Hull required an 87th-minute equaliser to keep their FA Cup hopes alive and seal a 1-1 draw against managerless Birmingham at the MKM Stadium.
Matty Jacob bagged the equaliser, marking his first start for the Tigers with a memorable moment to set up a third-round replay at St Andrew’s later this month.
Lukas Jutkiewicz put the Blues in front inside the opening 18 minutes of the contest with a glancing header and for much of the contest it looked as though the Blues, coached by interim boss Steve Spooner, would be able to get life after the sacked Wayne Rooney off to a winning start.
But, they could not withstand the pressure from the home side, meaning this tie will have to be settled in the second city.
After what has been a challenging week at St Andrew’s, it was the visitors who started the quickest in East Yorkshire as Jutkiewicz stung the palms of Ryan Allsop inside the first 10 minutes.
The veteran striker really should have scored four minutes later, pushing an effort wide of the Tigers’ goal after seeing Koji Miyoshi capitalise on an error from Sean McLoughlin to create the opportunity.
However, Jutkiewicz kept knocking on the door and in the 18th minute, he found his goal. Getting away from his man on the right wing, Cody Drameh picked out the 34-year-old with an inch perfect cross and Jutkiewicz did the rest with his deft header nestling into the bottom corner of Hull’s net.
Birmingham almost doubled their advantage a minute later as Siriki Dembele burst into the hosts’ box before rattling the crossbar.
Hull dominated possession for much of the first half, but they struggled to find attacking rhythm and despite their best efforts, they reached half-time without troubling Neil Etheridge in the Blues goal.
The 59th minute introduction of new boy Billy Sharp, signed on a free transfer after a stint in the MLS, seemed to breathe life into the Tigers’ attack and Aaron Connolly went close to finding an equaliser on a couple of occasions.
After dominating possession once more in the second half, Liam Rosenior’s side finally found their goal as Jacob, fresh from his league debut at Hillsborough on New Year’s Day, nipped in at the near post to poke the ball home after seeing Etheridge fail to handle Connolly’s initial effort.
Birmingham came close to a last-minute winner through Jay Stansfield, but Allsop got down well to pull off what was perhaps the save of the game.
Fiorentina 2-2 Napoli: Kvaratskhelia keeps visitors' slim European hopes alive
Dethroned Italian champions Napoli's hopes of playing European football next season are hanging by a thread after they played out a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday.
Napoli took the lead in the eighth minute through defender Amir Rrahmani, who nodded home a corner by Matteo Politano.
Cristiano Biraghi levelled for Fiorentina in the 40th minute from a free-kick, before M'Bala Nzola put the hosts in front two minutes later when he fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia responded with another stunning free-kick early in the second half to rescue a point for his team.
Eighth-placed Fiorentina, on 54 points and with a game in hand, are five points behind Lazio in seventh.
They can still earn a Europa League spot either by leapfrogging the Rome side or by winning the Europa Conference League final in which they face Greece's Olympiakos on May 29.
Ninth-placed Napoli, on 52 points, still have a slim chance of making the Europa Conference League playoffs.
Data Debrief
Fiorentina left-back Biraghi has now scored six goals from direct free-kicks since the start of 2021-22, which is behind only James Ward-Prowse (seven) - now of West Ham and formerly of Southampton - as the most across Europe's top five leagues in that period.
Kvaratskhelia also levelled via a direct free-kick, making this the first Serie A match in which both teams scored via that route since Fiorentina against Lazio in April 2018 (Jordan Veretout and Luis Alberto in that case).
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Marc Skinner signs Manchester United Women contract extension
Marc Skinner has signed a one-year contract extension as Manchester United Women head coach with the option of a further 12 months.
The 41-year-old guided United to their first major silverware last weekend with victory over Tottenham in the Women's FA Cup final.
United are fifth in the Women's Super League with one game to go - a massive drop on last term's runners-up finish - but Skinner will stay on.
"It's an honour to extend my stay at Manchester United," Skinner, who was appointed in 2021, told United's official website after the news was confirmed on Friday.
"I've always felt at home here, with our excellent players, staff, and fans.
"Being able to secure the team's first major trophy at Wembley was a real career highlight for me and another sign of our continued growth, on and off the field."
United conclude their campaign on Saturday against Chelsea, who lead Manchester City on goal difference entering the final day.
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