Hull boss Ruben Selles said it was key his side kept their fate in their own hands after a 2-0 home win against fellow Sky Bet Championship strugglers Plymouth.
Joe Gelhardt and Abu Kamara scored second-half goals as the Tigers won for the first time at the MKM Stadium this year and climbed five points clear of the relegation zone.
Hull had failed to win their five previous home games, while second-bottom Plymouth’s winless league run on the road this season was extended to 18 matches.
Selles said: “It’s three points. I’m very pleased with the performance of the team.
“We came today with the idea of being solid in the things that we do and only with that we can get a result. I think the result is a consequence of the way we played the game.
“As much as we can keep the situation in our hands – remember when we had the first press conference, we were rock-bottom and a couple of points away from anyone.”
The Tigers play at Bristol City on Saturday and Selles refused to consider back-to-back wins for the first time since he took charge in December.
The former Reading boss added: “I don’t want to think about a second win in a row because every time we sit here talking about that – it’s happened five times, this is my sixth victory – we end up not getting it.
“For me it’s important that we arrive on Saturday and make the game very competitive. That’s the only way we can go there and get three points.”
Plymouth head coach Miron Muslic was furious with his side’s abject display, three days after they had given Manchester City a scare in the FA Cup.
Argyle remain one point better off than bottom club Derby but have slipped six points adrift of safety with 11 games to play.
Muslic said: “We simply didn’t show up today in a game that we knew was a big one for us.
“There are too many players who cannot deliver consistently the performances we need to be competitive.
“I know we played a fantastic game a couple of days ago, but the reality in the Championship is fighting for every inch on the pitch and we missed this today completely.”
The Austrian was also furious with Hull’s second goal as Joao Pedro appeared to be clearly offside as he ran on to Gustavo Puerta’s through-ball before squaring for Kamara.
“The second goal, with all due respect, this player (Pedro) is one-and-a-half metres offside,” he said. “I think at this level we should see this.
“Of course, I just went to him (the referee) after the game and wished him all the best and just said at this level, that’s a big decision against us. It’s a big game and I think we can do it better.”
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