Odegaard winner breaks stubborn Hull to extend Arsenal's lead

Martin Odegaard's goal proved enough to see off a stubborn Hull City side, as Arsenal won 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium to move six points clear at the top of the Premier League, according to Sky Sports Football.

The breakthrough did not come easily. Mikel Arteta's side were held scoreless through the first half and had to work hard to find a way past a well-organised Hull defence, Yahoo Sports reported.

Odegaard eventually settled the contest in the 72nd minute, converting what Guardian Football described as the Arsenal captain's fifth goal of the season.

Hull, managed by Sergej Jakirovic, arrived at the Emirates without a win over Arsenal in 14 attempts, their last success at this ground coming in 2008, Guardian Football noted. For long periods on Saturday they threatened to end that run.

Arsenal were denied a penalty shortly before half-time for what the Guardian described as a shirt pull on Kai Havertz inside the box, a decision that echoed a similarly contentious non-award against Liverpool at Anfield the previous week.

That moment aside, the game turned on Arsenal's ability to eventually break Hull's resistance in the second half, with Odegaard's intervention proving decisive with 20 minutes still to play.

According to Yahoo Sports' player ratings, Noni Madueke was rated the standout performer with an 8/10 mark for his persistent threat down the right, while Odegaard himself was given 7.5 for creating several chances before scoring the winner. David Raya, Jurrien Timber and Ezri Konsa were each rated 7.5 as Arsenal secured a clean sheet, with Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes all scoring 7. Kai Havertz, who struggled to get into the game before being substituted after the hour mark, and Viktor Gyokeres were among those rated lowest, at 6.

The win takes Arsenal to 27 points from their opening 10 league games, a tally Guardian Football said matches the club's own record for this stage of a season.

Arsenal now head into the international break with that healthy cushion at the summit. Guardian Football's Ed Aarons wrote that "the signs look ominous for the rest" of the division.

When the Premier League resumes, Arsenal's next league assignment is a home meeting with Enzo Maresca's Manchester City, a fixture that will offer an early test of whether their advantage at the top can be sustained.