Hull showed battling qualities which may well lead to a play-off challenge as Liam Delap and Ozan Tufan goals stunned Middlesbrough.
Trailing to Emmanuel Latte Lath’s early strike, the Tigers had been second-best in the first-half before clawing their way back into the contest.
When Tyler Morton’s 69th-minute corner was flicked on by Jacob Greaves, Delap found himself completely unmarked to thud home a close-range header.
If that was a frustrating goal to concede for Michael Carrick’s side, things would get even worse when Tufan swept home from fellow substitute Greg Docherty’s ball eight minutes form time.