Middlesbrough survived a remarkable FA Cup fightback to clinch their place in the FA Cup fourth round at the expense of battling Hull.

The Barclays Premiership side looked to be cruising when Aiyegbeni Yakubu's penalty put them 3-0 ahead after debutant Seb Hines and Mark Viduka had scored either side of half-time.

However, an Andy Dawson header gave the Coca-Cola Championship outfit a lifeline and Jon Parkin's 62nd-minute penalty rekindled their belief.

Viduka's second of the night two minutes later looked to have sealed the replay for the home side once again, but Dawson's superb 69th-minute free-kick - a sixth goal inside 21 second-half minutes - ensured a nail-biting finish.

Boro secured two astonishing 4-3 home victories on their way to last season's UEFA Cup final, but it was they who were left hanging on to claim a trip to Bristol City in the next round as Phil Brown's men staged an all-out assault in front of a crowd of 16,702.

The fact Boro were facing a replay in the first place was largely down to their own failings after they squandered a host of opportunities to win the tie at the KC Stadium.

However, if Hull arrived on Teesside with nothing to lose, they soon discovered Gareth Southgate's men were in no mood to be charitable a second time, at least before the break.

The Tigers announced themselves with a flurry, muscular striker Parkin embarrassing Mark Schwarzer by reaching a third-minute cross marginally before the Australian, although he was unable to direct his header at goal.

However, the remainder of the first half belonged to the home side as they pinned their Coca-Cola Championship rivals back inside their own half and rarely looked like allowing their stranglehold to slip.

They might have gone in front with just six minutes gone when Stewart Downing and Hines combined to set up Julio Arca, whose left-foot shot clipped the outside of the post with keeper Boaz Myhill beaten.

Full-back Dawson was mightily relieved three minutes later when his attempt to chest a James Morrison cross back to Myhill was rather too heavy, but dropped wide of the post.

However, central defender Damien Delaney's intervention was more sure-footed on 14 minutes when he reacted swiftly to block Viduka's shot after Downing had rounded the advancing keeper way outside his penalty area from Arca's astute pass.

Morrison volleyed weakly at Myhill as Boro continued to dominate despite City's brave resistance, and as Downing failed to make the most of a series of chances to deliver the ball into the danger area, Hull's confidence grew.

But it took rookie Hines to break the deadlock 13 minutes before the break, accepting Arca's pass inside his own half and combining with England winger Downing before drilling a low right-foot shot past the keeper and into the back of the net.

Boro might have wrapped up the victory before the break, Downing seeing a long-range effort deflected just wide with Myhill stranded and Viduka twice going close as the whistle approached, and Brown will have been pleased to get his side back into the dressing room with at least some hope of a fightback.

The Tigers re-emerged ready to scrap for a lifeline, but the tie looked to be over within three minutes when Morrison's strike came back off the foot of the post and Viduka gleefully smashed the rebound into the roof of the net.

Dean Marney dragged a long-range effort just wide on 50 minutes, but as he headed back towards the halfway line, he knew the game was slipping away.

However, few inside the Riverside Stadium could have expected what was to follow in a dramatic 10-minute period.

Dawson's glancing 59th-minute header looked little more than a consolation strike until Abel Xavier upended Nicky Forster inside the box and Parkin calmly converted from the spot three minutes later.

The cheers of the travelling fans died in their throats when Viduka restored his side's two-goal advantage with a venomous right-foot shot, but that was not the end of it.

Dawson ensured a rousing finish with a superb 69th-minute free-kick - a sixth goal inside 21 incident-packed minutes - as a game which had looked to be over went right to the final whistle.

Substitute Ryan France might have taken the tie to extra-time from Nicky Forster's 86th-minute lay-off, but lifted his shot over the bar to let Boro off the hook.

But it took a perfectly-timed challenge by Lee Cattermole to deny France an equaliser in injury time after Forster had pulled the ball back from the right.

Teams:

Middlesbrough Schwarzer, Davies, Xavier (Ehiogu 71), Woodgate,Hines, Morrison, Cattermole, Arca, Downing, Viduka,Yakubu (Christie 90).

Subs Not Used: Jones, Euell, Johnson.

Booked: Xavier.

Goals: Hines 32, Viduka 49, Yakubu 57 pen, Viduka 64.

Hull Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Delaney, Dawson, Marney,Ashbee, Livermore (France 68), McPhee (Elliott 88), Parkin,Forster.

Subs Not Used: Duke, Coles, Duffy.

Goals: Dawson 59, Parkin 63 pen, Dawson 69.

Att: 16,702

Ref: R Styles (Hampshire).