Hull City 0-1 Coventry City: Matt Godden goal enough for Sky Blues victory
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Matt Godden has now scored in three successive games for Coventry
Matt Godden headed his fourth goal of the season as Coventry picked up three points on the road at struggling Hull.
The Sky Blues striker found the net from Ian Maatsen's ninth-minute cross in the first league meeting between the two sides since March 2012.
And although the Sky Blues failed to add to their lead, with Viktor Gyokeres having a curling effort saved by Matt Ingram and then firing just wide after the break, Hull's lack of potency in front of goal again cost them dear.
Coventry remain in fourth place, but their eighth win of the season moved them to within one point of West Brom, who lost to Fulham in Saturday's early kick-off.
Boss Mark Robins named an unchanged side despite only one victory in the previous four games, while Hull restored striker Tom Eaves to the starting line-up in a bid to boost a tally of just nine goals - the joint lowest in the division.
The Tigers were soon on the back foot as Godden put Coventry in front, though Ingram should have managed to keep it out, and he had a chance to make it two soon after as Callum O'Hare threaded the ball through but this time the Hull keeper was equal to the task.
Gustavo Hamer and Gyokeres were narrowly off target after the break before Coventry's Simon Moore had to make a fine low save from Andrew Cannon's left-foot strike.
As frustrations increased, some Hull fans called for head coach Grant McCann to be sacked and although their side continued to press with time running out, Moore tipped over a Mallik Wilks header as they suffered a fourth successive defeat - and 10th of the season - to remain third from bottom with just nine points.
Hull head coach Grant McCann told BBC Radio Humberside:
"The goal was disappointing for us as a collective, we don't stop the cross, Godden's free in our box and we don't pick him up, but after that I thought there was very little in the game.
"It's not going our way at the present time, we don't seem to be getting any rub of the green - but we have to make our own luck.
"We have to stop conceding first and giving ourselves a mountain to climb and that was the case today.
"We haven't started [the season] so well, there's no point hiding behind that, but we're very calm in the camp and we'll keep trying to improve, to get better. It's a tough division."
Coventry manager Mark Robins told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:
"I'm glad to see the back of the game. We said to the players that they had to come and win and when you say that you're obviously putting them under a bit of pressure.
"But they stood up to it and prepared really well and they've come out and played some really good football actually.
"It was a great ball in from Ian Maatsen and a brilliant header from Matty Godden, he's been in really good form and looks hungry.
"We've got eight points from eight away games - a point a game away from home is a starting point and then we have to grow in confidence and that [win] will do us a world of good."