Tottenham must go back to the drawing board and remind one another that "simplicity is genius". They should consider the elements that made Spurs famous for "push and run" - one- and two-touch football, using the ball quickly and dragging defenders out of position. That is the way to beat a resolute rearguard.
At present they are playing with genuine honesty but have individuals who are wanting to overelaborate on the ball. Aaron Lennon had countless touches but his final pass consistently fell on stony ground, and Jermaine Jenas and Luka Modric need to remember the importance of keeping the game flowing quickly.
Up front, finding the correct balance will be crucial to their fortunes. They paired Roman Pavlyuchenko with Fraizer Campbell and positioned Modric to tuck in off the left touchline, which left Gareth Bale with acres of space to exploit. Hull City's tactics gave Tottenham a marvellous opportunity to attack freely down the left side and in the first half Bale eagerly ran forward.
Unfortunately for Tottenham nothing was created from this source as Hull, buoyed by Geovanni's brilliant free-kick goal, held firm. The visitors' defenders consistently marked tight and their concentration never wavered as they headed and blocked a succession of hopeful crosses. Tottenham needed guile but it was missing.
Hull bravely started with two main strikers, Daniel Cousin and Marlon King, with Geovanni just behind, which kept Didier Zokora deep but conceded the left-hand outlet to Bale. Dean Marney, Ian Ashbee and George Boateng closed the middle but space on the flanks was easy to find for Tottenham.
Hull, defending with admirable skill and fortitude, were saved by the woodwork twice in the first half but continued to be dangerous on the break, with their strike force complementing one another's strengths. Cousin is strong with his back to goal, King is a grafting presence and Geovanni, a tidy ball-player, subtly picked up passes a little deeper.
A couple of the referee's decisions upset the crowd and any hope Tottenham had of rhythm during the first period but at half-time neither side changed personnel. Hull, though, did change their tactics, making King more aware of his duty to spread wider earlier to contain Bale's forward runs.
Later Phil Brown made two further alterations on the right side of his formation to contain Bale as Tottenham gambled by taking the full-back Chris Gunter off and replacing him with a winger, David Bentley. Spurs then had wide men galore - Lennon and Bentley crossing from the right and Bale crossing from a deeper station on the left. But they failed to drag Hull out of their deep, defensive positions and the Tigers continued to block bravely. Brown's last fling to maintain his lead was to bring Bernard Mendy on to pin Bale back.
Hull deserve great credit for their successful brand of contain-and-break football. Winning twice in north London is no freak. They have a superb work ethic and are brave enough to keep two upfield away from home to occupy home defenders.
