SAINTS loanee Jason Puncheon grabbed another vital goal as Crystal Palace's Barclays Premier League revival gathered pace with a 1-0 victory over Hull.

Puncheon, who was ridiculed for his penalty miss against Tottenham a fortnight ago, has since responded by hitting winners against Stoke and now the Tigers.

His latest strike hauled Palace level on points with Hull, who were just a point outside the top 10 when the teams kicked off.

Back-to-back wins have put clear water between Palace and the drop zone, which looked unthinkable when they were floundering at the bottom just two months ago.

Manager Tony Pulis now wants to add four or five new faces before Friday's transfer deadline but on the evidence of the last few weeks, he may not actually need them.

Instead it was Hull who paraded their January purchases, giving a first run-out to their new strikeforce of Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic.

But the £14million duo barely got a sniff as the Tigers slipped to a fourth straight defeat, a run which has seen them gradually sucked back into the relegation battle.

Long's only real contribution was going down under a challenge by Danny Gabbidon which should have earned Hull a first-half penalty.

But referee Roger East waved away the appeals and moments later Puncheon fired what proved to be the winner.

The Tigers also finished with 10 men after goalkeeper Allan McGregor saw red in stoppage time.