David McGoldrick gave the Blues the lead but Jarrod Bowen equalised for Hull City as the first half of Town’s game against the Tigers at the KCOM Stadium ended with the scoreline 1-1.
Town boss Mick McCarthy named an unchanged side with the Blues again lining-up in their attacking 4-2-3-1 system with McGoldrick, Martyn Waghorn and Bersant Celina behind Joe Garner.
Callum Connolly again joined Cole Skuse, who was over the injury he suffered in the 3-0 victory over Preston before the international break, in the deeper midfield roles.
There was no place in the 18 for Emyr Huws, who was in contention to return to the squad for the first time since joining the Blues on a permanent basis in the summer after recovering from his achilles injury.
Hull made four changes, Michael Hector, Kevin Stewart, Markus Henriksen and Nouha Dicko coming into the side for Max Clark, David Meyler, Jackson Irvine and Fraizer Campbell.
Town started brightly, Henricksen blocking Waghorn’s 30-yard freekick in the second minute.
And four minutes later, the Blues went in front. Hull keeper Allan McGregor impressively tipped Garner’s header over but Town scored from the resultant corner.
Waghorn played a quickly-taken short flag-kick to Celina, who returned the ball to the former Hull loanee, who crossed to the edge of the box. Skuse turned into the area and, after Jonas Knudsen had mis-kicked a loose ball, McGoldrick hit his eighth goal of the campaign into the corner of the net.
Having got their noses in front, the Blues continued to look the better side with the home team unable to make an impression on the game, much to the frustration of the home fans, already in a fractious mood due to their team’s 20th position in the table going into the game and their unpopular owners.
On 17 Garner tried an ambitious chip from not far inside the Hull half which McGregor was able to watch loop wide of his goal.
The Tigers struck their first shot of the game in the 22nd minute but Bowen’s 25-yard effort was straight at Bartosz Bialkowski in the Town goal.
As the game moved towards the half-hour mark Hull put the Blues under pressure for the first time with a number of balls played into the box but the Town backline remaining resolute.
However, in the 34th minute the Tigers levelled. Kamil Grosicki cleverly turned his way past Connolly as he broke into the area on the right, his cross hit Adam Webster, wrong-footing his team-mates and falling to Bowen at the far post and Bialkowski could only palm his shot into the roof of the net.
The goal gave the home side increased impetus and on 40 Webster was forced to pull back Henriksen as he broke away towards goal after the Blues had lost possession and the former Pompey man was shown the first yellow card of the game.
Grosicki saw a strike blocked as the Tigers ended the half on top having grabbed their equaliser, deservedly on the balance of the first 45 minutes as a whole, Town having been the better side earlier in the period when they should have made more of having gained the lead.
Hull City: McGregor, Aina, Tomori, Dawson (c), Hector, Stewart, Larsson, Henriksen, Bowen, Grosicki, Dicko. Subs: Marshall, Masuch, Clark, Meyler, Irvine, Evandro, Diomande.
Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Webster, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Skuse, Connolly, Celina, McGoldrick, Waghorn, Garner. Subs: Gerken, Iorfa, Ward, Sears, Nydam, Bru, Kenlock. Referee: David Coote (Nottinghamshire).