Chelsea 2-2 Hull City: Dire defending finally catches up with Blues, as Joao Pedro spares blushes for Xabi Alonso and Tigers roar ever-louder on rampant return to Premier League

The Chelsea chaos continues, only this time against a Hull side showing why their ascension is no fluke, the awesomeness of the attack could not compensate for the direness of the defence.

We knew it would catch up with Xabi Alonso’s side eventually. It simply isn’t sustainable, relying on bagging a bundle of goals in order to outscore the opposition every single week. They beat Fulham 3-2, and Brighton 4-3, but those wins may have only papered over the cracks.

And Chelsea are cracking rather than showing the solidity needed to challenge towards the top. Even Alonso described the defending as ‘soft’ after this draw with Hull, who remain unbeaten under Sergej Jakirovic and who might have even sneaked a late winner themselves here.

Jakirovic revealed afterwards how before this season started, he promised his staff a week off if they could somehow secure eight points after five games. They have reached that target in four.

As for Alonso, there will be no days off awarded, least of all for his defenders. Chelsea have ‘JPMorgan’ up top in Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, but a piggy bank at the back, waiting to be smashed open at the slightest knock, as it was twice here after Rogers' opener.

That was the first goal conceded by Hull since their return to the Premier League, but Jakirovic’s visitors were hardly made to work hard to turn this match around in their favour.

Chelsea have ‘JPMorgan’ up top, but a piggy bank at the back, waiting to be smashed open at the slightest knock, as it was twice here

Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro got a goal apiece so that Xabi Alonso could avoid losing to Sergej Jakirovic’s streetwise Hull side

Do not let the ball bounce. It is defending 101. The no-no we are all taught as children when we dream of making it as a professional player. Yet Jorrel Hato broke that basic rule.

Hato let the ball bounce in front of him and loop over him after it was launched into the box from the left wing by Ryan Giles, with Chelsea’s other full back Malo Gusto having failed to stop that cross from coming. While Hato was watching, Mohamed Belloumi was waiting, there behind him to blast beyond Emiliano Martinez and make it 1-1.

Hato was hooked at half-time for good reason. This 28th-minute equaliser made it 20 Premier League matches in succession that Chelsea have failed to keep a clean sheet. Their last one arrived in a 2-0 home win over Brentford in January, in what was Liam Rosenior's first league match as head coach as he kickstarted his doomed tenure.

That leveller injected belief into Hull. Jakirovic’s visitors were in the ascendency from then on, and they scored again in the 34th minute after yet more Looney Tunes defending from Chelsea.

Martinez was flapping as Hull’s corner came in. Semi Ajayi headed into the crossbar. The rebound fell to Belloumi, who, via two deflections which made Chelsea’s six-yard box resemble a pinball machine, scored for 2-1.

The Hull fans loved it, of course. ‘We’re top of the league,’ they sang. ‘We’re gonna win the league,’ they added. ‘Sorba Thomas, he parks where he wants,’ they chanted in a nod to their winger who crashed his car on the way into the training ground this week. Despite flipping his Land Rover Defender upside down, Thomas escaped without harm, and came on as a substitute here. Speaking afterwards, Jakirovic joked: ‘You saw the images? He’s Max Verstappen! No, no, everything is fine, thank God. It was an accident. it could happen to anyone.'

Hull remain unbeaten in their first four games following promotion to the Premier League

Hull’s formidable start to this season is no accident. They have won two, drawn two, lost none. They are a solid side who play to their strengths, though it was always going to be a big ask for the visitors to hold on their lead here.

That is because we know how good Chelsea’s attackers are, and that Alonso's side would be throwing everything at them as this game wore on. The Blues had scored within the opening five minutes of their first three Premier League fixtures against Fulham, Brighton and Arsenal. This time it took a little longer – six minutes and 16 seconds for Rogers to score – but it put Chelsea into a strong position until their defence undid them.

While trailing 2-1, it took Palmer carrying the ball down the left before setting up Joao Pedro for Chelsea to equalise. It was a fine finish from the Premier League’s player of the month; precisely what we have come to expect from the striker.

Alonso went for the win late on, replacing Gusto with Danny Welbeck after 78 minutes and introducing Estevao after 86. That was a little late for some Chelsea fans who feel the 19-year-old Brazilian is a terrific talent deserving of more minutes.

However, Hull held firm and so, after riding their luck in wins over Fulham and Brighton, Chelsea’s defence finally cost them. Alonso has overseen six games in all competitions with 30 goals involved in total. It is exhilarating for us neutrals, but exhausting for Chelsea's manager.