Hull ended a three-game winless run and kept their automatic promotion hopes alive as late goals from John Egan and Lewis Koumas saw them overcome play-off rivals Derby.

The game was in the balance until the 75th minute, after a four-goal first half that saw Hull lead twice through a Callum Elder own goal and a fine Ollie McBurnie strike, only for Derby to equalise twice with goals from Craig Forsyth and Sammie Szmodics.

But John Egan's first goal since September, finishing off a well-worked passing move from the hosts, gave them the lead again, before Koumas sealed three points for Sergej Jakirovic's side, just two minutes after coming on as a substitute.

The result keeps Hull six points behind Middlesbrough, who are in the top two of the Championship, while Derby, who have lost three of their last four, now sit six points from the play-off spots.

Both sides came into the match struggling for form, but knowing victory could be vital for their promotion chances.

Hull, whose shock 3-1 loss to QPR over the weekend dented their chances of reaching the top two, started well, and were rewarded when Amir Hadziahmetovic's swinging corner rebounded off Elder into the net.

Forsyth's cool side-footed finish levelled the scores after 17 minutes, before McBurnie's brilliant finish inside the box gave the hosts the lead again.

John Eustace's side, beaten by fellow play-off rivals Watford at the weekend, came back for a second time, buoyed by the performance of striker Patrick Agyemang.

He was a constant threat, setting up Szmodics with a cross from the right to level the scores once again.

After a tense start to the second half Egan's goal gave Hull a precious lead, before Koumas' breakaway goal secured all three points for The Tigers, who leapfrogged Millwall into fourth off the back of their victory.

Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic told BBC Radio Humberside:

"A great victory for us. The lads fought as one, it was a great team effort.

"We played a little bit different today, pragmatic, because of the pitch. We were very aggressive, on the front foot.

"It was a very nervous game, but we were very strong in the challenges, completely different from Saturday.

"It was a demanding game, because Derby are a very strong team physically. For us, scoring the fourth goal when we did was perfect as it ended the game."

Derby manager John Eustace told BBC Radio Derby:

"I am disappointed we lost the game. The effort was fantastic tonight, we created some unbelievable chances, and on another night we could have scored five or six.

"Last week at Watford we lacked that effort and desire, and tonight we had it all over the pitch.

"We didn't defend the box well enough, all four goals could have been stopped, for sure. But there's a lot of positives to take from tonight.

"We had to make a lot of changes tonight, the back four was playing out of position, but we are where we are with our injury situations.