James Milner struck in the second minute of added time to rescue Manchester City a 1-1 draw against Hull City this afternoon.
The Citizens were heading for their third successive defeat at the Etihad Stadium until the England international found a way past a determined visiting side with a free kick right at the death.
Hull had earlier taken a shock first-half lead through David Meyler, who was able to capitalise on some slack defending from the hosts to put Steve Bruce's charges on course for a memorable win.
It was not to be in the end, though, and you can see how it all unravelled with Sports Mole's text coverage below.
Well that's all from me for the time being, but be sure to stick around as we bring you a full match report, analysis and player ratings from the Etihad Stadium on a day of huge drama.
The free kick comes to nothing, meaning that Milner's injury-time screamer is enough to rescue his side a share of the spoils. Hull had led for so long thanks to Myler's first-half goal, and having looked as though they had done enough to take all three points back to Humderside, up stepped Milner to level things up at the death.
Hull City have just won a free kick in a decent crossing position. Time is officially up, so this will be the last chance. Bruce has urged his centre-backs to go forward.
We have just seconds remaining but Man City supporters can sense another goal here. The pressure is incredible in these closing stages. Can they find another?!
Absolutely fantastic from James Milner, who has come off the bench to rescue Manchester City. Having won a free kick on the edge of the box, the Englishman stepped up and curled a sublime effort past McGregor.
HULL SUB: Quinn is on in place of Brady, while Huddlestone has just been shown a yellow card. We will play an additional four minutes at the Etihad Stadium.
OFF THE POST! This would have been one of the goals of the season from Aguero. Just moments after going on a fine individual run which came to an abrupt end when he was flooded out, he took a long ball down at the back post in the most incredible of fashions before firing away a shot with his second touch - still on the volley - which came back off the bar.
It may have been a second half of Man City domination, but they have still barely created any clear-cut chances. Aguero missed one half chance while Dzeko had his shot kept out, yet you still expect so much more from a side of this attacking ability. Three minutes to go.
YELLOW CARD! Fernandinho deservedly enters the referee's book for his foul on Livermore. Man City supporters are starting to lose hope.
Six minutes left for the Citizens to find at least one goal. A point would be a poor result, but you sense that supporters would take it right now. It has been all one way for the best part of 40 minutes now. Hull have done brilliantly to hold off their opponents, yet the finishing line probably feels a million miles away with their legs tiring by the second.
As things stand, with Man City still trailing at The Etihad, Chelsea will go eight points clear at the top thanks to the 2-1 lead they now hold against Aston Villa. Results elsewhere ensures that Hull will climb to 15th.
YELLOW CARD! Nasri is the first home player to be shown a yellow card for dissent. Man City are producing wave after wave of attack, yet it is all in vain because Hull are looking as though they can withstand the pressure.
Just to give you a sign of how one sided this second half has been, Man City have enjoyed 72% of the ball so far. It means very little in the context of things, however, because it is Hull who are heading to all three points. What an incredible result this would be for the relegation battlers.
HULL CITY: Like before, Hull quickly match their opponents by making a change of their own. N'Doye is the man to come on for his debut, replacing Ramirez up top. This is all nicely helping to slow play down for the Tigers.
MANCHESTER CITY SUB: Jovetic has been introduced in place of Silva. The Montenegrin has a point to prove having been left out of the Citizens' Champions League squad this week.
Brady goes shoulder to shoulder with Milner inside the area, and the Man City midfielder goes to ground. He had a little look to the referee, but there was nothing in that other than two players coming together to win the ball.
SHOT! Some good play from City as Clichy swings a ball in to the path of Aguero, who latches onto the cross and forces McGregor into a save down low. It was a simple move, but something we have not seen enough of from the Champions so far today.
You know it's not your day when Silva miscontrolls a simple pass in midfield. Meanwhile, there's some more movement on the sidelines as Hull's new signing N'Doye limbers up.
Nasri is the man to take the free kick, and while it was by no means the worst effort, he needed to get a little more on the ball to get the better of McGregor who got down well to handle.
