For a long time in this game we were one hugely significant “however” away from an international break’s worth of Arsenal fans posting ‘cry more’ messages on social media in response to rival supporters claiming the Premier League is doing everything in its power to ensure they win the title ahead of Manchester City.

Arsenal were typically slow and toothless against Hull in the first half and had failed to register a shot on target before referee Farai Hallam was sent to the monitor in the 43rd minute to look at a shirt pull on Kai Havertz in the visitors’ box.

The tug was blatant, if not quite so blatant as Jurrien Timber’s on Alexander Isak last weekend, or as consequential, as the Arsenal forward would have got nowhere near the ball, which had been deflected away from danger.

Isak would be kicking himself at the only difference between the two incidents being that Havertz went down and he didn’t if he was that “type” of player, the implication of course being that Havertz is, the simulating little twerp.

Through his headset, Hallam told the crowd that a “holding offence” had been committed – cue cheers from the Arsenal fans – before adding “however, the Arsenal player was in an offside position”.

We don’t quite know why he was called to the monitor when there was no decision to be made – our guess is VAR didn’t twig Havertz was in a clear offside position until he was in position; maybe it was Hallam who pointed that fact out which isn’t a great look for the lads at Stockley Park.

In any case, we’re fully in favour of the resulting live bubble-bursting and look forward to Mikel Arteta attempting to explain why he was so furious on the touchline at the correct decision being made after Timber escaped punishment for a more egregious and momentous shirt pull a week ago.

Fortunately for those of us hoping not to hear too much from the tin-foil hat wearers, some of whom will still be tapping away on their keyboards forcing the pro-Arsenal, anti-Man City narrative on the basis of this lack of officiating consistency, the penalty a) wasn’t given thanks to Havertz being in an offside position, and b) wouldn’t have been the defining moment of the game had it been converted as Arsenal’s second-half huffing and puffing got the job done.

The Gunners were much-improved after the break against a Hull side that looked entirely bushed after 70 minutes.

There’s arguably no Arsenal player who embodies their hugely impressive persistence more than Noni Madueke, who makes wrong decisions, scuffs shots, overhits crosses but just keeps going until something comes off for him.

His shot towards the near post was hit well enough and while the otherwise excellent Konstantinos Tzolakis will be frustrated not to have pushed it around the post rather than back into danger for Martin Odegaard to slot in the rebound, there was an overbearing sense of inevitability about the winner; if it hadn’t come at that point Arsenal would have broken the rearguard later.

It wasn’t convincing insofar as they created a load of chances or played the free-flowing football we know they’re capable of but see so infrequently.

But we should all just accept that’s not who Arsenal are, because they reached that point of acceptance long ago and deserve credit for working out a path to glory and sticking rigidly to it with the odd helping hand from the famously Arsenal-leaning officials in the pocket of the Man City-denying Premier League.