stunning, eye-catching brilliance.
Especially in terms of explosiveness, he had a disadvantage, finding it difficult to instantly keep up with fast players.
Therefore, Marco Silva also started the 20-year-old young player Bowen and specifically targeted the left flank defended by Oviedo.
Indeed, his tactics succeeded!
That's why he was so excited to celebrate.
After all, being able to intellectually outmaneuver Zhao Zhao, this "genius Coach" recently hyped up by the media, brought an overflowing sense of accomplishment!
But now it seemed…
Zhao Zhao seemed indifferent after conceding the goal.
Although this young Chinese Coach was yelling at his players, it didn't seem to be because of the goal itself, but rather simply because he was annoyed by the players' dejected expressions…
When Marco Silva looked at Zhao Zhao, Zhao Zhao had just finished yelling at the field and turned to glance at Hull City's coaching bench.
Their eyes met, and Marco Silva smiled at Zhao Zhao somewhat awkwardly.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhao also returned a smile to him, even more brightly than Marco Silva's!
This surprised Marco Silva even more.
Now that Hull City was leading, it was normal for Marco Silva, as Coach, to feel happy and smile.
But this Zhao Zhao, his team was behind!
They were behind against a direct competitor in the relegation battle, how could he still smile???
This made Marco Silva involuntarily feel suspicious: "Could it be that he has some secret move he hasn't used yet?"
This wasn't him overthinking.
This Zhao Zhao was famous for having many tricks up his sleeve in tactical arrangements and on-the-spot command.
In just a few matches he had led, several famous coaches had already fallen into his trap, so it was only right for Marco Silva to be cautious.
"Could it be because I used an offensive formation today, making Zhao Zhao think our defense has large gaps?"
"That's right, one of Sunderland's most effective tactics is through balls and direct passes behind the opponent, letting fast players like Defoe and Khazri run onto them."
"And our defenders, Ranocchia, Maguire, and others, are very slow to turn, so if they play like that against us, we definitely won't be able to hold them."
"So… I still need to quickly change our play style; I can't let him seize the opportunity."
Thinking this, Marco Silva decisively stood up and began to instruct his players to drop back a bit, not to play as aggressively as they did at the start!
"It's good that we've already scored a goal, so even if we retreat completely now, it's not a big problem, after all, winning by one goal is still winning!"
"Heh heh, Zhao Zhao definitely wants to attack behind me, but I've proactively pulled back, so how will he attack? He'll definitely be at a loss, and it might even give us opportunities for counterattacks."
"This is what I call… predicting his prediction!