Martin Odegaard's goal to beat Hull City proved to be priceless as it saw us extend our lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points at the end of matchweek 10.

The skipper's goal brought us our ninth league success of the campaign, but it was a hard-fought one with the Tigers hanging on in the game right until its conclusion.

Adrian Clarke has gone through the action with a fine toothcomb to unearth the secrets behind our latest triumph:

MIDFIELD CONNECTION GROWS

 One of the standout tactical features of this contest was the burgeoning on-pitch relationship between Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Odegaard. The duo shared 35 passes overall, but it was our summer signing’s desire to get the captain on the ball which really caught the eye. 

His 25 passes to Odegaard was a match-high by some distance, with Jurrien Timber to Noni Madueke (14) and Odegaard to Madueke (14) the next highest. As you can see from this pass map, almost all of those passes were designed to get our matchwinner onto the ball inside opposition territory.

Guimaraes to Odegaard pass map

The Brazilian was very proactive, always looking to zip a forward pass into teammates ahead of him. This ball to Odegaard between the lines was typical of what he wanted to do, bisecting Hull's midfield:

Receiving it on the half turn, our skipper then released Kai Havertz with a through ball of his own, and the striker was frustrated not to have converted that 1v1 situation into a goal:

A DIFFERENT SHAPE

The manager tweaked his central midfield configuration for this clash, deploying Guimaraes as the sole defensive midfielder. Previously we have seen him used in a double pivot alongside Declan Rice, or to the left of Rice when the England international started at the base of our midfield instead.

As you can see below, Guimaraes (39) was central and deep on MW10 against the Tigers, a role Rice played when they first started a Premier League match together in our loss at Brighton and Hove Albion:

In-possession shape comparing Brighton and Hull

This fixture saw a return to 4-3-3, with Odegaard and Rice the clear box-to-box players. Rice’s heat map shows how different his positioning was, playing much wider than he has done during the campaign so far:

MADUEKE DROVE US ON

Up against a 5-3-1-1 formation which was very well organised, it wasn’t easy to fashion clear-cut openings at all, but one player who consistently looked like providing that creative spark was Noni Madueke.

Always positive, always willing to run at his marker, our right winger was a force to be reckoned with from beginning to end.

As his outstanding match stats outline, Madueke was in scintillating form, causing the visitors no end of problems. His athletic numbers are especially important, as we needed the kind of thrust he provides to unsettle such a well-drilled unit.

His speed and drive helped us claim the winning goal too, of course. Carrying the ball at maximum pace, his shimmy and shot forced the mistake which allowed Odegaard to score from the rebound:

SECOND HALF IMPROVEMENT

The main difference between a relatively sterile first half, and a more dominant second period was the intensity and urgency of our football. Our build-up play was quicker, and tellingly, we had a lot more off-the-ball movement than we’d shown earlier in the contest. I also feel Hull were mentally and physically fatigued after having to work so hard to contain us.

These xG maps tell the story of how we got stronger, with Hull City offering next to nothing as an attacking threat:

First half

Second half

One second-half move encapsulated this enhanced energy more than any other, and it was instigated by a Riccardo Calafiori raid down the left. The supporting runs from Rice (for Calafiori), and Odegaard (for Tzolis) helped us get the ball into a great area, and because the tempo was so high it allowed us to free up Madueke for a shot on target:

Off-the-ball runs are so vital when you face pragmatic opponents, and this was an example of how they can make a difference.

THROUGH BALLS AND UNDERLAPS

Some of our passing showed real bravery in this contest, with our players attempting eight through-balls. This incisive pass from Guimaraes to Havertz may well have resulted in a penalty kick on another day after the German’s shirt was pulled inside the box:

Those dynamic bursts in behind the last line will always be important to the way we play and create. The fact that we made 73 line-breaking passes in the final third without hitting top gear is impressive, as is the way our resolute defence only encountered nine line-breaking passes from the opposition:

This was not a rip-roaring thrill-a-minute game, but even so, this was a comfortable 1-0 success. We were dominant and grew stronger as the match went on, so our three points were well deserved.