Hull City could really do with some early festive cheer in their final home game before Christmas following their most dispirited performance of the season so far.
Welcoming Crystal Palace to the KCOM Stadium was always likely to be a significant fixture in the battle for Premier League survival, but Saturday's clash of 19th and 14th means so much more after the limp defeat at Middlesbrough on Monday.
City were not just beaten by opponents that accompanied them out of the Championship in May, they were subdued and lifeless. The 1-0 defeat at the Riverside could have been a 1-1 draw had Adama Diomande's shot not been pushed wide by goalkeeper Victor Valdes, but that the 517 travelling supporters were made to wait until stoppage time to see a shot on target told its own sorry story.