Hull City's return to the Premier League came in the most dramatic fashion possible, a stoppage time goal at Wembley ending a nine-year wait for top flight football. Few clubs have arrived back in the division through such a rollercoaster of a campaign.
Anyone checking Hull vs. Man U odds for this season's reunion fixture is watching a club that arrived in the Premier League through one of the most unlikely playoff runs the Championship has produced.
Hull finished sixth in the Championship, comfortably outside the automatic promotion places, yet still found a way to secure their place in the top flight against sides who had spent far more heavily during the season. Here's how they did it.
A slow build to a playoff place
Sergej Jakirovic's side were relegation candidates for much of the season before their form turned. A 1-0 win over Sheffield United in early October kickstarted a genuine push up the table, and Hull won 10 of their next 16 league matches to move firmly into playoff contention by the turn of the year. However, they only secured the final playoff spot on the last day of the season with a 2-1 win over Norwich.
Key wins that shaped the run-in
Hull's form cooled considerably from February onwards, managing just five wins in their remaining matches, but crucial victories over fellow playoff rivals Derby County, Wrexham and Norwich City in that stretch proved decisive in securing sixth place.
For those tracking Premier League betting odds this season, Hull's ability to find results against direct competitors when it mattered most offers a reasonable guide to their character under pressure.
Overcoming Millwall in the semifinal
Hull's playoff semifinal against Millwall began with a goalless draw at home in the first leg, leaving everything to play for at The Den. The Tigers responded with a 2-0 win away from home in the second leg to book their place in a third Championship playoff final, continuing their remarkable record in the fixture.
A dramatic playoff final win
Hull faced Middlesbrough in the final on May 23, 2026 in front of 84,506 fans at Wembley, a fixture Boro only reached after being reinstated when original semifinal winners Southampton were expelled from the competition over a spying scandal.
Oli McBurnie, the club's top scorer with 17 league goals across the season, settled the match with the only goal of the match in the 95th minute, sending Hull back to the Premier League and completing a perfect record of three wins from three Championship playoff final appearances, a mark no other club has matched since the current format began in 2004.
Sergej Jakirovic's profile
Jakirovic took charge at Hull in July 2025 after a six-month spell at Turkish side Kayserispor, where he secured the club's survival in the Super Lig. His managerial career before that include a series of clubs in Croatia and the wider Balkans, including Rijeka, Dinamo Zagreb and Maribor, following a well-travelled playing career of his own.
Hull's achievement is made more remarkable by their financial position, having operated under a transfer embargo for much of the season and spending less than almost every other club in the division, proof that a clear plan and a settled squad can still go a long way in the Championship even without significant transfer backing.