After a goalless first leg, Hull City broke the deadlock at The Den through Mohamed Belloumi, who scored only his third goal of the Championship campaign with a superb curling left-footed finish midway through the second half.
Belloumi later provided an assist for 24-year-old substitute Joe Gelhardt, who doubled Hull’s lead in the 78th minute with his first touch after coming onto the pitch. Gelhardt showed composure to finish, although Millwall goalkeeper Anthony Patterson will feel he could have done better.
The travelling Hull City supporters erupted in celebration, with the Amber Army beginning to dream of a return to Wembley.
Hull City head coach said his side were “living the dream” during his post-match press conference following the victory.
Gelhardt also reflected on his goal after the match, saying: “When I hit it, I was waiting for the ball to go over the line. It was a great feeling to score.”
Hull City last reached the Championship play-off final in 2016. They defeated Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley to secure promotion to the Premier League. Mohamed Diamé scored the winning goal under manager Steve Bruce.
The Tigers were relegated from the Premier League the following season after finishing 18th under Marco Silva. Hull later dropped into League One after finishing bottom of the Championship in the 2019/20 campaign. Before bouncing back immediately by winning the League One title.
Hull City will now hope to secure a return to the Premier League. As they look to make amends for last season’s Championship play-off disappointment.
Oliver Brown
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