YELLOW CARD! Milner is immediately involved, winning a free kick for his side on the edge of the box. Dawson was to man to wipe him out in a dangerous area, and City now have a real chance to level things up. Incidentally, Livermore has also just been shown a yellow for dissent.
HULL CITY SUB: The visitors are also taking this break in play to make a change, introducing Andrew Robertson in place of Aluko. It will be interesting to see how Hull shape up now.
MANCHESTER CITY SUB: James Milner has been introduced in place of Zeko. Prior to that change, City saw a few corners come and go without causing any real danger to their opponents.
Heart in mouth moment for McShane after he diverted a cross towards his own goal, but McGregor did well to read the danger and cut out the ball. It's hard to see Hull shutting out Man City for another 30 minutes at this rate.
YELLOW CARD! Elmohamady is shown the game's first caution for kicking the ball away. "I didn't hear the whistle," he says. Jonathan Moss is having none of it.
Aston Villa have done their part of the bargain as things stand, now it's over to Manchester City...
A smart run from right to centre from Navas sees him latch onto the ball inside the box, and he is brought down to signal another shout for a penalty, although the linesman's flag was already up for offside. All Man City now as we approach the hour mark.
PENALTY APPEAL! City have been denied what looks to be a stonewall penalty. Bruce was the guilty party, charging into the back of Silva which forced the Spaniard to go to ground, but referee Jonathan Moss waved away strong appeals from home players and supporters.
SAVE! Finally McGregor has something of note to do, keeping out Dzeko's strike at full stretch. A ball in from the right was latched onto by Dzeko, and his effort looked to be heading for the top corner if not for the intervention of the Scotland international. The pattern has been set for this second half.
Hull are in for a tough 40 minutes or so at this rate, with the traffic all flowing in one direction. Both wing-backs are now being asked to sit back a little more. Focus is on preserving this 1-0 lead rather than looking to extend it on the break.
Man City still not able to carve Hull open, being restricted to just the one shot on goal all afternoon, and that may force Pellegrini into making an early second change.
There's also understandably more urgency about the Citizens' play now as they push forward. Gaps may open up at the back as this game continues, yet City certainly need to take some risks if they are to bag a couple of goals.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! Far more width already provided by Navas, who was introduced in place of Fernando at half time. That change was to be expected in many ways, because Man City were simply being flooded out in the centre of the pitch.
A quick reminder of the options available to both sides from the bench. Hull certainly have options in attack should they wish to change things up, but I imagine Steve Bruce will be pretty pleased with what he has seen thus far. Manuel Pellegrini, on the other hand, will surely change things up ahead of the second half.
BENCH WATCH!
MANCHESTER CITY SUBSTITUTES: Caballero, Mangala, Kolarov, Navas, Milner, Lampard, Jovetic
HULL CITY SUBSTITUTES: Harper, Davies, Hernandez, Jelavic, Robertson, N'Doye, Quinn
This really could be a seismic day in the Premier League because elsewhere leaders Chelsea lead Aston Villa 1-0 in the West Midlands. That gap between first and second could reopen to eight points once more, and while City have closed that gap before, it really does seem unlikely that they will do so again.
The half's only other real chance also fell the way of the visitors; Ahmed Elmohamady heading against the bar at the back post when he really should have been converting. Nasri had his side's best opening which came shortly before the break, but he failed to make the most of the chance and was quickly closed down inside the area.
That goal came about on the back of some truly shambolic defending from the champions, culminating in Hart being left stranded in the middle of nowhere at one point, Kompany making a real hash of a clearance and, well, the whole defensive unit falling apart to allow Meyler to charge in unmarked and fire home.
Referee Jonathan Moss brings the first half to a close, with a chorus of boos echoing around the Etihad Stadium. Well, from three quarters of the ground anyway because Hull have been brilliant so far. Having remained compact at the back, restricting their opponents to just one shot on goal all half, they managed to edge ahead 10 minutes before the break through David Meyler.
Some space opens up for Silva on the edge of the box, yet once more Livermore and Huddlestone are on him in a flash to cut out the danger. Fantastic discipline from the Tigers.
