Xherdan Shaqiri's stunning 30-yard strike capped a Stoke victory that eased their relegation fears and left Hull still looking nervously over their shoulder after another fruitless away day.
The Switzerland international fired into the top corner with 10 minutes remaining in a 3-1 win for the Potters, who ended their four-game losing streak to move 11 points clear of a relegation zone which Hull remain just two above.
Still without an away success in the league since August, Marco Silva's side had been level when Harry Maguire cancelled out Marko Arnautovic's opener, yet substitute Peter Crouch restored Stoke's lead before Shaqiri's moment of magic.