Hull and Millwall draw tense first leg to leave playoff semi-final in the balance | Championship

The 40th edition of the EFL playoffs started not so much with a bang, but with the kind of tension-filled evenings we have come to expect from the business end of the season. And at the end of a gripping evening in East Yorkshire, the Premier League dreams of Hull and Millwall remain alive before rivalries are renewed in south London on Monday night.

At half-time in two-legged ties such as this, it is perhaps common to take stock and assess who is better placed to get the job done and reach the final. The smart answer here would be Millwall, given they head back south level at 0-0 in the tie and they have the chance to get the job done in front of their own fans.

But Hull, who have silenced their critics after making the Championship’s top six while under a transfer embargo, have won at Millwall once this season already. There is a fair argument we didn’t see the best from either side in this first leg, with the tension palpable all evening as both sides perhaps knew one mistake could be fatal. It will be decided at the Den.

The opening 45 minutes of this year’s playoffs were unsurprisingly, given what was at stake, incredibly edgy. But there was an early chance that had briefly hinted the tie would be littered with action as Hull’s Mohamed Belloumi went on a magnificent run before just clipping the outside of Anthony Patterson’s post. It would have been one of the great playoff goals.

It had also suggested there would be chances aplenty but the contest quickly settled into a rhythm and, in truth, something of a stalemate. With neither side wanting to open up too much so early into a two-legged tie, there was a feeling of both teams holding the other at arm’s length and perhaps saving their best moments for later in the contest.

The better moments in attack were just marginally Hull’s, though. They were definitely the stronger of the two teams in the first half in terms of creating moments that threatened to be dangerous, particularly on the counter. But in contrast, Millwall looked much more composed and controlled in possession.

Chances were few and far between, though. It felt as though whoever calmed down the quickest after half-time would be in with a great chance of leading going into Monday’s second leg, with Millwall in particular perhaps guilty of forcing a pass they perhaps would not have done in a regular league game.

It was tense, it was tight and it was incredibly nervy. The atmosphere reflected it, with both sets of supporters clearly feeling the pressure and at half-time, there was nothing to separate two of the Championship’s best.

Would it open up after half-time? Well, not exactly. Like in the first half, the most meaningful chance came very early on as Hull’s captain, Lewie Coyle, drove a long-range effort over the bar but after that, the contest largely became confined to the middle of the pitch, with neither side having a real cutting edge.

If one moment perhaps summed up the opening hour best, it was Alex Neil’s bewildered reaction on the touchline to Tristan Crama attempting to score from almost 40 yards out with an effort that sailed harmlessly over Ivor Pandur’s goal. There was no shortage of effort from both, but there was precious little in the way of goalscoring chances.

But you felt as though the narrative could shift as the latter stages approached, perhaps most notably from the hosts. Would they be comfortable taking a draw down the M1 to London with them on Monday night? Or would they try and open the contest up for the first time to push for a goal that could be hugely significant?

They did blink: and it almost immediately paid off as substitute Yu Hirakawa’s teasing cross was just turned wide by Oli McBurnie. Moments later at the other end, a superb curling effort from Femi Azeez had to be smartly saved by Pandur. Suddenly, the atmosphere had been lifted: chances were coming and the tempo had been lifted.

Millwall’s introduction of Barry Bannan from the bench also had an impact. He unpicked Hull’s defensive line with some wonderful passing and it led to a big moment too as injury time approach. Ryan Leonard got ahead of the Hull defence to prod home a cross but Crama was adjudged to have pulled Charlie Hughes down as the cross came in.

It left Neil furious on the touchline but in the end, it would finish all square. These two go again on Monday knowing Wembley is well within reach: an outcome they will both be satisfied with.