Just a few signs perhaps that the Citizens may be growing into this game on the back of that Nasri chance, but they have just two minutes of added time to level things up before the break.
CHANCE! City's best - and arguably only - chance of the half falls the way of the returning Samir Nasri. A loose ball was latched onto by the Frenchman, but instead of unleashing a shot from inside the area, he opted to take a touch which allowed Bruce to pounce brilliantly to cut out the danger.
A frustrated Zabaleta concedes a free kick in a dangerous area, and once more some slack defending allows Aluko to fire a shot away which ends high and wide.
The Citizens has three or four chances to get the ball clear then, and their failure to do so has cost them dearly. There is still more than 50 minutes of this game to go, but on this first-half showing City seriously need to up things if they are to take anything from the contest.
This really is shocking from Man City at the back. Just moments after conceding that corner in comical fashion, the hosts had numerous chances to keep Hull out but Meyler was still able to slot the ball home towards the back post. An initial shot into the box was cut out, leaving Hart in no man's land as he raced out of goal; Kompany failed to get to the ball meaning that another shot came in which bounced off the post, and there was Meyler to stab it home.
A serious lack of communication from Man City's defensive unit leads to a rather comical corner being conceded. Demichellis plays it back to Hart who subsequently misshits the ball. The Argentine has a chance to keep it in play, but he also slices it out of play. The set piece came to nothing, but that really was poor from the hosts.
Dzeko is feeding off scraps in the middle. The crosses are taking too long to come in from wide positions, meaning that when the ball does eventually come into the box Dzeko is completely outnumbered.
Man City have certainly upped things a little over the past five minutes or so, asking more questions of Hull's defenders who are now being forced into making challenges. Pellegrini will not be all that concerned at the moment, but it's worth noting that McGregor has had just the one shot to contend with thus far - a hopeful header from range.
A rare mistake from Hull almost allows City in at the back, but Dawson was across with a brilliantly-timed challenge to deny that from happening.
The first signs of some minor discontent coming from the stands as Dzeko miscontrolls a pass which rolls out of play. That Elmohamady header, which he really should have buried at the back post, remains the only chance of the game so far.
The reigning champions are certainly enjoying plenty of the ball, knocking it around with ease between their back four and midfield, but they have struggled to get it into the final third. Navas can provide some width if needed, because at the moment it is all very congested.
All very comfortable for Hull as things stand, the Tigers remaining well compact at the back and happy to soak up pressure when needed. Chelsea are leading Aston Villa elsewhere this afternoon, incidentally, so if the pressure wasn't on the Citizens beforehand, it certainly is now.
This game hasn't really got going so far, but it is Hull who should be ahead after that big chance which went begging for Elmohamady. Man City may have to rethink their approach, because by shoving both full-backs forward their opponents are being left with all sorts of space to break into.
OFF THE BAR! Hull City should be ahead at The Etihad. The Tigers' full-backs are causing some danger, and it was Brady's cross from the left which caused all sorts of problems, allowing Elmohamady to latch onto the ball at the back post. Instead of heading the ball downwards or back across goal he fails to connect properly, sending it back off the crossbar to the relief of Joe Hart.
Straight on the back of that minor scare, Aguero managed to get in behind the Hull defence, although a poor touch let him down and McGregor was able to collect. He's still not fully up to speed yet since returning from injury last month.
A moment of concern for the hosts as a free kick swung into the box is not convincingly dealt with. In the end the ball appeared to come of Kompany and miss the post by a few inches, but the offside flag was already up. Incidentally, four of the last six goals conceded by Man City have come from set pieces.
The atmosphere is very flat around The Etihad this afternoon as you can perhaps understand. The longer it stays goalless the more concerned home supporters will become, although there is a long way to go yet.
Man City's first effort of the afternoon comes via the head of Dzeko, who does well to flick a cross goalwards. It was barely even a half chance, but McGregor had to be on guard to collect the ball and keep the scoreline level.
Man City have to be careful when it comes to pushing their full-backs high up the field. Aluko has already shown that he can get involved in and around the area when left on his own, so there is certainly a lot for Pellegrini to think about in terms of getting the balance right.
