Manchester City got their Premier League title challenge back on track on Saturday thanks to a 2-0 win at Hull City.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men with just nine minutes on the clock following Vincent Kompany's foul on Nikica Jelavic, but that did not stop them taking the lead soon after through David Silva.
City then sealed the points in the final minute when Silva set up Edin Dzeko to slot home.
Read Sports Mole's minute-by-minute report below to find out how all of the action unfolded at the KC Stadium.
Hello there and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of this afternoon's Premier League encounter as Hull City welcome Manchester City to the KC Stadium. We should have some team news through in the next few minutes...
HULL: McGregor; Rosenior, Elmohamady, Figueroa, Chester, Davies; Huddlestone, Meyler, Livermore; Jelavic, Long
HULL SUBS: Harper, Bruce, Koren, Fryatt, Boyd, Sagbo, Aluko
Hull boss Steve Bruce makes three changes to his starting lineup following last weekend's 3-0 win over Sunderland in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Jake Livermore returns in midfield, while Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long are restored in attack. Matty Fryatt, Sone Aluko and Yannick Sagbo all drop to the bench.
MAN CITY: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Garcia, Fernandinho, Toure, Nasri, Silva; Dzeko
MAN CITY SUBS: Pantilimon, Lescott, Navas, Milner, Kolarov, Rodwell, Negredo
Manuel Pellegrini goes one better than Steve Bruce and makes four changes to his starting XI after their Champions League exit to Barcelona in midweek. Sergio Aguero is out with a hamstring problem so Edin Dzeko is named as the lone striker. Martin Demichelis, Gael Clichy and Javi Garcia are also given the nod. Joleon Lescott, Aleksandar Kolarov and James Milner have to settle for a place on the bench.
Man City will be intent on getting their Premier League title charge up and running again this afternoon as they look to close the gap on leaders Chelsea. City start the day nine points behind Chelsea but with three games in hand. Win all of those and they will be top of the table.
However, it's been a disappointing week for Man City as they were knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League during the past seven days. What was looking like a possible quadruple is now more likely to be a double following their triumph in the League Cup. That said, the Premier League is still up for grabs in what has been an often baffling season.
And what of Hull? Well, the Tigers kept their FA Cup hopes alive last weekend by beating Sunderland to reach the semi-finals. In terms of the Premier League they can temporarily climb into the top half of the table if they win this afternoon.
RECENT FORM IN ALL COMPETITIONS:
HULL: LDWWLW
MAN CITY: WLWWLL
Manuel Pellegrini stated earlier this week that he was worried by his side's lack of goals in recent games following their free-flowing antics in the first few months of the season. That problem will not have been helped by Sergio Aguero's troubles with injury and the Argentine is sure to be missed again by Man City this afternoon. On his day there are few better striker in the Premier League.
In contrast, Hull have been in decent form up front thanks to January signings Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long. The pair have struck up an instant rapport, and their goals are likely to keep Hull in the top flight this season. Steve Bruce is likely to be telling them to get stuck into Martin Demichelis today thanks to a string of indifferent performances from the defender recently.
HEAD TO HEAD: Man City have the better record when it comes to past meetings between these teams, winning seven matches compared to Hull's four. There have also been seven draws. However, Man City's form away to Hull has been woeful. The sides have faced each other a total of eight times and the Blues have won just one of those encounters. That came back in 1909.
Man City recorded a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture earlier this season thanks to goals from Alvaro Negredo and Yaya Toure, but they were beaten 2-1 at the KC Stadium during the last campaign.
PREDICTION TIME: Right, how do you see this one going? We here at Sports Mole can see a couple of goals in it but we reckon that Hull will earn themselves a credible point against an out-of-form Man City.
Just under five minutes to go until kickoff and the players are in the tunnel ready to walk out onto the pitch at the KC Stadium. It's a glorious day in Hull, the sun is shining brightly with clear skies all around.
KICKOFF! The teams are out, the pre-match handshakes have been done, and it will be Hull to get us underway. Here we go!
This has been a very positive start from Hull. They've controlled possession so far as Man City try to get to grips with this match. Steve Bruce has gone with a bold 4-4-2 formation this afternoon, so he clearly wants his players to take the game to the visitors. Hull's best opening so far comes courtesy of Jelavic, but the striker's dangerous cross is cut out by Demichelis.
Man City look like they're a half-step of the pace at the moment. Could it be that their trip to Barcelona in midweek is having a bit of an effect? Either way, they've been caught sleeping a couple of times now by the pace and movement of Long and Jelavic. Hull are still on top.
