Hull manager Shota Arveladze heaped praise on in-form striker Oscar Estupinan after the Colombian international’s hat-trick secured a 3-2 win for the Tigers against Coventry.
Estupinan struck either side of Matt Godden’s equaliser from the penalty spot to give his side a 2-1 lead at half-time, and he sealed all three points just before the hour mark, increasing his goal tally to seven from six league appearances since signing in the summer.
Coventry pulled one back through striker Godden just past the midway point in the second half, but they were unable to find the much-coveted equaliser and remain bottom of the table with one point from three matches. “A good quality striker has his own qualities,” Arveladze said of Estupinan. “The boys understand that he needs more balls in the 18 (yard box) and he’s good there. “He’s searching, he’s going, he’s dominating, he doesn’t leave easy balls for others, so he blocks, he goes to the first post and makes his goals and makes more points for us.” Asked about Estupinan being a poacher, Arveladze added: “They call this Pichichi in Spanish – that’s someone who is chasing all the time around the two posts and having headers, having these knocks, moving the central defenders away from the positions, which is good.” Coventry came into the match buoyed by the announcement earlier this week that they will be hosting their first home match of the season against Preston on Wednesday, after the pitch at the Coventry Building Society Arena – ruled dangerous after it was used for the Commonwealth Games rugby sevens tournament – was finally deemed safe.
The ongoing saga meant Coventry’s last outing came 14 prior to their Hull appointment – a 3-2 defeat away at Millwall – and they found