As most Arsenal fans would attest, patience is a virtue. They needed a lot during the 22-year wait to be crowned Premier League champions and Mikel Arteta’s side certainly needed to keep their composure as they attempted to break down a stubborn Hull side. They had not beaten Arsenal in 14 attempts since their victory on their first visit to this ground in 2008. But with 20 minutes remaining there was still every chance that Sergej Jakirovic’s side had pulled off one of the shocks of the season.
Arsenal had already been denied a penalty just before half-time for a shirt shot at Kai Havertz in the box a week after escaping the same crime against Liverpool at Anfield, in a moment of controversy that could have been the main talking point of this match. Martin Ødegaard had other ideas and the Arsenal captain’s fifth goal of the season was enough to ensure they head into the international break with a healthy lead over Manchester City. Enzo Maresca’s side are next here in the league after the international break, with Arsenal having equaled their record 27 points from their first 10 games. The signs look worrying for the rest, even if their opponents made them work for points.
“After the international break after winning, it’s one of the best things for a manager,” Arteta said. “I have to congratulate the players and all the staff for the work they are doing because it has been very, very demanding. We have very little time to recover from games but despite that, the mentality and quality of the team has shown: it’s incredible.”
Jakirovic had promised beforehand that his team would take the lead. “If you are passive, they will destroy you,” the Bosnian said. But while their bold 5-3-2 formation has caused some problems for Arsenal’s vaunted defense, Hull remain without a league win since the end of August. “It’s a great experience for us,” Jakirovic said after the match. “We can learn big lessons from this, but we have shown that we can compete at this level.”
Hull got off to the better start as John Egan headed wide from a corner. After losing to Brighton before the last international break, Arteta took no risks and returned to the team that won at Liverpool last weekend. There was no William Saliba on the bench, with the French defender set to play for the Under-21s on Sunday as he continues his comeback from a back injury.
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Yet apart from a free kick which prevented Gabriel Magalhães from connecting with Ezri Konsa’s touchline, the visitors’ low blocking frustrated Arsenal and they continued to cause problems at the break. Elliot Stroud forced David Raya into a save after Riccardo Calafiori had given away possession cheaply.
Havertz’s inability to shoot after being played by a slide-rule pass from Ødegaard prompted groans of frustration. A struggling Arsenal thought all their prayers had been answered just before half-time when the referee, Farai Hallam, was sent onto the big screen by VAR. Nobel Mendy was clearly pulling Havertz’s shirt inside the box, but the German was offside and so the penalty was not awarded, although it probably should have been within the rules. They state that Havertz must “attempt to play the ball or challenge an opponent for the ball” to be penalized and because Mendy’s offense came first, this should have taken priority, as was the case when Newcastle’s Fabian Schär won a penalty against Bournemouth in February 2024.
Pro Ref is yet to make a statement on the incident and Arteta admitted he was left confused by the whole episode. “I don’t know what the interpretation is, I’m sure they’ll make it clear,” he said.
The Arsenal manager’s annoyance levels continued to rise when Havertz was only able to head straight at Konstantinos Tzolakis at half-time. Hull came out in the second half with a similar attitude and Jakirovic was shown a yellow card for protesting another decision against his team. Declan Rice was taken off early, although Arteta insisted he was fine afterwards. Noni Madueke found space after a flowing Arsenal move, but once again his effort was straight down Tzolakis’ throat.
The feeling of despair grew. But Ødegaard has made a habit of coming to Arsenal’s rescue this season and the captain was quickest to react when Tzolakis tipped over Madueke’s shot to finally break Hull’s brave resistance.
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