RED CARD! VINCENT KOMPANY (MAN CITY)
Early drama at the KC Stadium as Man City captain Vincent Kompany is shown a straight red card by Lee Mason for bringing down Jelavic! The Hull striker tried to get away from the Belgian about 30 yards from goal, but Kompany then proceeded to tug him down to the ground as the last man.
You have to say that this is a great chance for Hull now that they have the numerical advantage. Kompany looked distraught with the red card but it looked as if Lee Mason made the right decision. Jelavic certainly made a bit of a meal of it though. Man City are now just trying to settle themselves after that early setback.
GOAL! HULL 0-1 MAN CITY (SILVA)
Numerical advantage? What numerical advantage? Man City take the lead thanks to a superb strike from David Silva! The Spaniard received the ball about 25 yards from goal before rifling a left-footed drive into the top corner. Allan McGregor had no chance.
What a barmy old start to this match! You would have expected Hull to really turn the screw following Kompany's dismissal, but Man City have thrown a spanner in the works by taking the lead. You get the feeling that this match has a bit more drama to come.
You wouldn't be able to guess that Man City are a man down at the moment as they go toe to toe with Hull. There is little to separate the teams right now. That goal from Silva has certainly knocked the stuffing out of the home fans though.
CHANCE! Close to an equaliser for Hull as Long does well down the left before trying to pick out Jelavic at the near post. The Croatian just about gets to the ball but his tame effort is easily gathered by Hart.
For the record, Javi Garcia has gone into the back four in place of Kompany. The Spaniard has experience in that role, but his pairing with Demichelis is unlikely to fill Man City fans with confidence. Hull have got to exploit the duo if they want to get back into this match.
This is better from Hull. They're starting to get a bit more joy inside the Man City half, though chances in front of goal are still few and far between for the hosts. Steve Bruce is down on the touchline barking instructions at his players. It looks like he wants them to use the wings a bit more in their pursuit for an equaliser.
OFF THE WOODWORK! So close to a second goal for Man City as Zabaleta's volley comes off the underside of the crossbar but doesn't go over the line. The full-back steamed forward with his teammates before receiving the ball on the edge of the box. The Argentine then hit a brilliant strike towards goal that was unlucky not to go in.
It's Man City who are showing more ambition going forward right now. You would not be able to guess that they're only playing with 10 men. Every time that they attack they look dangerous, with most of the creativity coming from Silva. He's been excellent so far, running the show in midfield and getting into some decent positions in the final third.
YELLOW CARD! Hull defender Elmohamady goes into the book for a nasty studs-up challenge on Silva. Other referees might have not been as lenient as Lee Mason there.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Hull think that they've equalised but it's rightly ruled out for offside. Meyler thumped the ball into the top corner from just inside the box, though it won't count because three of his teammates were in front of the last defender.
Man City can sense a second goal for themselves here. They've got Hull on the back foot as the hosts struggle to get out of their own half. It's incredible how the numerical disadvantage has not affected the Blues one bit. It's almost as if they're thriving on the adversity.
Just under five minutes of normal time left in this first half and it's Man City who are still firmly on top. When Hull get forward, the hosts lack that creative edge that comes so easily to the visitors.
CHANCE! Nearly an equaliser for Hull as Livermore takes aim from about 25 yards, but the midfielder can only drag his low shot inches wide of the post with Hart beaten. Will that give the hosts a bit of confidence in this match? They've been flat during the opening 45 minutes.
There will be two minutes of added time at the end of the first half...
HALF TIME: HULL 0-1 MAN CITY
Lee Mason blows the half-time whistle and it's Man City who are the happier at the moment as they lead Hull 1-0. The visitors suffered an early setback when captain Vincent Kompany was sent off with nine minutes on the clock, but they soon rallied and took the lead through a wonderful strike from David Silva. Make no mistake, Manuel Pellegrini's side deserve to be in front.
Silva's goal was an absolute beauty. The Spaniard was given the ball about 25 yards from goal before casually turning and smashing it into the top corner past Allan McGregor. He's been the best player on the pitch so far thanks to a driven performance in midfield. Anything good that Man City have does has gone through Silva.
While Silva's goal was a moment of brilliance, the big story of the first half was how Man City looked completely unfazed after going down to 10 men. They've been in control and have rarely been troubled by Hull. One can only imagine the type of rollicking that Steve Bruce is given his players.
Looking for a concise summary of the first half? Look no further. You can find ours right here.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! The teams are out for the second half and it will be Man City to get us back underway. Hull have made a change during the break with Sone Aluko replacing Maynor Figueroa.
