Middlesbrough 4 Hull City 3: Middlesbrough survived a stunning Hull fightback to edge their way into the fourth round of the FA Cup after yet another seven-goal thriller at the Riverside Stadium.
The Teessiders looked to be home and dry when goals from debutant Seb Hines, Mark Viduka and Aiyegbeni Yakubu gave them a 3-0 lead after 57 minutes.
But Andy Dawson's header and a Jon Parkin penalty either side of Viduka's second gave the visitors a lifeline, and Dawson's brilliant 69th-minute free-kick ensured a tense finish.
Mark Schwarzer denied Dawson a hat-trick when he tipped a curling free-kick over the crossbar, and Parkin smashed the ball across goal with the red shirts rooted to the spot.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Davies, Xavier (Ehiogu 71), Woodgate, Hines, Morrison, Cattermole, Arca, Downing, Viduka, Yakubu (Christie 90). Subs not used: Jones, Euell, Johnson. Booked: Xavier. Goals: Hines 32, Viduka 49, Yakubu 57 pen, Viduka 64.
HULL: Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Delaney, Dawson, Marney, Ashbee, Livermore (France 68), McPhee (Elliott 88), Parkin, Forster. Subs not used: Duke, Coles, Duffy. Goals: Dawson 59, Parkin 63 pen, Dawson 69.
Referee: R Styles (Hampshire).
