Bumper Hull reax

Jamie Jackson, The Guardian

While a glance at the table confirms his team are only three points from the fourth place which is the Holy Grail of the owner, Sheikh Mansour, there must surely be concern over the current run, and a performance against Hull that was insipid, despite the presence of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Robinho.

Is the inability to kill teams off – City took the lead through Shaun Wright-Phillips' deflected shot on half-time – beginning to affect his players?

J0e Lovejoy, The Observer

City, as has become their wont, had the initiative throughout, but were frustratingly unable to translate the lion's share of possession and chances into goals. Individually and collectively, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robinho, Carlos Tevez, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Craig Bellamy et al should be doing better against bottom-half opposition. Defensively, too, Hughes has problems. One clean sheet in the past 10 league matches points up the fact that Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge are all operating way below the level that brought them England recognition.

James Ducker, The Times

But Hughes must keep his end of the bargain, and whichever way you look at it, it is hard to sympathise when a team assembled at phenomenal cost have thrown away leads in the final 20 minutes or so of four of their past five league games.

A conservative estimate would say City should be at least six points better off than they are, which would have put them on the coat-tails of Chelsea, their next opponents in the league.

John Aizlewood, Sunday Times

Because he needed a win and with Robinho’s long-awaited return from injury — although he has still to complete 90 minutes this season — Hughes front-loaded his team with strikers. They were soon setting about both Hull and, when an early lackadaisical Robinho cross evaded Emmanuel Adebayor, each other. That disunity — Manchester Disunited, you might say — would bedevil their afternoon.

Graham Chase, Sunday Telegraph

Hull looked certain for relegation after getting off to a dreadful start, but since losing at Burnley they are unbeaten in four matches. Although City lacked spark, they took the lead through Shaun Wright-Phillips but never looked like killing Brown’s team off. There was a real defiance and confidence to the visitors’ display and they deserved to equalise after referee Lee Probert penalised Kolo Touré for a challenge on Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Chris Wheeler, Daily Mail

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak was at Eastlands to witness the latest setback, and, while his manager is under no immediate threat, City need to show signs of improvement in Wednesday’s Carling Cup quarter-final against Arsenal and the visit of Chelsea at the weekend.

Playing at home — where they were once again booed off the pitch on Saturday — might not be such an advantage now, and Hughes admitted his team are starting to feel the strain.

Ian Herbert and Jon Culley, The Independent

It does not help that in four of the last five of City's seven straight draws, winning positions have been given away, which is what happened on Saturday, with the Blues surrendering their lead to a penalty eight minutes from full-time. City, resting Gareth Barry, had Robinho back, after three months missing, in a line-up driven by the dynamism of Carlos Tevez that did produce moments of sizzling attack. But Hughes could only be honest in his assessment. "At times we look accomplished and a threat, attacking-wise," he said. "At others we look what we are, a team that has been brought together quickly."

Jon Culley, Independent on Sunday

For all that Robinho's first match since August in a City shirt raised expectations again, the collective efforts of a team set up to banish a frustrating sequence with a vibrant and successful performance amounted to no more than a few flashes of promise. Robinho had not forgotten how to confuse an opponent and there were moments when Hull looked mightily tormented, not least when City's five key attackers – Robinho, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Steven Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips – combined in one glorious move after half an hour. The shot on the end of it, by Wright-Phillips, flashed wide.