It's been an encouraging start from Hull, who are looking a little bit sharper already. One opening sees Long direct a header narrowly off target at the back post but the flag had gone up for a foul after he had climbed over Zabaleta.
CHANCE! Long causes trouble for Man City again as he tries to catch Hart out with a speculative long-range drive. However, the Man City goalkeeper is alert to the danger and is able to take the sting out of the shot before gathering the ball.
There's a bit of an end-to-end feel to this match now, with both teams getting forward whenever possible. Jelavic sees his effort saved by Hart before Silva is thwarted at the other end after getting into a decent shooting position.
YELLOW CARD! No arguments there as Zabaleta is cautioned for a late challenge on Meyler. Hull win a free kick in a promising position because of that, but Long's glancing header is well held by Hart inside a crowded penalty area.
SUBSTITUTION: A second change for Hull now as George Boyd enters the action in place of David Meyler. Just under an hour played at the KC Stadium and it's still very even between these two teams. Hull certainly aren't out of this yet.
Not too much of a rhythm to this game right now as the two sides battle for possession in midfield. It's gone a bit scrappy. Meanwhile, it looks like Man City are about to bring Joleon Lescott on as they try to shore things up at the back. Hull have certainly given then a few warning signs already in the second half.
It looks like Lescott is not coming on now. The defender was ready to enter the action, but it could have been that Demichelis or Garcia were nursing injuries and just seeing whether they could run them off. Hull are enjoying the lion's share of possession at the minute.
The longer Man City lead, the more Hull will start pushing forward. The hosts have been much improved since coming out for the second half, but they still don't have anything to show for their efforts. Man City seem to be biding their time right now, waiting to pounce and kill this game off.
PENALTY APPEAL! Hull want a penalty as Boyd is brought down by Hart, but Lee Mason is having none of it. The official made the right decision too as it looked like Boyd took a bit of a dive there. Hart is incensed that the Hull player isn't booked because of it and ends up getting a yellow card himself for his vociferous protest.
SUBSTITUTION: Joleon Lescott is on now in place of Yaya Toure. There's a real electricity about this match as we enter the final 20 minutes. The Hull fans feel aggrieved that their team wasn't offered a penalty though they will understand why Lee Mason didn't give it when they see the replays.
MISS! That really should be game over as Fernandinho somehow shoots wide from close range! The Brazilian was played through inside the box, taking a touch to steady himself before scuffing the ball the wrong side of the post. Manuel Pellegrini looks annoyed.
Both teams are really going for it as we head towards the final 15 minutes of the match. Hull will feel like they deserve a point, but Man City know full well that it's these kind of 1-0 victories that win you titles. Can they hold on? The hosts are giving it a right go.
Lee Mason is aware that Man City are trying to run the clock down here. We've still got 13 minutes of normal time left to play and you would imagine that a bit more will be added on top of that. The away side is slowing the place right down.
SUBSTITUTION: A final change for Hull sees Matty Fryatt come on in place of Liam Rosenior. Do the Tigers have enough in the tank to get an equaliser during the final 10 minutes.
SUBSTITUTION: Now it's a change for Man City, with Samir Nasri being replaced by Jesus Navas.
The Hull fans are really egging their team on now. Credit to the Tigers, they've been very good in the second half. The only problem for them has been a lack of finishing in the final third. They've certainly created enough chances to warrant an equaliser. Their latest opportunity sees Jelavic guide a diving header the wrong side of the post.
SAVE! What a stop from McGregor to keep Hull in this match! Dzeko was sent clear through by Silva, but his effort was smothered by the Hull goalkeeper. Could that prove decisive? Hull still have a chance to get something.
GOAL! HULL 0-2 MAN CITY (DZEKO)
It's game over now as Edin Dzeko seals the points for Man City! Silva cut the Hull defence in half with a superb pass through to the Bosnian, who made no mistake with a calm first-time finish past McGregor. This is a big result for the Blues in their bid to regain the Premier League title. Meanwhile, Silva goes off for Aleksandar Kolarov.
FULL TIME: HULL 0-2 MAN CITY
Lee Mason blows the full-time whistle and it's Man City who get the win thanks to goals from David Silva and Edin Dzeko. They had to work hard for it though after Vincent Kompany was sent off on nine minutes. This could be a big result for the Blues come the end of the season.
That's all from our live text coverage of this game for now but don't forget that you can follow live updates of today's other Premier League matches right here on Sports Mole. Just follow this link here and see what takes your fancy. Thanks for your company and we hope that you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Goodbye!
