If Arsenal find attacking spark, they could run away with the Premier League

LONDON -- The evidence continues to mount that Arsenal are both uninspiring and increasingly unstoppable. Saturday's 1-0 win over Hull City was their fifth victory by that scoreline already in all competitions this season, and we've only just made it past Guy Fawkes Night. Not for the first time at Emirates Stadium, the fireworks were elsewhere. Martin Ødegaard's 72nd-minute winner was a reward for the Gunners' perseverance and particularly Noni Madueke, who kept plugging away on the right wing, and when his shot was repelled at the near post by Konstantinos Tzolakis, the Arsenal captain was there to steer home the rebound. The goal was greeted with palpable relief, parking once again those lingering concerns over whether Arsenal's failure to add an elite attacker to their lineup this summer could ultimately cost them in the long run. Instead, we are left to marvel at the results: nine wins from ten games equals their best-ever Premier League start, and at full time here, they had opened up a six-point lead at the top with Manchester City about to respond at Nottingham Forest. They have kept seven clean sheets in 10 games. The discipline and passion in their defending is unsurpassed in England right now. And they should not be blamed for removing a degree of jeopardy from most games through their own defensive brilliance. Manager Mikel Arteta has a squad blessed with a depth in defense and midfield that could see them name two entirely different lineups in both departments with only a minimal reduction in quality. Ezri Konsa is rapidly emerging as one of the signings of the season. The fact they are "only" winning games by a one-goal margin -- make that eight such victories now this season -- is in part a consequence of how the summer transfer disappointments continue to linger in the background. Imagine Vinícius Júnior or Julián Álvarez operating with this solidity behind them. Here, it was also due to Hull's spirited display, combining a resilient five-man defense with a bravery to try to attack when the opportunity arose. Interestingly, Arteta suggested it may also be down to Arsenal overplaying in the final third as well as a lack of efficiency: Kai Havertz did not even shoot when sent clean through shortly before halftime. "[We need to] be more efficient," Arteta said after the match. "We are one against one against the keeper. That's happened twice today. There is a penalty there, there is another situation inside the box where the ball is bouncing. So many shots that have been deflected, blocked. We need to find ways to be more efficient, sometimes even more pragmatic. "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, and that's it. And open, I think, the scoreline much earlier because obviously that's going to change the course of the game. "We had enough chances to make the scoreline much bigger. We weren't efficient enough to do that. And then we have to rely on generating volume, generating a lot of situations in and around the box, insisting, insisting and insisting until we are able to break them down. And this is exactly how we won the game." A total of 21 shots but an expected goals figure of just 1.09 would support that assessment. This game might be remembered most for a bizarre VAR intervention that gave referee Farai Hallam the chance to deliver a dramatic verdict over the speaker system. Nobel Mendy pulled Havertz's shirt in the box but the Arsenal forward was in an offside position at the time. The relevant law states "if a player in an offside position moving towards the ball is fouled before playing the ball, the foul is penalized as it occurred before the offside offense." The attacker hasn't committed an offside offense until he challenges an opponent for the ball, but where that challenge begins seems to be open to interpretation. Brentford got a penalty in these circumstances last season, Newcastle United did not the year before. Hallam confirmed a foul had been committed before delivering the denouement that Havertz was considered offside and so Hull would be awarded a free kick, leading to great mirth in the away end and confusion in the dugouts. "I haven't watched it back and I didn't watch it back so I don't have to lie to you guys," Arteta said. "I was surprised because when they sent the referee to the monitor, [Arsenal head of analysis Ben Chadwick] was telling me it's a clear penalty. "So I heard now that they decided not to because of the starting position of Kai that he was offside. I don't know what the interpretation is. I'm sure they will make that clear to understand it." Arsenal signed off for the last international break with an insipid 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, but this time the mood is markedly different. "To go to the international break after winning is one of the best things for a coach or for a player I think," Arteta said. "We know that we can improve in a lot of areas and we'll analyze in this break how we're going to do that." The frightening thing is this: if Arsenal can find some sparkle in their attack and maintain their resilience at the back, the combination will make them overwhelming favorites to retain the Premier League.