Joe Gelhardt’s stoppage-time strike snatches Hull victory at Stoke

Joe Gelhardt’s last-gasp goal earned Hull a smash-and-grab 2-1 win at Stoke and saw them climb into the top six.

Sorba Thomas scored a first-half wonder goal to give Mark Robins’ side a deserved lead at the break, but, facing a third successive defeat, the Tigers battled back after half-time.

Defender Semi Ajayi scored a controversial 47th-minute equaliser before Gelhardt’s ninth goal of the season earned the visitors an unlikely three points.

The final whistle sparked a brawl between rival players, with a number of objects thrown onto the pitch by home fans before calm was restored.

Defeat was harsh on Thomas, whose stunning 17th-minute strike was his seventh of the season and third in two games.

Stoke, fortunate to escape conceding an early penalty when Ashley Phillips sent Matt Crooks sprawling, saw Hull goalkeeper Ivor Pandur keep out Robert Bozenik’s low left-footed effort after 13 minutes before tipping away Thomas’s 20-yard curler.

But the Croatian keeper was powerless to prevent the former Huddersfield forward from cracking home his latest goal.

Skipper Aaron Cresswell’s corner was headed out by Ajayi but the loose ball was thumped into the roof of the net by Thomas from 16 yards.

The Wales international’s latest goal-of-the-season contender was his seventh in 18 second-tier games since a summer move to the Potteries.

He needed four years at Huddersfield and more than a century of Championship games to previously attain that mark.

But for the Hull goalkeeper, Stoke would have been out of sight by half-time – as they were against Charlton in midweek.

South Korean Bae Junho’s 20-yard attempt was arrowing into the bottom corner only for Pandur to keep it out.

Hull shook off their overworked defensive duties to fashion a first effort on target but John Egan’s 41st-minute header was easily gathered by Viktor Johansson.

Unsurprisingly, Hull made changes at half-time with Mohamed Belloumi and Kyle Joseph replacing Darko Gyabi and Joel Ndala.

Within two minutes of the restart they had levelled. Johansson kept out a fierce Ryan Giles shot at the expense of a corner but could not stop Ajayi heading in Belloumi’s assist, with no flag raised for either offside or handball against the substitute.

Hull now looked the team most likely and Johansson saved Gelhardt’s effort at the second attempt after 62 minutes.

Only a stunning tackle by captain Lewis Coyle denied Stoke as Junho closed in on Junior Tchamadeu’s cross, while Tatsuki Seko’s header was flying goalwards until blocked by Egan.

John Lundstram might have won it with a late volley for the visitors, but when Belloumi played in Gelhardt, Hull’s top scorer did the rest in the closing moments.