Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa says securing the club's first Premier League victory of the season before a crunch period of games for them was "massive".

The Cottagers had been winless in their previous six league matches but secured all three points against Hull City thanks to Alex Iwobi's 33rd-minute strike.

The result offered respite for head coach Arbeloa, who succeeded Marco Silva in the Craven Cottage hot seat in July but had not seen his side's promising displays translate into wins.

The result lifted Fulham's points tally to five and moved them off the foot of the table and out of the relegation zone, while Hull sit ninth.

"It's a massive game for us," Arbeloa told BBC Match Of The Day.

He pointed out key upcoming games for Fulham - at Coventry next Saturday, then an EFL Cup tie against Crystal Palace on the following Wednesday - and described that as "a massive week".

"It won't be easy, but we know how we need to play and compete. We have to be competitive in this league," Arbeloa added. "We have our way and hope we can win many games."

Arbeloa's side took the lead just after the half-hour mark in the 100th meeting between the sides in all competitions.

Hull twice failed to clear their lines, allowing Sander Berge to slide the ball into the path of Iwobi on the edge of the box.

Iwobi curled a low shot that took a deflection off Lucas Herrington and squirmed under Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, who perhaps should have done better.

Hull struggled to create much of note, with Mohamed Belloumi dragging a shot wide of the post in the second half with arguably their best effort.

The only negative for Fulham was the dismissal of Ryan Sessegnon in added time after his studs caught the back of Robinio Vaz's calf from behind.

Arbeloa said his side had been "working so hard" and "deserved" to break their duck.

"We were having the same feeling as other matches, when we were controlling the game for long spells and having good chances but didn't score," he said.

"Our rivals punish our mistakes or take their chances, but we were brilliant for 90 minutes. We controlled the game, had many chances and didn't concede any clear chances to Hull."

Fulham analysis: Possession pays off

Arbeloa praises 'brilliant' Fulham after first league victory

Will this prove to be a turning point for Arbeloa?

There was hardly mutiny on the banks of the Thames, despite Fulham's meagre return of just two points from their first six games before this contest.

Yet defeat to a newly promoted side would have certainly caused a degree of twitchiness among fans and the club's hierarchy.

Arbeloa had urged his side to stick to their methods and they patiently weaved neat passages of intricate passing play.

Iwobi was at the heart of it all, the experienced head pulling the strings in midfield, while Oscar Bobb, Shea Charles and Josh King provided youthful vitality.

Once again Fulham had such a monopoly on possession at Craven Cottage (76.2%) that they may as well have put all their houses and hotels on it.

This time, however, they did pass Go and collected their reward - three points.

They made 717 passes in this game, their highest total in a Premier League match this season.

In truth, the margin of victory should have been greater - Garcia headed against the bar, while Tzolakis dealt with clear cut-chances for Iwobi and King.

This result should provide the springboard for the Cottagers and drive belief in Arbeloa's philosophy which, according to Iwobi, his players are fully on board with.

"He's a great man, a great manager. He's always talking to us," the Nigeria international told BBC Final Score.

"Because he was playing recently he understands what we're going through. The players are trying to give 100% to help him out."

Hull analysis: Honeymoon over for shot-shy Tigers?

Jakirovic reacts to Hull City's defeat to Fulham in the Premier League

This was an afternoon that is unlikely to linger long in the minds of the Hull fans venturing back on the East Coast Main Line or via the M1.

The Tigers failed to register a single shot on target during the entire contest.

Not one.

It was the first time they failed to do so in a Premier League game since they played Crystal Palace in May 2017.

They spent most of the game attempting to win the ball back, but Fulham's backline proved able to handle things whenever the Tigers went direct.

Chances were few and far between as a result.

Coach Sergej Jakirovic's face was etched with thunder when Belloumi lifted a late opportunity from a free-kick high into the stands.

At least his side managed to hang on, always within touching distance, in a game when really the home side should have been out of sight.

That might bode well for Hull in the long run, even if Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno collected the easiest clean-sheet bonus of his career.

The worry for Jakirovic would be that this insipid performance seeps into their next few games.

Hull will not want the honeymoon period of their top-flight return to be over just yet.