Bristol City 1-2 Hull City
Home team scorers
Lee Tomlin 90 +2:28
Away team scorersHarry Maguire 44
Michael Dawson 47
Hull City reached the EFL Cup quarter-finals for the second successive season with a nervy win at Championship side Bristol City.
Defender Harry Maguire headed the Premier League team ahead when he met Ryan Mason's corner at the far post.
Michael Dawson added the second just 68 seconds after half-time, powerfully heading in another Mason corner.
Lee Tomlin pulled one back before team-mate Tammy Abraham's shot was cleared off the line in the final seconds.
City, who improved considerably after the break, also had two penalty appeals turned down in the second half.
But an equaliser proved beyond them on their first appearance in the last 16 of the League Cup since 1988-89.
The Tigers had lost all four league games since winning at Stoke in the previous round of the competition, but took control as City failed to defend two simple set-pieces either side of the break.
Leading scorer Abraham, who has scored 11 goals since arriving on a season-long loan from Chelsea, started on the bench and his 60th-minute arrival finally brought the Robins to life.
Tomlin drove forward and fired in an angled shot to set up a tense finale, but the home side were denied extra-time when some last-ditch Hull defending stopped England Under-21 striker Abraham.
Hull manager Mike Phelan:
"It has been quite gloomy when you're getting beaten week in and week out.
"But you can see in the dressing room that a win's a win and it does mean a lot.
"It gives you confidence to start again, because we all know the Premier League is unforgiving at times. We showed that we can win football matches again so let's move forward."
Bristol City boss Lee Johnson:
"I am very proud. We competed really strongly with a young group against a side that got promoted and the last five or 10 minutes we had them completely on the back foot.
"If you take the set-pieces out of it - and they are very big and physically strong in their upper bodies - I thought we outplayed a really good side.
"Although I am disappointed not to have won the game and be in the next round, I think it showed the club in such a good light moving forward."
BBC