Chelsea held by Hull as defensive woes continue

Chelsea's defensive crisis deepened as they were held to a 2-2 draw by newly-promoted Hull City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, extending a run of conceding at least two goals in every Premier League match this season. The result left Hull unbeaten in their first four league games since returning to the top flight. Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea an early lead in the seventh minute, but Hull fought back through a Mohamed Belloumi brace to take a 2-1 advantage. Joao Pedro equalized for the hosts in the 66th minute to salvage a point. The draw means Chelsea have now conceded nine goals in their opening four Premier League matches, the most among the current top six. The defensive frailties were highlighted by a statistic showing Chelsea have gone 20 league matches without keeping a clean sheet, their longest such run in 65 years. Manager Xabi Alonso acknowledged the team's shortcomings after the match. "We can do better. We got what we deserved," Alonso said. "We need to be more solid and be more controlled." Hull, managed by Sergej Jakirovic, have emerged as one of the early surprises of the campaign.