United went down to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Hull City in the Humber derby.

First-half headers from man-of-the-match winner Henrik Pedersen and Michael Turner put the hosts in the ascendency, and it was a game which the Iron never looked like getting anything from.

With Scunthorpe's relegation rivals - Colchester apart - all picking up favourable results, it must go down as a bad day for United.

The Iron, wearing all-white, made no changes from the team that defeated Coventry City at Glanford Park a week earlier ahead of the game.

It took just two minutes for the hosts to register their first effort on goal of the afternoon as Joe Murphy dived low to his right to tip wide a 25-yard free-kick from ex-Scunthorpe star Andy Dawson.

Then, from the Dawson subsequent corner, the away team had to call on the Irish stopper again as he saved an Ian Ashbee header from point-blank range.

United had spells of pressure in the hosts' half, but during the opening exchanges of the game it was City who were attacking with more purpose. And they could have led had somebody got on the end of a couple of crosses from either flank by Fraizer Campbell and Dean Marney.

Scunthorpe had their first shot of the afternoon on 13 minutes when a free-kick was only half-cleared, coming out as far as Jim Goodwin, who curled his effort from 25 yards over the crossbar.

Still, it was Hull who were having the better of possession, but their attacks lacked the urgency they had in the first few minutes.

Grant McCann had the North Lincolnshire side's next chance of the game on 18 minutes when he volleyed an effort wide of Boaz Myhill's top right-hand corner. The Tigers had only half-cleared a long throw from Ian Morris.

A minute later, the Iron had their best chance of the afternoon so far when Ben May hooked in a cross from the right which Jack Cork headed wide of Myhill's right-hand post. It would prove to be a costly miss for Nigel Adkins' men.

Finally, though, on 26 minutes, the home team got the goal they had been threatening to score since the start.

Richard Garcia got on the end of Sam Ricketts' cross to force a reactionary save from Murphy, but former Bolton man Pedersen got on the end of the rebound to give the hosts the lead.

The visitors were still struggling to offer much going forward, and the Tigers added to their lead 10 minutes later.

Dawson's precise delivery from a corner on the right was thumped home by the head of ex-Brentford defender Turner, with Murphy left helpless as the ball flew into the roof of his net.

Hull had being the brighter side going forward, with Scunthorpe lacking a certain punch, and deserved to lead as the two teams went in for the interval.

There were no changes at half-time as the two teams came back out for the second period.

The Tigers had their first chance of the second period on 53 minutes when Dawson flashed a druve wide of Murphy's near post from 30 yards.

Scunthorpe made their first change of the afternoon three minutes later when McCann was replaced by new loan arrival Curtis Weston.

United's first opportunity of the second half arrived on 60 minutes when May dribbled his way into a shooting position but clipped his effort just over Myhill's crossbar.

With passes being misplaced and the ball not sticking in attack, the hosts were looking in no real danger of surrendering their lead - Scunthorpe were yet to have had a shot on target.

Nigel Adkins made his second alteration of the afternoon on 69 minutes with Morris being replaced by the pacey Jonathan Forte.

Murphy had to react again when Dean Marney's drive from the left looked like creeping in at his near post.

Paterson's deep cross from the right on 79 minutes, which no Scunthorpe player got on the end of, epitomised his side's day.

Geoff Horsfield replaced Goodwin for the final United change of the afternoon, but it had little impact as neither side created any further chances of note.

So it was back-to-back Humber derby wins for Hull this season, as their push for the Premiership gathered pace in a fixture which had failed to live up to the pre-match hype.

The Iron go into Tuesday night's match against Plymouth knowing victories are needed if they are to survive in the Championship.