Tigers tear Cats asunder
Hull will face League One Sheffield United in only their second appearance in the last four, and it will be Steve Bruce’s first as manager.
When Sone Aluko saw his penaty saved 10 minutes before the end of an evenly contested first half, the Black Cats might have suspected their luck was about to change against Hull but a second-half capitulation put paid to that.
Gus Poyet’s team have lost in all three meetings with Hull this season, having been beaten home and away in the league.
Goals from Curtis Davies, David Meyler and Matty Fryatt in nine minutes ensured more cup misery for the Wearsiders seven days on from their Capital One Cup final heartache.
Bruce has three winner’s medals from his days at Manchester United but this is unchartered territory in his 16-year management career.
“Managers, coaches and players come and go. The people who you’re happy for is the supporters,” Bruce said.
“To get there for the first time since 1930 is quite remarkable. I can’t see many of the people who went then making it this time! Let’s enjoy it. The people who have supported the club year after year, I hope we can make it a fantastic occasion.”
Standing between Bruce and a place in the final are the Blades, who gave him his first job as a boss in 1998.
“Sheffield United gave me my chance in management a long time ago at a difficult time for the club,” Bruce said. “I saw the scenes at Bramall Lane, a big full house and we now have a big Yorkshire derby to look forward to at Wembley, a terrific occasion.”
Hull have got this far without cup-tied strikers Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic but Bruce named his strongest possible side and got his reward. They spurned a golden chance to take the lead before the break, when Aluko turned smartly in the box to draw a foul from Sebastian Larsson.
The Nigeria striker was made to wait to take his spot kick as Larsson and his team-mates contested the decision and the result was a tame strike that Oscar Ustari, the Argentine goalkeeper, saved low to his right.
Hull looked to be missing Jelavic and Long but the goals came as centre-back Davies scored his third in as many games, rising above John O’Shea to head in Tom Huddlestone’s clipped free-kick. With four goals, Davies is Hull’s joint-top scorer, with Robbie Brady.
The Tigers had their tails up and took advantage of two moments of calamity from Lee Cattermole. The Sunderland midfielder, sent off here in November, was beaten to George Boyd’s hopeful hoof by Meyler. The former Cork City and Sunderland midfielder carried the ball into the area, switched to his left foot and fired beyond Ustari.
His celebration, head-butting the corner flag, was a nod to last weekend, when he was on the end of Alan Pardew’s moment of madness. Worse was to come for Cattermole. He played a nonchalant back-pass towards Ustari but did not spot Fryatt lurking.
The Hull striker intercepted and fired in the third.
“We’re out,” Poyet said.
“No more questions about which is more important: the cup or the league. From now on, it’s about points.”
HULL: (4-4-2): McGregor 6; Rosenior 8, Davies 8, Chester 7, Figueroa 6; Elmohamady 8 (Quinn, 81), Huddlestone 7, Meyler 8, Sagbo 6 (Boyd, 58, 6); Fryatt 8, Aluko 5 (Koren, 66, 7).
SUNDERLAND (4-1-3-2): Ustari 7; Bardsley 6, Vergini 6, O’Shea 6, Dossena 6; Cattermole 4; Larsson 6, Colback 5, Giaccherini 5 (Johnson, 66, 5); Scocco 5 (Borini, 67, 5); Fletcher 5.
Referee: C Pawson.
