Oxford, Luton and Derby will have sinking Hull City feeling on Plymouth Argyle evidence | OneFootball

Hull's 2-0 success over the Pilgrims provided a platform on which they can build from at the MKM

The importance of Hull City's three-point haul against Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night cannot be underestimated.

In what was the Tigers' most important game of a largely dismal season, all 11 players who started the encounter and those who came off the bench all played their part as Ruben Selles' side opened up a five-point buffer between themselves and Luton Town, who currently occupy the final spot in the Championship relegation zone.

In games of such a magnitude, it is so often cliché that result comes over performance, but what will please Selles was that, for the first time in just over two months, the side with by far the worst home record in the second tier with just 16 points out of a possible 54 took advantage of their dominance, with a blueprint now provided that could also give Oxford United, the Hatters and Derby County a familiar sinking feeling, with three more six-pointers still to come at the MKM.

Hull City took full advantage of lacklustre Plymouth Argyle performance

As well as the general nerves which surround key outings, many of a Hull persuasion were also fearing that 'Typical City' could come to the fore, given the Pilgrims' abhorrent away record of no wins and five points, as well as a marked improvement in performance levels in recent times under Miron Muslic.

However, barring a 15-20-minute spell either side of the half-time interval, the side which defeated Brentford and Liverpool and performed admirably in defeat to Manchester City on Saturday were no match for the Tigers, with several key players putting their best foot forward, with the likes of Gustavo Puerta, Joe Gelhardt, Abu Kamara and Joao Pedro just a quartet of men in Black and Amber at the beating heart of the performance.

Hull's goalscoring issues have been evident across the season, with Tuesday night's victory just the seventh time more than one goal has been scored in 35 games, and it couldn't have come at a better time, as the Pilgrims were restricted to just three shots across the 90 minutes, with not a single effort causing issue for Ivor Pandur between the sticks.

Meanwhile, an xG figure of 2.52 from 11 attempts (five on target) was effectively matched by those in Black and Amber.

Despite the controversy surrounding Kamara's finish which put the contest to bed, the only minor 'criticism' as such, was that on a handful of occasions, City overplayed inside the box instead of further boosting their goal difference, which is still, by far and away, the best of all sides within the division's bottom-eight.

"The team is working in the dynamic that we want, and the results are coming, maybe not in the format that we would all like them to, but it's there, and we are as competitive as any team in the league," Selles stated to Hull Live after the crucial success.

"Tonight was a night to make the basics in the proper way. We didn't need any complexity or anything like that. We just needed to do the things that we do in the proper way, and that finishing action like the passing, like the attacking. It's a basic situation, but do it properly: put the ball in the net with the first touch, score that goal, and forget about anything else."

Hull City must replicate this performance against Oxford United, Luton Town and Derby County

Of course, the short-term challenge for City is to try and achieve back-to-back wins for just the second time this season against play-off chasing Bristol City at Ashton Gate, which could see them rise as high as 17th should results fall their way this upcoming weekend.

Having showcased a blueprint to cause havoc against some of the division's top sides, the same can now be said for encounters at the MKM, especially with more potentially season-defining games in HU3 on the horizon, beginning with a clash against Gary Rowett's Oxford next Wednesday.

Ironically, four of Hull's remaining five fixtures in East Yorkshire come against sides in the bottom eight in terms of points accumulated on the road, with Luton, Derby and Oxford all sitting directly above Argyle in that regard.

All three sides have just one away victory to their name so far this season, with the U's and Luton both successful at the Den against Millwall, whilst the Rams' solitary success came against Coventry City in early November.

Not many will fancy Rowett's side to change such circumstances against Norwich City on Friday night, which would boost Hull's confidence and potentially plunge last season's League One play-off winners back into real danger, with some believing they may have peaked too early when the former Birmingham City boss took over the reins at the Kassam Stadium.

Hull will also feel there is no better time to avenge Luton's recent hoodoo on them, with the Bedfordshire outfit winning five of their last six meetings against the Tigers, which included a bitter 1-0 defeat at Kenilworth Road in the final days of Tim Walter's ill-fated reign in November.

Given how far away the fixture with Derby is at this moment in time, City will no doubt hope to have secured their Championship status by April 26th, although the game is still extremely likely to have a bearing on the East Midlands' side's immediate future if recent trends and performances are anything to go by.

Regardless, Selles will hope that Tuesday's three points is a cornerstone in terms of points, fortune and performance levels, as the Spaniard looks to push a dynamic and youthful side forward.