Hull City boss Mike Phelan says a win in the EFL Cup can lift the gloom amongst the players.

Five successive league defeats has dropped Hull into the relegation zone after a bright start, but the Tigers' 2-1 win at Bristol City on Tuesday night took them into the last eight of the EFL Cup for the second successive year.

"We tried to change it a little bit to get a smile back on everyone's faces," Phelan said after celebrating his first win since being handed the Hull job on a full-time basis.

"It has been quite gloomy when you're getting beat week in and week out.

"But you can see in the dressing room that a win's a win and it does mean a lot.

"It gives you confidence to start again, because we all know the Premier League is unforgiving at times. We showed that we can win football matches again so let's move forward."