SHOT! The first piece of action for either goalkeeper to contend with comes just under four minutes into the game with Aluko's effort forcing Hart to get down low. It was some nice play from Hull in the build-up to the shot inside the area, but in the end Aluko couldn't get enough on his attempts and it was easy for Hart to keep hold of.
So far so good as far as Hull are concerned, with the visitors forming a solid shape at the back to keep their opponents at bay. Dzeko showed some good strength and a quick turn of feet to win his side an early corner, which was cleared away in the end by Dawson.
KICKOFF! Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko get things underway at the Etihad Stadium. Will today be the day in which City close the gap on leaders Chelsea? Let's find out...
There's just enough time to check out what the Sports Mole Sofa team predict will happen this afternoon:
PREDICTION: Attention is now firmly fixed on events in Manchester, though, and it really is difficult to see past anything other than a comfortable win for the home side. Hull are struggling in front of goal at the moment, and while the Citizens are also out of form, this looks to be the perfect type of fixture to get their title hopes back on track. 3-0.
Elsewhere this afternoon Leicester and Crystal Palace, two sides down and around Hull at the bottom, will meet at the King Power Stadium, while Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa are also in action. As far as Man City are concerned, they will be keeping a close eye on events at Villa Park where Chelsea are the visitors. On paper, this seems like a routine set of fixtures for the top two - but we all know how the Premier League works by now.
There's time to bring you an update from today's early kickoff which has a more immediate impact on Man City than it does their opponents. Tottenham Hotspur have battled from a goal down to beat Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart Lane, helping Spurs move into the top four and just five point behind the Citizens.
Things may seem bleak for Hull supporters if all these stats and facts are anything to go by, but it must be remembered that City have not exactly been invincible on their home patch this season. In fact, they have lost successive games 2-0 at the Etihad against Championship side Middlesbrough and Arsenal, while they have kept just three clean sheets here all term. A positive approach is the key, although of course that is easier said that done when you are up against the likes of Silva, Aguero, Dzeko to name but a few of the hosts' attacking talents.
DID YOU KNOW? The hosts will today be without January recruit Wilfried Bony and influential midfielder Yaya Toure due to ongoing Africa Cup of Nations commitments, and the loss of the latter really is staggering. The stats continue to grow highlighting just how important Toure is to this City side, with the Citizens winless in five this campaign without the Ivorian battler.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Who can forget this classic shot of Jimmy Bullard from 2009, where he celebrated his side's goal by mocking manager Phil Brown's on-pitch team talk from the season before.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Man City have never lost a home league fixture against today's opponents in their previous nine meetings here, while Hull's only win in their last seven attempts overall came back in February 2010 when they came out on top 2-1 at the KC Stadium. The Citizens have scored 17 goals in seven meetings against Hull - including a 4-2 win earlier this campaign - so the omens are not great for the Humbersiders.
Mike Phelan was this week brought in to act as Bruce's right-hand man in the dugout, and maybe that will give players just the boost they need to turn around their faltering campaign which has yet to take off. Sitting on 19 points in the Premier League table, this is currently Hull's worst tally at this stage of a campaign in their top-flight history - something has to change. Last week's 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United just highlighted the Tigers' frailties, and they really could have done with an easier fixture this weekend than a visit to the champions.
Expectations raised a few notches after the league and cup success of last season, but even so you would expect Hull to be significantly higher up the standings than they currently stand. Bruce has put the worrying lack of points down to injury problems with Jelavic, Diame and Snodgrass among those to have suffered setbacks, although it appears to get a little deeper than that. The good news for the one-time tough centre-back is that he seems to have the backing of his owner, which can surely only be a good thing to lift some weight off the shoulders.
Like Man City, Hull come into today's fixture having failed to win in their last four outings. However, unlike the Citizens who have a little to hold onto from those games, this afternoon's visitors have lost all of their recent matches. That has led to questions building over the future of Steve Bruce, who is seemingly struggling with the much-dreaded second-season syndrome at the KC Stadium.
