This compelling, end-to-end encounter was the championship at its best. Both Hull and Leicester went all out for the win, but were not quite successful.
So despite all the rich entertainment, the curious result was that neither was completely satisfied.
The only lucky ones were elsewhere; such as Leeds, whose win over Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening brought them within three points of leaders Leicester.
Or Norwich, whose thumping of Rotherham took them above Hull and into the play-off positions, eclipsing their goal difference into the bargain.
But no one at the MKM Stadium could complain about the action as Jamie Vardy’s double ensured leaders Leicester did not suffer another costly setback in an enthralling promotion race.
Jamie Vardy celebrates after drawing Leicester level against Hull City for the second time
The experienced striker earned the championship leaders a valuable point with an assured finish
It came just seconds after Anass Zaroury had fired Hull into a 2-1 lead at the MKM
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Vardy, 37, who took his tally to 15 for the season, scored first from the penalty spot to cancel out Fabio Carvalho’s opener before making it 2-2 after Anass Zaroury scored for Hull.
With Carvalho also seeing an early penalty saved by Mads Hermansen, Liam Rosenior’s Hull certainly felt they might have been able to claim a hugely important win.
But Vardy, who relishes his role as pantomime villain, remains the finisher’s finisher when he gets a sniff of a goal.
If Enzo Maresca’s side end up back in the Premier League, Vardy will certainly have earned his celebratory glass of port.
A point from a tough away game – combined with Ipswich’s late defeat at Cardiff – perhaps meant this wasn’t a bad end to a tough week for Leicester as their financial affairs come under intense scrutiny.
Maresca wanted his team to put all that aside – and they did.
Hull boss Rosenior said Tuesday night’s home draw against Birmingham City – in which they threw away two points late – made him the angriest he had ever been in his job.
His players certainly started here as if they were being abused, putting a lot of pressure on the leaders with their energy.
The drama started when Mads Hermansen saved Fabio Carvalho’s early penalty for the Tigers
But Carvalho atoned by firing Hull ahead after 16 minutes after capitalizing on a Leicester error
It was the ideal start for Hull, but in the end they had to settle for a point
The hosts were awarded a sixth-minute penalty when Regan Slater was brought down clumsily by Stephy Mavididi after trading the pass with Jean Michael Seri to advance to the right.
Carvalho’s penalty was not the best and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen easily guessed his intentions and dived to the right to deflect the penalty.
But when Carvalho had another chance ten minutes later, gift-wrapped, he didn’t miss.
Leicester usually play from the back but there was a clear nervousness about them, with Wout Faes in particular looking shaky.
And it was Faes who lingered on the ball a fraction too long, allowing Anass Zaroury to take the ball from him and feed Carvalho, who made no mistake this time in beating the advancing Hermansen.
Leicester had earlier broken through Hull’s backline for Yunus Akgun to fire wastefully at him, but it took the shock of the concession to get them going.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s low bobbler from the edge of the box hit the base of the post before Leicester were awarded their own penalty by referee Sam Barrott just after the half hour.
Abdul Fatawu burst into the penalty area from the right and was run over by Seri, as Barrott equalized the penalty count.
Vardy is usually reliable from 12 yards and the power and placement of his penalty beat Ryan Allsop despite the keeper guessing correctly.
The former England striker celebrated, as he likes to do, by driving the home fans behind the goal as he scored 14 for the campaign.
The second half came alive with Zaroury’s well-taken goal just after the hour mark and Vardy’s equally clinical response within seconds.
It was Seri who picked out winger Zaroury on the left side of the Leicester pitch and as the ball rolled over his body there was just enough space for him to drill into the far bottom corner with his left foot.
The celebrations had barely subsided when Vardy drew Leicester level for the second time.
Leicester manager Enzo Maresca cheers on the traveling fans after the honors ended in a draw
Fatawu picked out the forward in space beyond the Hull lines and with the home players perhaps still on a high after scoring and briefly shutting down, he finished smartly past Allsop.
We suddenly had a basketball game where both sides found the impetus to attack. Hermansen saved low to deny Jaden Philogene’s effort at one end; Faes was awarded a free kick and found Allsop’s gloves at the other end, but was given an offside flag.
Vardy drew cheers when he was substituted for Patson Daka with four minutes to go. In nine minutes of extra time, Faes ventured forward to blow over, but the draw was fair.
