Last updated on .From the section Championship

Brit Assombalonga has now netted four times in the Championship for Middlesbrough this season.

Middlesbrough missed a chance to go to the top of the Championship table after being held away to Hull City.

Brit Assombalonga opened the scoring for Boro by heading in Jonny Howson's deep cross at the far post six minutes into the second half.

But Hull equalised through Jarrod Bowen's penalty 18 minutes later after Chris Martin was fouled in the Middlesbrough penalty area.

Tony Pulis' side thought they had regained the lead on 89 minutes but Howson's downward header from Stuart Downing's cross was superbly saved from City keeper David Marshall.

The result means Boro now drop to third in the table on goal difference while the Tigers climb out of the bottom three.

Middlesbrough boss Pulis made 10 changes to the side that beat Preston in the League Cup in midweek, while Nigel Adkins' Hull were looking to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to Reading in their last league outing.

Boro had the best chance of the first-half as Assombalonga's curling effort went narrowly wide on 20 minutes, but Hull's Markus Henrikson also came close, shooting off target after a quick free-kick.

The promotion chasers could have been 2-0 up moments after their first goal as Howson and Assombalonga combined again but the latter was denied by City keeper Marshall.

As both teams pushed for a winner Henrikson nearly gave Hull all three points eight minutes from time after a good run into the Middlesbrough penalty area but his shot was easily saved by goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

Hull City boss Nigel Adkins said:

"We competed very well today because we knew this would be a really challenging fixture."

(On his side's penalty) "Their defender has made a challenge and the referee had a decision to make.

"Jarred Bowen has finished it well and it was a point that I think we thoroughly deserved."

Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis said:

"We need to get more goals, we have to take the chances in the final third and be more clinical.

"You've got to be 100 per cent every game, but today I didn't think we controlled the ball enough. We had some great chances.

"But after we got that first goal, we had chances to get more and take the game but we didn't. We just need to be more clinical and I think we are getting there slowly."