A GOAL from Michael Turner deep in stoppage time denied City what would have been a valuable three points at Carrow Road.
In a tight encounter with few clear goalscoring chances, Robert Earnshaw's poacher's goal midway through the second half looked to be enough to give CIty the points against a battling Tigers' side.
But with the clock counting down, Turner pounced on some horribly slack defending to give Hull a share of the spoils.
All the same, it was a disappointing way for the game to finish - although City have the perfect chance to put that right on Tuesday when Leicester visit Carrow Road.
As expected, Dion Dublin returned to the heart of the defence in place of Gary Doherty, who failed to recover from an ankle injury in time.
Robert Eagle was handed his second league start of the season on the left side of an attacking trio consisting of the young Academy product, Robert Earnshaw and Darren Huckerby.
Playing just behind in "the hole" was Paul McVeigh, with Dickson Etuhu and Carl Robinson protecting the back four.
The visitors had a familiar face in the side in the form of former CIty loan player Dean Marney. Marney spent last season at Carrow Road, but saw his campaign ended early by an Achilles injury.
It was the Canaries who kicked off the match, attacking the Norwich and Peterborough Stand.
It was Hull who had the first opportunity to test the City defence on two minutes, Forster earning a free kick 40 yards from goal after a foul by Eagle.
Sam Ricketts pumped a high cross into the area, but Dublin was first to it, clearing his lines and carrying on where he left off in his last home game.
But a fantastic move from City on seven minutes almost saw them take the lead.
Earnshaw did well to collect a cleared ball inside the centre circle before finding Eagle in space on the left.
He strode forward with purpose before delivering a great cross-field ball to Huckerby on the left edge of the box.
He wasted no time in hitting a fierce first time volley which Myhill did well to push round his post for a corner.
A minute later and it was Hull coming close to grabbing the opener.
Forster was all on his own against Drury and Dublin 30 yards from goal. But the former Ipswich man showed good directness to commit the defence and hit a low shot, which skidded off Drury's back and narrowly wide of Gallacher's right post.
As the game passed the 15 minute mark, Gallacher was left needing treatment to what looked to be a knock to the ankle after coming off his line to divert the ball off the toes of Forster.
Fortunately, after treatment from Neal Reynolds, he looked fit to continue.
On 24 minutes the Hull fans thought they had finally broken the deadlock.
Marney swung in an excellent free kick from the left, and it was met by the head of Damien Delaney.
The ball looked to be creeping into the net, with Gallacher at full stretch. But with the Hull fans on their feet ready to celebrate, it drifted inches wide of the far post.
But it was the visitors now creating the better of the opportunities, and two minutes later only desperate defending by Jurgen Colin denied Forster a tap-in, with the Dutchman turning a low cross narrowly wide of his own goal.
On 33 minutes Gallacher had to be on his toes to keep the scores level.
Forster appeared to handle the ball as he controlled a high ball, but referee Gary Sutton waved play on, with the striker firing in a fierce shot from an angle which the Scottish international pushed away at his near post.
It was certainly the visitors creating the better chances of the match, with City struggling to come to terms with this new formation.
On 36 minutes Ricketts became the first name in the book for a late challenge on Drury away on the left, deep in the Hull half.
McVeigh's near post kick found Earnshaw, but the Hull defence were quick to close him down, eventually clearing the ball to safety.
City had rarely seen a sight of goal since Huckerby's early volley, but on 43 minutes the Canaries' leading goalscorer had his first half chance.
Eagle delivered an excellent low cross from the left, but the ball bounced just too high for Earnshaw, who was unable to connect properly and make it 12 for the season so far.
All the same it was a decent chance, and the Welshman might have wanted to have done better by his own high standards.
As the half entered stoppage time, McVeigh was presented with a great chance when the ball landed at his feet just inside the area. But he wanted too long, allowing Hull to block with the rebound being blasted wide by Huckerby.
And straight up the other end Hull came within inches of scoring with one of the strangest goals ever seen at Carrow Road.
City were having problems clearing their lines, and when Drury went to thrash the ball away on the edge of the area it rebounded off the back of Craig Fagan, spinning towards goal and bouncing off the foot of the post with Gallacher well beaten.
Half time: Norwich City 0-0 Hull City
There were no changes for either side at the break, with City now attacking the Barclay and hoping to create a few more chances than the opening 45 minutes.
But again it was the Tigers showing more bite, and on 55 minutes Shackell had to make a point-blank tackle to deny Marney a clear shot on goal from eight yards out.
And on 58 minute Grant made his first chance, bringing on Peter Thorne for Eagle and switching to a more orthodox 4-4-2.
Chances were still few and far between for Norwich, with Myhill not seriously worked since Huckerby's early volley had to be turned wide.
But on 72 minutes a chance finally presented itself - and Earnshaw took it.
A long ball from Drury was won in the air by Thorne, who directed it back into the path of McVeigh 20 yards from goal.
He headed the ball back into the danger area and past the covering defender, allowing Earnshaw to nip in ahead of Myhill to prod the ball over the line.
It was a goal out of nothing, but perhaps one which would finally settle the shot-shy Canaries down.
Sure enough it seemed to give City some more attacking impetus, and on 82 minutes Earnshaw looped a header onto the roof of the net from Huckerby's whipped cross.
But the game was far from won, and on 84 minutes Stuart Elliott gave the Canaries a warning with a thunderbolt of a shot from 30 yards which grazed the angle of bar and post.
But deep in stoppage time Hull scored to deny the Canaries all three points.
A deep cross was headed back into the area, and there was Michael Turner, completely unmarked, to thrash the ball past a horribly exposed Paul Gallacher.
The goal sparked mass celebrations on the Hull bench, with Tigers' manager Phil Parkinson sent to the stands by referee Sutton as a result.
Full time: Norwich City 1-1 Hull City
Norwich City: Gallacher, Drury, Shackell, Huckerby, Dublin, Earnshaw, McVeigh (Hughes 73), Etuhu, Colin, Eagle (Thorne 58), Robinson. Subs: Camp, Safri, Ryan Jarvis.
Hull City: Myhill, Ashbee, Coles, Turner, Elliott, Forster (Barmby 83), Delaney, Ricketts, Marney, Livermore (France 79), Fagan. Subs: Duke, McPhee, Welsh.
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