Hull City Reach Championship Play-Off Final as Belloumi and Gelhardt Sink Millwall

Hull City are heading to Wembley after Mo Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt came off the bench to inspire a 2-0 win over Millwall in their Championship play-off semi-final second leg at The Den.

After a goalless first leg, the tie was decided in a decisive second-half spell as Hull produced a clinical away performance to seal a 2-0 aggregate victory and book their place in the final on Saturday 23 May.

Belloumi broke the deadlock after 64 minutes, cutting inside from the right and curling a superb strike in off the far post. It was a moment of real quality that finally separated the two sides after a tight and tense contest.

Just minutes later, Hull struck again. Another inspired substitution saw Gelhardt introduced and he needed less than a minute to make an impact, firing a low shot through the hands of goalkeeper Anthony Patterson to double the lead and effectively end the tie.

Hull, who finished 10 points behind Millwall in the Championship table, are now one step away from a Premier League return and will face either Southampton or Middlesbrough in the final. Those two meet in their second leg after a 0-0 draw in the first leg.

Millwall boss Alex Neil stuck with the same starting XI from the first leg, while Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic made two changes and opted for a back three, with both Belloumi and Gelhardt initially on the bench.

The visitors started brightly, threatening from set pieces as Charlie Hughes tested Patterson before heading another chance wide. Millwall then grew into the game, with Femi Azeez forcing a save from Ivor Pandur as pressure built at The Den.

The key moment of the first half came when Kyle Joseph was forced off injured after a challenge, briefly leaving Hull down to 10 players before Belloumi was eventually introduced.

That decision proved crucial. Belloumi immediately changed the game after the restart, first delivering the opener with a composed curling finish, then playing a decisive role in the second goal by winning possession from Jake Cooper and driving Hull forward in transition.

His pass released Gelhardt, who finished low across goal, with Patterson unable to keep the ball out despite getting a hand to it, and a slight deflection off Ryan Leonard helping it over the line.

As Millwall pushed bodies forward in search of a response, Hull had chances to add further goals, with Matt Crooks squandering his chance to extend the Tigers’ lead.

The result continues Hull’s perfect record in Championship play-offs, having previously won promotion via this route in 2008 and 2016, and completes a dramatic turnaround after they only narrowly survived relegation on the final day last year.

Relegation fears, a transfer embargo, and a mid-season dip that saw them drop out of the top six have all been overcome. A final-day win over Norwich ultimately secured sixth place ahead of Wrexham and Derby County, setting up their current promotion push.

Millwall, meanwhile, will be left to reflect on what might have been after missing out on automatic promotion by a single point and failing to reach their first play-off final in the second tier.

The Tigers will head into the final as underdogs regardless of the opposition, but will have the chance to end their wait for a return to the top flight for the first time since 2017.