The home side started well and took the lead when Ryan Shawcross's error allowed Shaun Wright-Phillips to tap in after he had lobbed Thomas Sorensen.
But Roberto Mancini's men had faded badly by the time Fuller rose to nod Rory Delap's throw-in past Shay Given.
Manchester City piled forward late on but Sorensen ensured the draw when he kept out Gareth Barry's header.
That late urgency could not disguise the fact that this was another lacklustre display by Manchester City, and their erratic form under Mancini continues.
They clearly missed the industry of in-form top-scorer Carlos Tevez, who has been allowed to return to Argentina for family reasons.
One of the few positives they can from the game was the performance of Wayne Bridge, caught up in the scandal that led to John Terry being stripped of the England captaincy and again in the spotlight thanks to Ashley Cole's injury in midweek - which means Bridge could start alongside his former Chelsea team-mate Terry in next month's friendly with Egypt.
England coach Fabio Capello was at Eastlands to check on Bridge and the left-back showed he is sharp enough after his recent two-month lay-off, even if doubts over his relationship with Terry will remain.
Most of Bridge's best moments came when he was going forward, and he played a big part in Manchester City's bright start that saw them take the game to Stoke in the first few minutes and send some dangerous crosses into the area.
Stoke, in contrast, started slowly and did not help their cause when they gifted the home side the lead after 10 minutes.
Shaun Wright-Phillips lobbed Thomas Sorensen after beating the Stoke goalkeeper to Stephen Ireland's chipped through-ball but Shawcross should still have cleared comfortably.
Instead, the defender missed the ball and compounded his error by nodding the ball into the path of Wright-Phillips while grounded to hand him an easy tap-in.
Things got even worse for the Potters soon after when Matthew Etherington, also hoping to impress Capello after some impressive recent displays, fell awkwardly while challenging Bridge and was stretchered off with suspected medial ligament damage.
Not for the first time or last time, Stoke boss Tony Pulis was forced to reshuffle his side but they responded by first stifling their hosts and then pushing for an equaliser.
They threatened for the first time when Tuncay crossed to the back post and Liam Lawrence, on for Etherington, saw his fierce volley blocked by Bridge.
Tuncay also sent a swerving shot flashing wide of Shay Given's post before half-time and, if anything, the home side were hanging on by the break.
Stoke continued to have most of the initiative after the restart and got their reward on 57 minutes when Delap - on after the unfortunate Lawrence sustained a knee injury - flung a trademark throw into the box and Fuller headed powerfully into the bottom corner of the net.
Even that failed to rouse Manchester City from their slumber and it was only in the final few minutes that they looked like grabbing a winner.
It took a great save from Sorensen to tip over Barry's header after he met a whipped Wright-Phillips cross from the right.
Roque Santa-Cruz also found space to latch on to fellow substitute Patrick Vieira's ball over the top but Shawcross got back to hack away his shot, which seemed to be heading wide anyhow, and Stoke survived.
It means the two teams will meet again twice in the next fortnight at the Britannia Stadium, with Tuesday's Premier League game followed by a Cup replay the following week.
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