Substitute Ozan Tufan’s winner eight minutes from time completed a memorable turnaround to earn Hull a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.
Boro had led at half-time courtesy of Emmanuel Latte Lath’s seventh goal of the season in the sixth minute.
But Middlesbrough, who have now lost four of their last five matches, failed to capitalise further on a poor Tigers first half.
And Hull, making the most of vital substitutions by head coach Liam Rosenior, responded fittingly to win it when Liam Delap’s goal with 21 minutes to go was followed by Tufan’s fifth of the campaign.
The win lifted Hull back to level on points with sixth-placed Sunderland, with Middlesbrough now six points further back in 13th.
The return of Isaiah Jones initially injected fresh life into Middlesbrough after the weekend’s disappointment of losing at home to Ipswich.
And he was involved in the opening goal to put Hull on the back foot after back-to-back defeats themselves.
After Sam Greenwood and Lukas Engel’s link up play down the left, Jones’ effort was blocked and the opportunity fell to Latte Lath to finish low and beyond Ryan Allsop.
A few minutes later Allsop was equal to another effort from Latte Lath before the Tigers recorded their only shot on target of the opening period. Aaron Connolly’s effort curled into the arms of Seny Dieng from distance.
Jones, who missed the defeat to Ipswich through injury, should have scored the second soon after. He was played in behind full-back Lewie Coyle but when faced with just Allsop to beat he failed to find the target from 12 yards out.
Middlesbrough controlled possession for much of the first half and Jones’ pace and direct running was a huge factor.
But Hull, in need of a lift after losing talismanic winger Jaden Philogene to a knee injury, were still in it when the game restarted.
Tyler Morton curled an effort high and wide from distance to raise a few more concerns among the Teesside crowd.
And after Greenwood went close to increasing the lead with a curling 30-yard free-kick that flew away from the right-hand post, Hull got their rewards.
Jacob Greaves flicked on a corner at the near post and Delap was left unmarked to nod in the equaliser to end a run of four games without a goal.
That sparked Middlesbrough briefly back to life. Allsop had to hold a header from Matt Crooks moments after Greenwood had been denied in a crowded area.
But Hull, who brought five subs on in the space of 16 minutes starting before the equaliser, showed greater desire to get the win and three players from the bench combined to win it.
Ruben Vinagre got beyond Anfernee Dijksteel to drill a low cross which Dan Barlaser made a mess of in the box, and Greg Docherty rolled back for Tufan to hit first time beyond Dieng in the 82nd minute.
There was still time for Middlesbrough to almost grab a point, but Rav van den Berg shot wide inside a crowded box before the final whistle was blown.
Back in the fold? Gilbert hints at return of World Cup Girlz for Brazil friendlies
For the first time in almost nine months, it seems as if Jamaica’s interim Reggae Girlz Head coach Xavier Gilbert will have members of the World Cup squad at his disposal when they visit Brazil for two-match friendly international series in June.
The Girlz, who first locked horns with Brazil, and lost 0-3, at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, went one better at last year’s global showpiece in Australia, as they not only held the South American giants to a goalless stalemate, but also ensured their elimination at the group stage.
By all indications, that performance, and by extension, the fact that the Girlz made an historic appearance in the knockout stages of the World Cup, earned them even more respect from the number 10-ranked Brazilians, who are currently in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The games scheduled for June 1 and 4 are expected to assist Brazil in their preparation, while the now 42nd-ranked Jamaicans will get a much-needed test to regain their appetite for international competition, having last sported the nationals colours against Canada las September.
Since that Olympic qualifying fixture in Canada, members of the World Cup squad withdrew their services from national representation, citing lack of payment and mistreatment from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), among their reasons.
While it is yet to be confirmed how many, if any, of the World Cup players will make the trip, Gilbert gave the clearest indication that there might be a few, as he welcomed the games, after not utilizing the last FIFA window.
“It is always important to secure games during the international window. It not only assists in exposing players, but it also ensures the team is active, which helps our rankings, and also our quality of play. Because as you know, the more we play together, especially against quality opponents, the better the team becomes, and we also get to work on different things both offensively and defensively,” Gilbert told SportsMax.TV.
“The expectation is for us to give a good account of ourselves, it has been a while since these players have played together, but the good thing is that they are actively engaged in their respective leagues in Europe and United States. So, it is not like they were inactive, and obviously, it is not the first time they will be playing together.
“So, we just have to keep things as simple or as close to what we did prior to, and during the World Cup, to make sure we are competitive. It is going to be a little bit different, but it’s not far-fetched that we can get another positive result against Brazil,” he added.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
Paris Saint-Germain 3-3 Le Havre: Ramos rescues point but title confirmation must wait
Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 3-3 draw at home to relegation-battling Le Havre on Saturday and will need to wait before confirming their 12th Ligue 1 title.
PSG would have clinched the title with three games to spare with a victory. They have a 12-point gap over second-placed Monaco, who are at Lyon on Sunday, and a goal difference of 47 to Monaco's 18.
The away side opened the scoring in the 19th minute through Christopher Operi and PSG levelled 10 minutes later with Bradley Barcola scoring, but Le Havre went ahead again seven minutes before the break when Andre Ayew found the net.
Le Havre made it 3-1 with an Abdoulaye Toure penalty in the 61st minute, before Achrif Hakimi gave PSG hope with a goal 12 minutes from time and Goncalo Ramos levelled in added time. Le Havre are 15th on 29 points.
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