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Geovanni salvages point for battling Hull

  • Story Highlights
  • Hull City draw 2-2 with visitors Manchester City in English Premier League
  • Brazil star Geovanni scores equalizer for Hull on the hour mark at KC Stadium
  • Everton held 1-1 at home by Middlesbrough in early game on Sunday
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(CNN) -- Hull City drew 2-2 with Manchester City and Everton were held 1-1 by Middlesbrough in mid-table clashes in the English Premier League on Sunday.

Geovanni (left) wheels away after scoring his equalizer at the KC Stadium.

Surprise package Hull owed their home point to Brazilian star Geovanni after a Stephen Ireland double had put City 2-1 ahead at the KC Stadium.

The draw ended three-game losing runs for both sides, but scarcely eases the pressure on City manager Mark Hughes whose Abu-Dhabi owners have lofty ambitions.

Hughes praised an improved performance from his side but was unhappy with the reward of a free kick which led to Geovanni's equalizer.

"It was a great response from the guys, poor goal to concede, a catalogue of errors which could have been avoided, but we regrouped and got our noses in front and were good value.

"We were disappointed with the equalizing goal because we didn't think it was a free kick in the first place," he told Sky Sports News.

Hull took the lead in the first half after a blunder by City's Tal Ben Haim, who played a sloppy backpass to Daniel Cousin, who tucked the ball into an empty net.

To make matters worse for City, England keeper Joe Hart was left injured on the turf and limped off after several minutes of treatment to be replaced by Kasper Schmeichel.

Hughes later revealed that Hart will be out for a month and will miss England's international friendly against Germany in midweek.

City equalized as Hull defender Kamil Zayatte made a similar blunder, carelessly playing the ball across his own goal to Ireland, who tapped into an empty net.

Ireland then put City ahead on the stroke of halftime with a superb strike, but Hull hit back in the second half.

Geovanni, who was released by the visitors in the summer, saw his free kick deflect off Vincent Kompany in the wall and left Schmeichel wrong-footed on the hour mark.

It was the Brazilian's sixth league goal of the season.

Earlier, Ayegbeni Yakubu salvaged a point for Everton with a 65th minute equalizer at Goodison Park.

Boro went ahead after England winger Stewart Downing found an unmarked Gary O'Neil on the right, and the midfielder fired a lot shot which beat goalkeeper Tim Howard and went in off the inside of the near post.

Yakubu should have leveled in the 14th when he raced clear of Boro defender Emanuel Pogatetz.

But goalkeeper Ross Turnbull came off his line to block the shot with his left hand.

Joleon Lescott hit the post with a lob, Phil Jagielka and Tim Cahill both went close with headers before the home side equalized as Mikel Arteta fired a free kick in from the left and Yakubu deflected the ball home off his shoulder.

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