Eleven wins from 12 games helped City's cause last time they were hunting down the league leaders, which perhaps explains skipper Vincent Kompany's comments this week where he suggested that the deficit on Chelsea is "no big deal". Well today we see what Manchester City are really made of as they come up against a Hull side who will no doubt be more than content to leave the Etihad with a point. They may have lost their winning ways in recent weeks, but this is now the perfect chance to regain focus and produce another of those barnstorming runs to the title.
The draw means that we are very much where we were in terms of this season's title race; Chelsea strong favourites with Man City hot on their heels. If there's one thing we've learnt from watching the Citizens over the past few seasons, though, it is that they do not give up. Just ask Liverpool and Manchester United supporters, both of whom have been edged out in dramatic fashion in the past three campaigns. In fact, City have already once made up an eight-point deficit on Chelsea this campaign, and who is to say they can't claw things back yet again.
Well the reigning Premier League champions come into this game on the back of four games without a win, a run which included an early exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Middlesbrough, and you get the sense that any more slip-ups now could prove costly in City's aims of retaining their title. While last week's 1-1 draw against leaders Chelsea was hardly a bad result, it felt as though it was a chance missed for Pellegrini's charges to make up some points against an injury and suspension hit Blues side.
As already mentioned, Hull are without injury doubt Jelavic from the start this afternoon; the former Everton man having to settle for a place on the bench. In fact, the Tigers' attacking backups look as though they could well cause their opponents some trouble should the game remain tight in the last 30 minutes or so, with Hernandez and new signing N'Doye also among the matchday 18.
Willy Canallero must make do with a place among the substitutes yet again this afternoon, being joined on the bench by Jesus Navas, Frank Lampard and James Milner - each of whom will be keen to make an impact if called upon - while another in Stevan Jovetic will have a point to prove having been omitted from the Champions League squad earlier this week.
BENCH WATCH!
MANCHESTER CITY SUBSTITUTES: Caballero, Mangala, Kolarov, Navas, Milner, Lampard, Jovetic
HULL CITY SUBSTITUTES: Harper, Davies, Hernandez, Jelavic, Robertson, N'Doye, Quinn
There is also a starting berth for Edin Dzeko, who will lineup alongside the prolific Sergio Aguero in attack. David Silva provides attacking support from midfield, while Fernando and Fernandinho are once more tasked with anchoring in front of the back four. An attacking-looking lineup on the whole, then, with Pellegrini looking for a comfortable victory to get his side's title hopes back on track no doubt.
As far as the hosts are concerned, well manager Manuel Pellegrini has named a strong lineup for this one, with the return of Samir Nasri the biggest talking point. He has been absent for the past month through injury, and his return will no doubt be a big boost for the Citizens heading into the so-called business end of the campaign.
Bruce may very well be ringing the changes with Aston Villa and QPR to come in the next seven days, both of which could play a big part in deciding the Tigers' fate come May. Deadline Day signing Dame N'Doye has been awaiting international clearance, meanwhile, and having been given the green light he is among the visiting side's backups this afternoon.
Starting with the visitors then, and Steve Bruce has opted to make four changes to his starting lineup for this one. Alex Bruce, Paul McShane, Robbie Brady and Sony Aluko all come into the fold, while Curtis Davies, Andrew Robertson, Abel Hernandez and Nikica Jelavic are the men to drop out.
TEAM NEWS!
MANCHESTER CITY STARTING XI: Hart, Clichy, Demichelis, Kompany, Zabaleta, Fernando, Fernandinho, Silva, Dzeko, Aguero, Nasri
HULL CITY STARTING XI: McGregor, Bruce, Meyler, Huddlestone, Brady, Livermore, McShane, Dawson, Aluko, Ramirez, Elmohamady
Kickoff in Manchester is now less than an hour away, so let's get straight into things by taking a look at how the sides line up for this one...
These two sides find themselves out of form at the moment having gone four games without a win, and both are in desperate need of a positive results this afternoon to keep their respective aims on track. City may find themselves five points behind leaders Chelsea as things stand, but at the other end of the table things look particularly bleak for the Tigers who are now camped inside the relegation zone.
