'It's a huge result' - Sergej Jakirovic praises Hull City performance after thrilling Chelsea draw

Jakirovic could not hide his pride after watching his side battle to a draw in west London. Despite falling behind early to a Morgan Rogers strike, the visitors responded brilliantly to take the lead through a Mohamed Belloumi double - first capitalizing on a Jorrel Hato error before netting a deflected effort off Levi Colwill. Although Cole Palmer set up Joao Pedro for a second-half equalizer, Jakirovic was full of praise for the character shown by his players against one of the league's heavyweights.

'I feel good. We have to be happy. It's a huge result for us,' Jakirovic told BBC Sport after the match. The Tigers have enjoyed a remarkable start to the new campaign, and this latest result further cements their status as the division's early surprise package. 'We took a point in a very demanding match. Eight points against very difficult opponents. We have to continue like this.'

Newly promoted Hull City have enjoyed an exceptional start to their Premier League return, remaining unbeaten through an impressive opening stretch. The Tigers kicked off their campaign with a stunning 2-0 victory over Manchester United, followed by a hard-fought 1-0 win against Coventry City and a goalless draw with Aston Villa, before securing another valuable point against Chelsea.

'We had 2-1 at half-time and we had a 100% chance with McBurnie but Martinez's save was excellent,' Jakirovic explained. The Hull boss also noted that defensive improvements are still required if they are to maintain this momentum at the top of the table. 'We have to control play better in the box because we can stop this [Chelsea goal]. We had an excellent chance for Cho - Martinez saved again. Player of the match.'

The positive result was somewhat overshadowed by a worrying injury to Nobel Mendy, who was forced off following a collision. The defender was clearly struggling as he left the pitch, and Jakirovic confirmed after the final whistle that the player had been taken for further medical assessment.

Providing an update on the defender's condition, the manager said: 'He went to hospital for a scan. He's dizzy and disorientated. We'll see. It's a concussion 100%.'

Meanwhile, Chelsea continued to stumble in the league following last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal. Despite a flying start to the campaign under new manager Xabi Alonso - which saw the Blues win their opening two matches - they failed to carry the momentum from Wednesday's thrilling 6-3 victory over Leeds United in the League Cup third round into Saturday's clash.