James Milner 90th minutes goal salvaged a point for Manchester City against Hull
The home side rallied after the break and Edin Dzeko's shot was palmed away by Tigers keeper Allan McGregor.
Sergio Aguero's shot hit the Hull crossbar before Milner scored with a curling free-kick in stoppage time.
There was little room for error for City as they chased Chelsea, who won at Aston Villa, but they paid the price for a lethargic first half.
City were again without Yaya Toure, who
is on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ivory Coast, and they are winless in all five Premier League matches their influential midfielder has missed this season.
The home side's manager, Manuel Pellegrini, will also have concerns about his side's home form, with three of their four league defeats in the current campaign coming at the Etihad.
Hull moved out of the relegation zone but their players were dejected afterwards as they failed to hold on to a lead which would have seen them register their first league win at City.
Nevertheless, the Tigers produced a disciplined and organised defensive display which will stand them in good stead ahead of games against relegation rivals Aston Villa and QPR.
As well as struggling in defence, Steve Bruce's side have had problems in attack but, despite having failed to score in 11 of their previous 15 league matches, the visitors almost took the lead.
Robbie Brady whipped an out-swinging cross to the far post where Hull midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady and City left-back Gael Clichy both seemed to make contact with a header which came back off the bar.
The home side failed to heed the warning and were soon behind.
A poor clearance from City centre-back Martin Demichelis fell to Tigers midfielder Jake Livermore and, with City keeper Joe Hart out of his goal, he tried to guide in a shot which was saved. However, after City failed to clear their lines and a Ramirez shot hit the post, Meyler latched on to a loose ball to slot Hull in front.
The game developed into a battle between the home side's attack and Hull's defence after the break.
City struggled to find the creativity to break down a resilient Hull with Dzeko's shot a rare occasion when Hull keeper Allan McGregor was called into action.
Visiting centre-back Alex Bruce survived giving away a penalty for a clumsy push on David Silva, while Aguero's effort came off the face of the crossbar before Milner struck.
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