Arsenal will head into the international break at the top of the Premier League after Martin Ødegaard’s second-half goal secured a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Hull City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Arsenal captain struck in the 72nd minute, reacting quickest after Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis parried Noni Madueke’s effort. His close-range finish finally broke the visitors’ resistance in a match where clear chances were difficult to come by.
The result gave Mikel Arteta’s side their ninth league victory in 10 matches, taking them to 27 points and matching their best start to a Premier League season under the Spaniard, achieved in the 2022–23 campaign.
Arsenal also strengthened their position at the summit, moving six points clear of Manchester City ahead of the latter’s match against Nottingham Forest.
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VAR controversy overshadows first half
Although Arsenal eventually secured the points, a disputed VAR decision threatened to become the main talking point.
Shortly before half-time, referee Farai Hallam was sent to the pitchside monitor to review a shirt pull by Hull defender Nobel Mendy on Kai Havertz inside the penalty area.
The home supporters appeared convinced that Arsenal would be awarded a penalty after the referee reviewed the incident. However, Hallam ultimately ruled that Havertz had been offside in the build-up and awarded Hull a free-kick.
The decision sparked debate, particularly because it came a week after Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber was involved in a similar shirt-pulling incident against Liverpool’s Alexander Isak, for which Liverpool were not awarded a penalty.
The incident raised questions about how officials should apply the offside and foul rules when an attacker is pulled back before becoming involved in the play.
Under the Laws of the Game, an offside position alone is not an offence. An attacker must become involved in active play, interfere with an opponent or gain an advantage from that position. Where a foul and an offside offence are both being considered, officials must establish which offence occurred first.
The precise circumstances of the incident, including whether Havertz was already committing an offside offence, were therefore central to the decision.
A difficult weekend for VAR
The Arsenal incident added to a weekend of contentious refereeing decisions in the Premier League.
Coventry City were left frustrated after a penalty appeal involving Everton defender James Tarkowski and Caleb Yirenkyi was rejected. There was also debate over whether Thierno Barry handled the ball before scoring for Everton.
In Saturday’s early kick-off, Leeds United and Tottenham were involved in further VAR discussions. Leeds appealed for a handball penalty against Mateus Fernandes, while Tottenham were unhappy after Jayden Bogle avoided a red card for a challenge on Mathys Tel.
The decisions once again put the spotlight on the consistency and interpretation of VAR in the Premier League.
Arteta wants Arsenal to be more clinical
Despite the victory, Arteta acknowledged that his team must become more efficient in front of goal.
Arsenal have built their campaign on defensive strength, but their attacking performances have not always matched the quality of their results. The Gunners have struggled to turn their dominance into more convincing scorelines.
Speaking after the Hull match, Arteta said his players needed to be more decisive when opportunities arose.
"To be more efficient," the Arsenal manager said when asked how the team could improve.
He pointed to missed one-on-one opportunities, blocked shots and situations inside the penalty area where his players could have made better decisions.
Arteta also suggested that Arsenal sometimes try too hard to create the perfect goal against opponents who defend deep.
"Sometimes my feeling is that we are trying to score a perfect goal against these low blocks. We need to be much more chaotic than that," he said.
The manager added that scoring earlier would help change the course of matches and make life easier for his team.
Arsenal maintain their title momentum
Arsenal have continued to collect points despite dealing with injuries and changes in their attacking options.
Bukayo Saka’s absence has affected the team's familiar attacking combination on the right, while other forward players have been working to find consistent form.
However, the Gunners have remained difficult to beat, with their defensive organisation providing a strong foundation for their title challenge.
The narrow win over Hull was not a vintage attacking display, but it delivered another important three points.
With nine victories from their opening 10 league matches, Arsenal have made a powerful statement about their ambitions this season. Their challenge now will be to maintain that consistency while finding greater fluency and efficiency in attack.