Arsenal 1-0 Hull City: result and report

The Pundit picked Arsenal (70%): correct

Report

Arsenal beat Hull City 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium. The home win was the expected outcome, but the narrow scoreline hides how one-sided the match was.

The only goal came on 72 minutes, when Martin Ødegaard put Arsenal ahead. Until then, Hull City had kept the game goalless despite spending most of it in their own half.

That late breakthrough was enough, because Hull City offered very little in reply. They finished with three shots and two on target, so the final 18 minutes never turned into a genuine fight for an equaliser.

Arsenal's chances against Hull City's resistance

The main story is the gap between the chances and the scoreline. Arsenal had 13 shots to Hull City's three and put ten on target to two. Their 1.51 xG was nearly four times Hull City's 0.40.

Hull City's goalkeeping kept the score down. They made nine saves, with Konstantinos Tzolakis in goal, while David Raya had only two to make at the other end.

The wider picture points the same way. Arsenal had 67% of the ball, 17 key passes to Hull City's five and a much higher pressure reading across the match. Hull City rarely got out, so this was territory turned into shots rather than possession for its own sake.

There is one caveat, though. Arsenal created only one big chance, and 13 shots for 1.51 xG suggests plenty of decent efforts but few clear openings. That helps explain why Hull City lasted so long.

Arsenal at home

The result fits a strong home pattern. Arsenal have won 20 of their 24 most recent home Premier League matches, and this was another one where the visitors barely threatened. The record still came from patience here rather than a flood of goals.