Bristol City 3-2 Hull City: Robins come from behind to beat Tigers
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Jason Knight scored his fourth goal of the campaign as Bristol City took all three points against Hull
Bristol City secured back-to-back Championship victories for the first time since February, after coming from 2-1 down to beat Hull 3-2 at Ashton Gate.
Tommy Conway slotted home from the penalty spot midway through the first half to give the Robins the lead.
Yet Aaron Connolly drew the visitors level less than 10 minutes later with a cool strike from the edge of the box before Ozan Tufan scored his own penalty before the break to put Hull in front.
The match swiftly turned on its head, however, thanks to two goals in eight minutes in the final quarter of the game from Anis Mehmeti and Jason Knight as Bristol City started the festive period with all three points to move up to eighth in the table, while Hull stay sixth.
Bristol City boss Liam Manning has had a slow-burning first six weeks in charge but after beating Sunderland last week his side crucially recorded consecutive league wins for the first time this campaign with an impressive victory against an in-form Hull side.
The Robins saw the first chances on goal, with Knight's shot from the edge of the box saved comfortably by Ryan Allsop before sending a header over the bar.
They grew in confidence and looked initially more creative, with Cameron Pring and Conway both sending repeated crosses into the box that piled the pressure on the Tigers defence.
When another came in and Jacob Greaves jumped with his arm up, the referee instantly pointed to the spot and Conway sent Allsop the wrong way to score his second penalty in as many matches.
Inconsistency has been Bristol City's continual problem in recent seasons and for all their attacking threat they were again made to pay for not making more of it.
Liam Delap broke into the box and initially cut around his defender, who then did well to block his shot while Tufan had a shot saved by Max O'Leary. Connolly then levelled with a goal that silenced Ashton Gate, finding space and burying a strike into the far bottom corner of the net.
The Tigers took a lead into half-time with their own penalty, after Greaves was adjudged to have been fouled - albeit very softly - amid a mass of players, and Tufan confidently struck into the net.
Both sides had half-chances as Mark Sykes' volley from a few yards out went wide, Knight had a shot excellently blocked and Tufan saw a header from a corner go the wrong side of the post.
The game was threatening to fall flat when Manning made a triple change and saw instant results. Mehmeti cut inside and curled a stormer past Allsop, who was taken off injured minutes later.
Knight then scored the winner six minutes from full-time, capitalising on the Robins seizing possession in Hull's half by squeezing the ball past replacement keeper Matt Ingram at the near post.
Bristol City manager Liam Manning told BBC Radio Bristol:
"Up until we scored the goal I thought we were excellent, we had real control, really dangerous, got in some terrific areas, rightly so got the penalty and just wobbled a bit the next 10.
"We got a little bit emotional, lacked a bit in discipline, disconnected a little bit, jumped when we shouldn't and then momentum shifted with them. The penalty for them - ridiculous to be honest, having seen it back again now. I'm just delighted that didn't decide the game.
"I think what we showed second half is a level of calmness and we stuck together. We've spoken a lot about that and I thought we did a terrific job of showing composure and control to keep believing in how we play and how we do, and as we've seen today the goals and the results come."
Hull manager Liam Rosenior told BBC Radio Humberside:
"I'm not being disrespectful to Bristol City but at the moment they scored the second goal we shouldn't concede, we were in complete control of the game.
"I thought we showed again a really good resilience and character to come back. They get a penalty, we respond really well and get two goals and in that moment, and in the second half especially, we felt we controlled the game in our shape and with the ball.
"But for two really really poor moments we end up losing the game.
"It's really frustrating. If we'd had come here tonight and were beaten by far the better team and they were better than us in every department I'd tell you the truth, but it's not the case.
"That's almost even more frustrating from my point of view as from a coaching perspective - I'm sat up in the stand today - we look a good team home and away but if we want to achieve what I think is possible for this group we have to learn on the job really quickly and not throw points away."