Martin Odegaard scored the decisive goal and created five chances as Arsenal beat Hull 1-0 to move six points clear at the top of the Premier League, at least temporarily.
The Gunners, playing in a rare Saturday 3pm slot, knew a win would put them six points clear at the top for a couple of hours. For much of the match, that outcome did not feel inevitable, as Hull held firm for more than 70 minutes and the champions struggled to create an abundance of chances.
Controversial penalty decision
Frustration grew around the stadium, with the fear that another international break would be spent stewing with frustration and regret. Earlier in the match, Mikel Arteta's side had been denied a penalty in bizarre circumstances. Referee Farai Hallam halted play to go to the monitor, where he decided Kai Havertz had been pulled down in the box.
He returned to the pitch to announce that, sparking cheers in the stands, only those cheers drowned out the sentence that followed, stating that Havertz was offside and so the penalty would not be given. A glance at the rules suggests that was the wrong decision and it should have been awarded regardless of the offside.
When Lewie Coyle then avoided a second yellow card for hacking Christos Tzolis down early in the second half, plenty in the Emirates were fearing this might just be one of those days.
Odegaard leads from the front
It was necessary, then, that Martin Odegaard delivered a captain's moment, following in after Noni Madueke's shot was saved to net the winner and drag Arsenal over the line. The Norwegian led from the front even before the first whistle was blown, bellowing and waving frantically at Tzolis to make it clear it would be his job to close down the Hull goalkeeper when it was played back.
Early in the first half, Tzolis was getting another earful as Odegaard led the press centrally. The skipper sprinted back with his arms outstretched, frustrated that his winger had not been following in support. The Arsenal captain should have had an assist before half time, slipping a lovely ball through to Havertz who was clean through on goal, only for the German to inexplicably try and chop back onto his left foot and waste the chance.
Odegaard had a big moment at the other end of the pitch, too. When Hull broke from an Arsenal corner, it was Odegaard who found himself as the last man back. Mohamed Cho threatened to run in on goal and had the beating of Odegaard for pace, but the midfielder got his body in the way and won the ball back brilliantly.
Job done before the break
After the break, the No8 provided not only the winner but the intent to keep going, waving his team-mates on at every opportunity and buzzing around the pitch. Only Bruno Guimaraes had more touches than Odegaard. The Norway international created five chances, more than anyone on the pitch, and he also led the way for line-breaking passes.
It was far from a convincing performance from Arsenal but that did not matter. After three away matches in a week, and with this the final game before the international break, all that mattered was a victory. The north Londoners got that and now have nine wins from ten matches in the league. This match will be quickly forgotten, a sign that it was job done and little more than that, but Odegaard's contribution should not be.
