Hull City paid the price for their lack of adventure as Gaston Ramirez's second-half goal won all three points for Middlesbrough. Not until stoppage time did the Tigers muster a shot on target of note but it was little too late to give Mike Phelan's side any hope of avoiding a fifth consecutive away defeat.
Middlesbrough were worthy winners at the Riverside, piling the gloom back on a rival they had climbed out of the Championship alongside in May.
Positives
Such was the nature of City's demise, it was hard to cling to any comforts on the journey home from Teesside.