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Arsenal beat Hull City 1-0 at the Emirates in Matchweek 10, Martin Odegaard poking in a rebound in the 72nd minute after Noni Madueke's shot was saved. It was a long afternoon before that: Arsenal had most of the ball, were denied a penalty by VAR in a call that annoyed plenty of people, and Hull's keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis kept them out until the goal finally arrived. That's nine wins from ten and puts the champions on 27 points, six clear of Manchester City at the top. Hull stay in mid-table on 11 points, with nothing to be embarrassed about after taking a serious team deep into the second half.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Arsenal are top on 24 points from nine games, three clear of Manchester City, with eight wins and a single defeat. Hull are 10th on 11 points, which for a newly promoted side is a perfectly respectable place to be. Lose here and Arsenal's lead shrinks if City win; Hull just want to keep climbing away from the bottom half.
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2Hull's big Premier League moment against Arsenal came in September 2008, when they won at the Emirates, and it has mostly been downhill since. They have lost six of the seven meetings since, and haven't played in the top flight against anyone for a decade until this season. Mention the 2008 win and you will sound like you did your homework.
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3Hull's Lucas Gourna-Douath is one to keep an eye on: a midfielder who joined in a reported £3m deal and has to deal with Arsenal's midfield squeezing the life out of games. If he looks comfortable, Hull have a chance of something. If not, it is going to be a long afternoon in north London.
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4The subplot is Hull's draw habit. Five of their nine games have ended level, which makes them the league's most stubborn newcomers, including 2-2 draws with Everton and Ipswich. Arsenal have only conceded five goals all season, so something has to give. Team news was not confirmed at the time of writing, so check the line-ups before you quote anyone.
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5The hook is Hull's story. They came up through the play-off final at Wembley, beating Middlesbrough for the last Premier League place, then opened the season by beating Manchester United 2-0. A win at Arsenal would top that. A draw would just be Hull being Hull.
Team Talking Points
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1Arsenal are top of the table with 27 points from 10 games – nine wins and one defeat, which equals the best start to a league season in the club's history. They're five points clear of second-placed Brighton going into the international break, and they're the reigning champions, so the old 'nearly men' jokes have officially expired.
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2Their last game was a 1-0 home win over Hull, settled by a Martin Ødegaard goal with about 18 minutes left. It wasn't pretty – the defence did most of the heavy lifting – but grinding out wins on an off day is exactly what title-winning sides do. Say 'they won ugly' and you'll sound like you watched it.
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3The week before, Arsenal won at Anfield to go top. This week the Premier League's independent incidents panel ruled 4-1 that Jurrien Timber should have given away a penalty for pulling Alexander Isak's shirt in that game. Arsenal fans will tell you it all evens out over a season; Liverpool fans will not.
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4Martin Zubimendi, the £60m midfielder who was a key part of last season's title win, hasn't started a single Premier League game this season, and Real Madrid, Atlético and Chelsea are reportedly sniffing around. He told Marca this week he's not been in contact with anyone and isn't close to leaving. Bring it up gently – it's a sore spot.
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5Viktor Gyökeres is having a lovely international break: he's now scored in seven consecutive Nations League games for Sweden, a competition record. Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has signed a new deal to 2030. Arsenal go to Newcastle on Saturday 21 November when the league returns – historically a ground where they find life awkward.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Nine wins from ten is lovely, but the real test is St James' Park after the break – that's where Arsenal title seasons go to get nervous.
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Avoid saying
"Arsenal always bottle it" – they're the defending champions and top by five points. Wheel that one out and everyone will assume you've been asleep since 2023.
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1Hull lost 1-0 at league leaders Arsenal on Saturday. Martin Ødegaard pounced on a rebound in the 72nd minute after Hull's keeper parried a Noni Madueke shot. Losing narrowly at the Emirates is no disgrace for a promoted side, and Hull fans know it.
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2Manager Sergej Jakirovic was bullish afterwards. He reckoned Hull were the better team on performance and had enough chances to win, adding that the side is 'still growing'. Arsenal fans would disagree, but it's a nice sign that he's not playing for damage limitation.
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3The season started like a dream. Hull had seven points from their first three games and briefly sat second, behind only Manchester City. They haven't won a league game since August, though. It's a winless run of the sort that slowly turns a fairytale into a relegation conversation.
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4Jakirovic only arrived in the summer of 2025 and took Hull up through the Championship play-offs at the first attempt. That's a genuinely impressive bit of work, and Hull fans are still very much on his side. Credit him and you'll be on safe ground.
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5The last outing before Arsenal was a 2-2 draw with fellow promoted side Ipswich, where Hull let a lead slip. Jakirovic publicly demanded better 'control' when they're ahead. Throwing away winning positions is the recurring theme of their autumn.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Hull went to the Emirates and made Arsenal sweat. They just need to remember how to actually win one before the winless run starts to matter.
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Avoid saying
"Hull will be straight back down" — said with total confidence in August, it looked silly when they were second in the table, and fans have not forgotten who was saying it.