Ødegaard's winner sends Arsenal past Hull

Martin Ødegaard scored the winner as Arsenal beat Hull City on Saturday, his fifth goal of the Premier League season. The Premier League is England's top men's division, and Arsenal kept their unbeaten start going at Emirates Stadium, the club's home ground.

The result leaves Arsenal with 27 points from their first 10 league games. Teams earn three points for a win and one for a draw, so the total matches the club's record tally at this stage of a season. Arsenal go into the international break, the pause when club football stops so national teams can play, with a lead over Manchester City.

Hull came in as a newly promoted side, meaning they had won their way up from the Championship, the division below. They had not beaten Arsenal in 14 meetings since their first visit to the club in 2008, when they won. Their only league win since August had come against Coventry City, and in their last 22 away league games they had won once, drawing four and losing 17. Their manager, Sergej Jakirovic, had to find a way to change that record.

Arsenal were close to a penalty just before half-time. Nobel Mendy pulled the shirt of Kai Havertz inside the box, but Havertz had been judged offside when the ball was played to him, so the referee waved away the appeals. It was the sort of moment that could have swung the game either way, and it did not.

Ødegaard, Arsenal's captain, had another reason to mark the day. The match was his 250th appearance for the club, a landmark the club had highlighted in the build-up. He lifted the Premier League trophy with Arsenal in May 2026, and he has become one of the first names on the team sheet under manager Mikel Arteta.

William Saliba was missing from the bench. The French defender is building back up from a back injury and was due to play for Arsenal's under-21s on Sunday. Arteta will hope his return comes soon, because the club's defence has been one of the reasons for their strong start.

For Arsenal fans, the message is simple. The team are top of the form table after a busy autumn, and their captain delivered when it counted. For Hull, the trip south ended without the point or the win they needed, but there is still a long season ahead of them.