Hull City stretched their perfect Premier League return to two wins from two after Liam Millar's 82nd-minute strike sealed a hard-fought victory at Coventry City's CBS Arena on Saturday.

It was a display of grit and organisation — far removed from the free-flowing performance that stunned Manchester United on the opening day — but the Tigers took the points all the same, leaving them second in the early standings.

Striker Ollie McBurnie offered a wry response to those who had already written Hull off before a ball was kicked. "To say we're the worst team in Premier League history, it's not a bad start from the boys," he said. "We're there on merit, we deserve to be there, we don't have anything to prove to anyone. It's been a great start."

Tigers built for the top flight

Hull's survival credentials looked convincing at the CBS Arena. Defender Semi Ajayi was commanding at the heart of the defence, while Nobel Mendy and Lucas Gourna-Douath dominated the midfield battleground. McBurnie proved a relentless outlet up front.

Coventry enjoyed close to 70 percent of possession but could not find a way past the visitors. As the game wore on and the scoreline stayed at 0-0, the pressure shifted squarely onto the hosts. Millar, introduced from the bench, delivered the decisive blow in the 82nd minute.

"The longer the game was 0-0 the pressure was more on them to win the game. A draw was not a bad result for us," McBurnie said.

Hull are the first promoted side to win their opening two Premier League fixtures in nine years, since Huddersfield Town beat Crystal Palace and Newcastle United in 2017-18 — a season in which they ultimately survived by four points. Manager Sergej Jakirovic will be targeting a similar outcome.

History on Hull's side — mostly

Only three clubs have ever won their first two Premier League games and still been relegated: Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2011-12, West Brom in 2017-18, and Hull City themselves in 2016-17. The Tigers are aware of the caveat but will back themselves to avoid repeating that misfortune.

Lampard's Coventry face an early reality check

For Coventry, returning to the Premier League after a 25-year absence has so far brought two straight defeats — a 3-0 opening-day loss at Arsenal and now this reverse. Manager Frank Lampard acknowledged a nervousness in his side's play.

"I sensed a bit of edge, that quality of pass and playing safe rather than play forward," Lampard said. "The lesson is don't expect anything in the Premier League. There are 36 games left, we're two games in. It depends how you want to react to defeats."

The Sky Blues were also dealt a fitness blow, with striker Haji Wright ruled out for several weeks with a thigh injury. Having scored 97 goals en route to the Championship title last season, Coventry must rediscover their attacking instincts quickly.

Former Wales captain Ashley Williams, who won promotion to the Premier League with Swansea City in 2011, warned of the psychological danger. "They blitzed the Championship last year and were full of confidence coming into the season. But after two defeats everything suddenly becomes that much harder," he said on the BBC's Final Score programme. "All those little doubts start to kick in so they've got to get to work and figure it out fast."

Coventry's next assignment is a trip to Manchester City — far from the ideal fixture for a side already searching for its first points.