Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic issues Arsenal verdict after Premier League defeat

Sergej Jakirovic has said Arsenal are the “best in the league with their attacking third combinations” after his Hull side were beaten at the Emirates Stadium.

Their resistance was broken when Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard reacted quickest to Konstantinos Tzolakis spilling Noni Maduke’s shot.

Reflecting on the 1-0 loss to Arsenal, Jakirovic heaped praise on his players and said he had no complaints about the performance having held out for so long against the reigning Premier League champions.

“I’m very proud of the way the lads performed, the way they played and the way they fought,” Jakirovic said in his post-match press conference.

“It is not easy against this Arsenal team because they have high quality in every position, but from the beginning we tried to press them whenever it was possible.

“We changed our system a bit and put a third midfield player in there to make us a little bit more narrow because Arsenal do everything to try and overload the midfield, plus we would have Ajayi and Mendy to jump out to cover any players in the pockets of space in-between which they did.

Gracious in defeat: Sergej Jakirovic speaks with Arsenal defender Gabriel after Hull’s loss at the Emirates

PA

“We were aggressive and played on the front foot and gave Arsenal less time on the ball, but of course they still have the quality to get through that and they’re the best in the league with their attacking third combinations.

“To get something more from the game we needed to be better with the ball and to make better decisions, especially with our counter-attacks. But really I cannot complain about anything my players did out there because if we are to grow we can learn from these games and moments and improve for the games to come.

“We could maybe do better with the goal, not necessarily from the initial shot but in terms of reacting to the second ball.”