In the end, the quality between the two sides was not really reflected in the eventual scoreline as Hull were by far the better side.
Leeds slumped to their second consecutive defeat, have gone three without a win and surrendered our home unbeaten record to boot as Hull ran out worthy 3-2 winners in a scoreline that did not really reflect the extent of their overall quality and superiority.
I have tipped the Tigers to be my dark horses for promotion, they punched above their weight last season having lost the uncharismatic Nigel Pearson. Whatever you think about Steve Bruce, he is an impact manager who quickly gets his teams' going and whilst Leeds have dithered and spluttered in the transfer-market hamstrung by a prolonged takeover which still shows no sign of coming to a beneficial conclusion, City have invested wisely.
However it was Leeds who edged in front on six minutes. Tuesday night league football is not popular in these parts given that Leeds have not won a midweek game since thrashing Hull 4-1 here 14 months ago. However the fans were given a glimmer of hope that an omen may have been in the offing when El Hadji Diouf, restored to the starting line-up in place of Ross McCormack was adjudged to have been hauled down by Joe Dudgeon after just six minutes. Luciano Becchio stepped up and calmly just squeezed the spot-kick past Ben Amos to put Leeds in front. Although it was by far the greatest spot-kick, the Argentine deserves credit for keeping his composure as Hull vehemently disputed the spot-kick to the extent that Wiltshire ref Roger East even booked our former defender Alex Bruce for protesting.
Leeds seemed to scent the Tigers were on the ropes and vulnerable to conceding a second, however despite a couple of goal-mouth scrambles a second was not forthcoming and Hull grew in stature.
The calm and composed way the visitors broke and stroked the ball around was a major cause for concern, whist our own approach play involved desperate last gasp stretches and bobbly passing, Hull seemed to move the ball about with ease. On 23 minutes they drew level, Aiden White and Michael Tonge both went for the same ball rather than communicate and it squirmed out to Egyptian Ahmed Elohamady who smashed home only his second goal in English football having arrived on loan from Bruce's old charges Sunderland.
Elohamady turned creator seven minutes later, providing the defence splitting cross for Abdoulaye Faye to smash home a header to give the Tigers the lead.
Other than the jubilant Hull fans in the West Stand, the atmosphere inside Elland Road was pretty flat and Leeds offered little to lift the disappointing crowd of 19,000+ inside ER. Neil Warnock did make a change on 61 minutes when Dominic Poleon replaced Luciano Becchio. The Leeds top scorer had worryingly fell awkwardly a few minutes earlier and it was clear that Warnock was not going to risk yet another key member of his squad sustaining yet another significant injury.
A couple of surging, pacy runs from Poleon did lift the crowd, however Leeds were punished on 75 minutes when having won a corner, they conceded possession far too cheaply, Hull broke and Elohamady picked out the equally superb Robert Koren who unmarked on the right slotted home past Kenny.
I felt the biggest cheer of the night came when Luke Varney was replaced by Andy Gray, Varney appears to be an unpopular squad member amongst sections of the crowd, then again I heard people slating Diouf's workrate and dubbing the Senegalese as "not a Leeds United type player" as he does not put " a shift in" forgetting his sublime touches and pinpoint crosses which would yield more returns in a side with more quality at its disposal.
In the last minute of proper time Andy Gray headed home what i believe is his first goal at ER in a Leeds shirt. The Hull fans were momentarily silenced but other than a couple of hopeful long range efforts from Austin and Peltier time ran out for Leeds and I must admit I left ER feeling even more down tonight as I did when our next opponents Nottingham Forest ran out 7-3 winners last season. Worryingly the game very much had a "last season" feel about it.