Seven successive draws means the Blues have lost valuable ground on the league leaders and it is the three on the run at home that have hurt the most.
The Blues had easily enough possession to have won this game but couldn’t find the killer second goal after Shaun Wright-Phillips had fired them ahead in first half injury time.
And they literally paid the penalty for not being able to find the net again eight minutes from the end when the visitors were awarded a soft spot kick after Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink crumpled under a challenge by Kolo Toure.
Jimmy Bullard converted from twelve yards and then the whole of the Hull side sat in a circle in front of their fans mocking what happened here last season when boss Phil Brown kept them on the pitch for a less than affectionate lecture as they turned around 4-0 down.
It was a funny moment but not for home fans frustrated at a third home stalemate that has anchored, at least for the time being, the charge for the top four.
On his last visit to the City of Manchester Stadium back in December 2008 Tigers’ boss Brown came in for plenty of stick after reading the interval riot act to his beleaguered troops in a very public manner.
Their resistance was a much less fragile on this occasion but even so they struggled at times to compete with a Blues side determined to kick off a big week in style.
For most of the contest it appeared a victory – albeit narrow – would be achieved with the minimum of fuss but plenty of style and substance.
The game ought to have been settled by first half injury time when Wright-Phillips’ drive from the edge of the box seemed to take a slight deflection that took it beyond Andy Dawson.
The goal was a triumph too for excellent refereeing from Lee Probert who waved play on early in the move near the Blues box when Paul McShane downed Robinho. The Hull man was booked as City celebrated the goal.
Probert, though, was less popular late on when he pointed a little too readily to the spot to set up the Hull leveller.
Positives were hard to find at the final whistle but at least another near full CoMs was able to herald the return of Robinho who hadn’t been glimpsed in first team colours since the end of August. The Brazilian was pitched straight back into the side as Hughes picked the most attacking line up at his disposal.
Robinho more than justified his recall with a zestful opening quarter that smacked of a man eager to show that he cares and Hull hard a hard time keeping him check.
Even so the Blues found it hard to fashion guilt-edged chances. Robinho himself was inches wide with a curler from wide out and Richards plonked a header from a corner on to the roof of the net, but the best chance of all fell to Carlos Tevez who, having been put through by a combination of Adebayor and Robinho, didn’t manage to lift the ball over Matt Duke.
Shaun Wright-Phillips also failed to find the back of the net, hitting the side of it instead, after a wonderfully fluent move involving Adebayor, Tevez and Ireland. It would have been the goal of the season.
The near miss was in the end symptomatic of most of the game with City showing the pace and panache missing in the recent home draws with Fulham and Burnley but not being able to sustain it.
