Jarrod Bowen scored twice and missed a penalty as Hull eased their relegation fears with a 3-2 Sky Bet Championship win over play-off contenders Swansea in front of a sparse crowd of 10,848 at the KCOM Stadium.

The evening kick-off was shunned by fans favouring pre-Christmas celebrations as Hull punished the visitors for missing a number of first-half chances.

Swansea took the lead after just two minutes when Wilfried Bony fired in off a post and things looked bad for Hull when Bowen's penalty was saved by Erwin Mulder late in the half.

But after the break Bowen tapped in and then curled a shot past Mulder, with a towering header by Tommy Elphick sandwiched in between.

Swansea substitute Bersant Celina made it 3-2 in the closing stages but Hull had done enough to claim a vital victory.

The win moved Hull up to 16th in the table, five points behind Swansea in 12th.

Bony opened the scoring for the visitors after just two minutes following a pass from Barrie McKay.

The forward collected the ball on the edge of the Hull area and hit a low shot which went in off the right post.

McKay's cross deflected up to Bony but his overhead kick was over the bar as Swansea pushed for the second before Nathan Dyer shot just wide as Swansea carved out another opening against a Hull side who looked bereft of ideas at this stage.

Wayne Routledge's pull back presented Bony with another chance but his on target shot was headed away by Todd Kane.

Hull then had their best chance of the half when Bowen crossed from the left but Kamil Grosicki scooped over from six yards with 35 minutes on the clock.

Hull had another chance to get back in it when Stephen Kingsley's low ball forced Erwin Mulder off his line and as Fraizer Campbell stretched for the ball the Swansea keeper was adjudged to have brought him down by referee Oliver Langford.

But when Bowen took the spot-kick, Mulder made up for his error by diving to his left and turning the ball round a post.

The keeper then stood up to Grosicki's shot from a narrow angle as Hull finished the half strongly.

Elphick then stood up well to block McKay's progress as the forward looked for a way past Hull's last defender.

Campbell and Mike Van Der Hoorn were both booked on the hour following an altercation which saw the home fans booing the Dutch defender who they claimed had feigned contact by the Hull striker.

Swansea finally paid for their missed chances with 20 minutes left as Campbell crossed low from the left, and when Matt Grimes only half stopped the ball's progress, Bowen was free to tap in at the far post.

Five minutes later Hull were ahead as Grosicki's deep corner from the left was headed back across goal and over Mulder by Elphick.

The Swansea keeper then pulled off a fine save high to his right from Bowen as Hull threatened to run riot.

But he had no answer following the corner which was recycled and Bowen curled a shot high into the top right side of the goal.

Substitute Celina rolled his shot in off the post with three minutes to go but Swansea could not fashion an equaliser.