Below, Sports Mole takes a look at they key talking points on an afternoon that saw both sides retain their respective places in the top half of the Premier League.

Match statistics:

Hull:

Shots 6
On target 1
Possession 45%
Corners 7
Fouls 7

Villa:

Shots 18
On target 4
Possession 55%
Corners 7
Fouls 11

Was the result fair?

The short answer to this question is yes. Neither team will be heading home thinking that they deserve more than they got from the contest. In truth, the game continued for most of the evening and I think there is still a chance it would have ended goalless. A point each was a perfectly fair result.

Hull's performance

Steve Bruce would have been worried by his team's start. The hosts' midfield struggled to assert themselves in the first half and were frequently second best. However, a strong defensive performance and an improved display after the break ensured that Villa could not take control of proceedings.

Villa's performance

Villa have the ability to produce some outstanding performances but sadly, today was not one of those occasions. The match statistics might suggest differently but the number of shots does not accurately reflect just how far the visitors were from scoring this afternoon. In the second half it became obvious just how much Villa are missing Christian Benteke's presence in attack.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Curtis Davies: On an afternoon when chances were few and far between, a defender just had to win this award. Fabian Delph and Tom Huddlestone both turned in impressive displays in midfield but it was Davies who stood out. The defender seemed to win every single ball that was launched into the air and he was a great leader of a determined Hull defence against his former club.

Biggest gaffe

It wasn't just one mistake from Ahmed Elmohamaday that earns him this honour, but a flurry of disappointing moments from the former Sunderland ace. Elmohamaday was regularly gifted space on the right side of midfield and on a different day he may have provided a number of assists but not today. The Hull supporters probably lost count of the number of poor crosses delivered and there was a relief around the ground when Elmohamaday was eventually substituted late on.

Referee performance

Luckily for Mark Clattenburg, he didn't have to make any big decisions this afternoon. The battle in midfield was fierce at times but the referee kept his cool and allowed the match to pass by without any controversial incidents.

What next?

Hull: Bruce's side will look to extend their unbeaten run to five matches when they travel to Everton on October 19.

Villa: The Villa fans will be hoping an upset can be possible when their team host Tottenham Hotspur on October 20.