High-flying Hull came into this game hoping to become the first promoted team in Premier League history to keep four consecutive clean sheets, but with seven minutes on the clock, that target was swiftly put out of reach.
Morgan Rogers had directly contributed to a goal in each of his league games for Chelsea, and he continued that streak here by beating Konstantinos Tzolakis at his near post with a driven snapshot.
The Blues were on top, but having failed to make that momentum count, they were pegged back ahead of the half-hour mark, making it 20 straight league games without a clean sheet.
A hopeful hooked cross from Ryan Giles bounced awkwardly over Jorrel Hato on the penalty spot, falling kindly for Mohamed Belloumi, who guided his effort beyond Emiliano Martinez.
And things soon got worse for Chelsea, as after a Semi Ajayi header rattled the crossbar, Belloumi again arrived on the scene to bury a deflected strike, turning the game on its head in a six-minute period.
Chants of 'we’re going to win the league' from the away fans underscored Hull’s astounding start to the campaign, with the Tigers sitting top of the Premier League live standings heading into the break.
Yet they were on the back foot after the restart as the hosts amped up the pressure, striking the woodwork through a whipped Reece James free-kick attempt.
However, Chelsea have rarely looked secure at the back, and Hull almost capitalised when Martinez spilt a Regan Slater effort at the feet of Oli McBurnie, who couldn’t adjust quickly enough.
Nonetheless, Chelsea continued to push and levelled the game once more in the 66th minute when Joao Pedro rifled in from close range, setting up an intriguing finale.
It was end-to-end at points as the clock ticked down, but Rogers could only shoot straight at Tzolakis, and Mohamed-Ali Cho was unable to turn past Martinez as both sides wasted opportunities.
Ultimately, Xabi Alonso’s side had to make do with a point, extending their unbeaten head-to-head record to 18 matches (W15, D3).
The Blues have now failed to win any of their last five home league encounters with newly-promoted sides (D4, L1).
Hull may only have won once in their last 20 Premier League away trips (D4, L15), but after defeating Coventry on the road, it’s another positive result here, keeping them third, one place above the Blues at this early stage of the campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Wesley Fofana (Chelsea)
