Abu Kamara ended a difficult week with two goals as struggling Hull claimed a breathless 3-3 draw at home to league leaders Leeds.
Kamara on Friday publicly apologised for posting “wrongly timed” emojis on former club Portsmouth’s Instagram account following Hull’s defeat to Middlesbrough on New Years’s Day.
But redemption was as satisfying as it was dramatic as he bookended the scoring with a lovely early lob before scoring a precise half-volley after 89 minutes.
Leeds remain at the summit of the Sky Bet Championship, and are now unbeaten in eight games.
But once Ao Tanaka let fly from the edge of the penalty box after 47 minutes the visitors seemingly held all the aces.
Dan James seized upon desperate defending to score at the back post on 62 minutes, after which Leeds went 3-1 up when Joel Piroe battered home a third.
Joao Pedro dragged Hull back into the game late on before Kamara’s late intervention.
His opening goal after five minutes also set the tone for what was an end-to-end Yorkshire Derby.
Mason Burstow did well to find the former Norwich winger with a screwed cross from the left of the centre circle.
Kamara, though, did even better with a composed first touch and a delightful lob from outside the penalty area over Illan Meslier.
Leeds rallied, and might have equalised just three minutes later.
A rapid counterattack through the middle from Ethan Ampadu gifted Manor Solomon a clear sighter on goal.
Solomon, however, rather scuffed his chance which was well parried by Ivor Pandur.
And Solomon nearly paid the price for that miss as Hull should have doubled their advantage after 32 minutes.
Gustavo Puerto too easily defeated Jayden Bogle on the left flank before sending over a fierce ball across the face of goal.
Regan Slater timed his run well but jabbed the ball against the base of the right-hand post when it seemed easier to score.
Whatever Daniel Farke said to his players at the break clearly worked as Leeds soon restored parity.
Solomon charged into a promising area before teeing up Tanaka, who curled into the right-hand corner of the net.
Hull maintained the revs in the final third, yet there was still a sense of inevitability about Leeds’ second goal – such was the manner in which they went about their business for long periods of the second half.
Solomon’s cutback from the left found Bogle, whose deflected cross was not dealt with by a statuesque goalkeeper and two centre-backs that lacked responsibility.
James was, by contrast, far quicker into his stride and could not miss.
Hull had been overwhelmed following a ruthless half-hour spell, and few inside the MKM Stadium could have been too surprised when Piroe added a third after 72 minutes.
Pandur inexplicably misdirected a pass to the Dutch forward, who had space and time to fire into the bottom-right corner.
The game looked over, but Pedro gave Hull fans a degree of optimism when he bundled home after 81 minutes after Meslier fumbled Sean McLoughlin’s header.
Optimism turned to jubilation when Kamara half-volleyed home from a tricky angle after Gustavo Puerta’s corner was unconvincingly cleared by Sam Byram.
