Hull held off an Everton fightback to continue their recent resurgence with a remarkable 3-2 win at the KC Stadium.
The struggling Tigers raced into a 3-0 lead with goals from Stephen Hunt, Andy Dawson and Dean Marney inside the opening half-hour of a thrilling Barclays Premier League clash.
But Kamil Zayatte gifted Everton a route back into the game in the second half as he scored at the wrong end and then conceded a penalty which Louis Saha converted.
Everton then pressed in a nervous finale but Hull held on to move level on points with David Moyes' side.
It made for a miserable night for the Toffees as news filtered through that their plans for a new stadium had been rejected by the government.
Everton have now won just once in their last seven league games and morale must be as low as Liverpool's ahead of Sunday's Merseyside derby.
Hull can now take time to celebrate a much-need win also achieved in the absence of their midfield talisman Jimmy Bullard.
Fulham got back to winning ways courtesy of Clint Dempsey's double in a 3-0 victory as Blackburn failed to provide Sam Allardyce another Barclays Premier League victory during his absence for heart surgery.
Rovers boss Allardyce is scheduled have an operation on a coronary artery and could be back next week - and despite the scoreline he is certain to highlight the clash at Craven Cottage as a missed opportunity.
Rovers goalkeeper Paul Robinson did not have a save to make until Erik Nevland squeezed a finish in at the near post, and the game was still up for grabs until Dempsey tapped in with 23 minutes remaining.
The American grabbed his second before the end meaning the visitors failed to build on their win over Bolton at the weekend.
