Hull sat in a back five, and Arsenal needed 72 minutes and a rebound to get through it. Ødegaard's finish was Arteta's 34th 1–0 league win and put Arsenal six points clear.
The numbers
| Arsenal | Hull City | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 67% | 33% |
| Shots | 21 | 7 |
| xG | 1.26 | 0.36 |
| Touches in opp. box | 45 | 18 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 5 |
Result the chances deserved: Arsenal 60% / 30% / Hull City 11% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya, Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Guimarães, Rice, Madueke, Ødegaard, Tzolis, Havertz.
Hull City (3-5-2): Tzolakis, Ajayi, Egan, Mendy, Coyle, Iroegbunam, Gourna-Douath, Slater, Stroud, McBurnie, Cho.
Hull subs: Gelhardt (60', Cho), Norton-Cuffy (61', Coyle), Herrington (69', Ajayi), Giles & Mouzakitis (75', for Stroud & Iroegbunam) (FotMob). Manager: Sergej Jakirović. Hull lined up in a 5-3-2 (FotMob).
Cards: Coyle (34'), Gourna-Douath (48'), Norton-Cuffy (61'), Stroud (75'), Mendy (87'), all Hull (FotMob).
VAR: at 44' Mendy pulled Havertz's shirt in the box. After a VAR review Havertz was ruled offside, so no penalty (Sky Sports, Opta Analyst).
Key moments, move by move
- Madueke runs at Hull down the right (premierleague.com).
- He cuts inside and drives a low left-footed shot (NBC Sports).
- Tzolakis gets to it but spills it (Opta Analyst).
- Ødegaard reacts first and finishes the rebound from close range, under the keeper (Opta Analyst, Sky Sports).
Hull's back five held for 72 minutes; Arsenal's own defence gave them almost nothing
- Hull's shape: a 5-3-2 (FotMob) that defended deep and was hard to break down (Sky Sports). Arsenal had 67% of the ball and 45 touches in Hull's box, but 21 shots brought only 1.26 xG (FotMob). Jakirović: "We were brave, especially in the defensive phase" (Sky Sports).
- The right side was the way in: Madueke was Arsenal's most active attacker (Sky Sports). His cross set up Konsa's flick at 5', he forced a save at 57', made the goal, and at 87' Norton-Cuffy cleared his effort off the line (Sky Sports, Opta Analyst). Fourteen of Arsenal's 21 shots came from inside the box (Opta Analyst).
- The penalty that wasn't: at 44' Mendy pulled Havertz back in the box. VAR sent the referee to the monitor and Havertz was ruled offside. Former referee Mike Dean said it should have been a penalty, because Havertz was not challenging for the ball (Sky Sports).
- Arsenal's defence: Hull had seven shots worth 0.34 xG (Opta Analyst). Raya saved from Stroud at 19', Rice's recovery stopped Iroegbunam reaching the rebound, and Konsa won all seven of his duels (Sky Sports). It was a fourth league clean sheet in a row and the seventh in ten games (Opta Analyst).
Tactical scenes
Hull's only route was to clear long and break. Raya saved Stroud's angled shot at 19' and Rice recovered to stop Iroegbunam on the rebound; in the second half Konsa's last-ditch lunge stopped Cho, and Gourna-Douath shot straight at Raya from a tight angle.
Evidence: Hull had seven shots worth 0.34 xG (Opta Analyst) and 18 touches in Arsenal's box to Arsenal's 45 (FotMob). Konsa won all seven of his duels (Sky Sports). Arsenal have not conceded in four league games (Opta Analyst). Opta Analyst: Arsenal 1-0 Hull stats · FotMob match page · Sky Sports match report
Recreate it in FM26
Arsenal · Arsenal against a back five: patience and the rebound · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Arsenal against a back five: patience and the rebound
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Raya | Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Timber | Full-Back | Holding Full-Back |
| RCB | Konsa | Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Gabriel | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Calafiori | Inside Full-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| RDM | Guimarães | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Rice | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Madueke | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Ødegaard | Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Tzolis | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| ST | Havertz | Centre Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Attacking TransitionPatient Build-Up
- PatienceWork Ball Into Box
- Progress ThroughRight
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
- Cross EngagementContest
The idea: A 4-2-3-1 that keeps the ball against a deep back five, works it into the box and counter-presses every clearance. It needs a direct Inside Forward who runs at the wing-back, and an Advanced Playmaker who arrives for the loose ball.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't tell a rebound from a clean chance; the same plan draws a fair share of replays 0-0.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Eze on at 55' (for Tzolis), Gyökeres on at 50' (for Havertz). Keep the plan: Hull barely threatened. Bring the attacking changes forward by ten to fifteen minutes, so fresh legs face a back five that had been chasing for an hour. It moves Arsenal's win chance from 60% to 64% (xG 1.26–0.36 becomes 1.41–0.36). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Arsenal needed
Bukayo Saka
Madueke made the goal and most of the chances on the right, but alone. Saka on the right and Madueke on the left would give Arsenal two players who beat a wing-back and cut back against a back five.
Lamine Yamal
Arsenal had 45 box touches but only 1.26 xG from 21 shots. A winger who beats two men inside and finds a pass between three centre-backs turns that territory into clean chances.
What the analysts said
“Getting results is very, very important and I think we need to praise our players”Mikel Arteta (Sky Sports, via Arseblog News)
“He's much better, he had a massive impact, he's hitting serious levels now”Mikel Arteta on Guimarães (Arsenal.com press conference, via Arseblog News)
“If we don't concede goals, we have a big chance to win games.”Gabriel (Arsenal.com, via Arseblog News)
“We were brave, especially in the defensive phase.”Sergej Jakirović, Hull manager (Sky Sports)
“We need to take lessons. I think this team is still growing.”Sergej Jakirović (BBC Match of the Day, via Arseblog News)
“Havertz is an offside position but doesn't go and challenge for the ball, so it's not an offence.”Mike Dean on the 44th-minute VAR call (Sky Sports, via Arseblog News)
Arsenal beat a back five the slow way: keep the ball and follow in the rebound.
What's happening. Arsenal beat Hull 1–0 and go into the international break six points clear, with 27 points from ten games. Ødegaard scored at 72' after Tzolakis spilled Madueke's shot. It was a fourth straight league clean sheet, and Arteta's 34th 1–0 league win, the most of any side since he took over (Sky Sports).
How it works. Against a back five that sits deep, the attacking side gets the ball and the wings but rarely a clean shot. The answer is to keep shooting from inside the box and to have bodies arriving for the rebound, because the keeper has no time to hold anything. Ødegaard's goal came exactly that way. Behind the ball, the rest defence stops the break before it starts, as Rice and Konsa did here.
What the shots say. FotMob gives Arsenal 1.26 xG from 21 shots, so one goal was a fair return. One reading: a side that keeps the opponent to seven shots will win most of these games 1–0. The other: without Saka the open-play attack is still thin, and a rebound, a penalty call and a goal-line clearance decided whether this was a win or a draw.