Hull City 2-2 Middlesbrough: Finn Azaz earns Michael Carrick’s side a point but a draw dents both sides’ Championship play-off hopes

This was a terrific game between two teams that shared four hammer and tongs goals. The point they got as a reward? Pretty useless.

While both Hull and Middlesbrough remain in the hunt for the final play-off spot, this draw was the result neither wanted.

That leaves them locked together on 62 points in ninth and tenth, around six points behind sixth-placed Norwich.

You wouldn’t bet on them extending their season from here either, although Hull have a game in hand on Boro and Norwich, if not Coventry and Preston in between.

After the in-form Emmanuel Latte Lath fired Boro into an early lead, Hull came back strongly thanks to goals from Jaden Philogene and Jean Michael Seri.

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But Finn Azaz rounded off a Boro counter to grab them a share of the spoils with 19 minutes remaining.

It was a fair reflection, but with only a handful of games to play, one of them really had to seize the initiative here. It ended with both disappointed.

‘It was a good football match. I’m a little bit disappointed we didn’t get a winner, we did everything we could to win it. The players were fantastic throughout, said Boro manager Michael Carrick.

– It was in the nature of both teams, because they have many talents and positive players on the pitch. Both teams were tested, but they showed quality.

“Of course we are still in the game. We have to win the next games, nothing has changed since the last game. Norwich lost two points, we have lost two points.’

It was Boro who came into the contest as the form side and they got off to the perfect start after just four minutes.

Matt Clarke played the ball out of defense before Lukas Engel lifted a pass over the top of Hull’s defense where Latte Lath’s speed led him clear.

The angle was exceedingly narrow, but the Ivorian is in hot form and it posed no problem as he rolled his shot between the legs of Ryan Allsop and home for his sixth strike in eight games.

Briefly, it looked like Hull might unravel and Sam Greenwood created space to fire a shot that was deflected wide.

But once Hull, whose damaging six-game winless run finally ended in Cardiff on Saturday, hit their stride, they were clearly the superior team in the first half.

Some slick interplay around Boro’s box saw Abdulkadir Omur curl a shot just a whisker past Seny Dieng’s far post.

It’s fair to say there were still many inside the MKM Stadium wanting Liam Rosenior’s side to take a more direct approach rather than constantly circulating the ball.

But the approach works by grinding opponents down and pulling defenders out of position if patience is afforded. Soon the reward came to Hull.

First, it took an athletic Dieng one-handed save to deny Jacob Greaves’ header after Seri had crossed invitingly from the right flank.

Hull’s concerted pressure paid off after 29 minutes when Philogene whipped in a cross intended for either Ozan Tufan or Fabio Carvalho in the middle.

Instead, it bent all the way through, deceiving Dieng to find the far corner. The stadium announcer credited a weak Tufan touch and left the decision to the championship’s dubious goal panel.

Seizing the initiative, Hull continued to pile forward. Another Omur attempt had to be headed away by Luke Ayling just in front of his own line.

But when the break and the break called, Middlesbrough shot themselves in the foot when they gifted Seri a goal.

Dieng played the ball out to Lewis O’Brien and he was immediately troubled by the Ivorian midfielder who pinched the ball, moved it to the left and then blasted emphatically into the top corner.

It was a hugely frustrating way for Boro to concede, but Hull had certainly earned their lead.

They pressed to try and put the game to bed after the break with Seri’s effort blocked by Boro skipper Jonny Howson before Regan Slater drove a fierce low shot across goal.

At the other end, Engels’ determined efforts led to similar bodily sacrifices by Greaves.

Hull’s Philogene attempted the spectacular overhead kick but lost his bearings to send it back where it came from.

And just a minute later, Boro grabbed their equalizer through Azaz’s neat finish over Allsop after playing a neat one-two with Isaiah Jones down the right.

At this point, it was anyone’s guess who would call on the energy reserves to win it.

Hull went close through Omur with 15 to go, the Turkish winger playing his way through only for Dieng to stand tall and block.

In stoppage time, Latte Lath pounced on a free-kick, but couldn’t get the ball rolling as play-off hopes faded all round.