ARSENAL 1-0 HULL CITY: Ezri Konsa was immense in defence for the Gunners as they ground out a vital victory over the Tigers before the international break

You could have cut the tension inside the Emirates Stadium with a knife. It felt like a throwback to the nervous energy that was rife throughout various stages of last season.

As an organised Hull City launched a promising second-half breakaway through Mohamed-Ali Cho, Ezri Konsa was on hand to block and eliminate the danger. It was a wake-up call, with the deadlock still yet to be broken.

Match-winning captain Martin Odegaard and clutch winger Noni Madueke will likely receive the plaudits but Arsenal's ugly and hard-fought victory was as much about Konsa as it was about either attacker.

As the Tigers turned the screw in search of the leveller with just over five minutes left to play, it was the England international defender nodded two crosses - one from either flank - away.

Forget Morgan Rogers, Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet, Nicolas Jackson, Zion Suzuki and Tarik Muharemovic - Konsa is the top-flight signing of the season.

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On a day where Mikel Arteta's forward line did not cover itself in glory, Arsenal showcased once again exactly why their water-tight backline is worth its weight in gold.

They have won eight of the nine Premier League games Konsa has featured in since arriving from Aston Villa, keeping seven clean sheets in the process (now four in a row).

They've also recorded seven shutouts from their opening 10 league games. It's early days but only three teams in Premier League history have logged more at this stage of a season.

Eyebrows were initially raised over Konsa's £55million transfer fee (including add-ons) but that price-tag now looks like a genuine steal.

The 29-year-old made a whopping 12 defensive contributions and won 100 per cent of his seven duels (aerially and on the deck) - six of which came in the first half - on Saturday.

Home supporters would have relished more goals but the strength of the axis provided by Konsa and Gabriel Magalhaes is a cheat code.

Arsenal had to dig in and show steel to edge Sergej Jakirovic's gritty outfit but they never really looked like conceding, which certainly helps when your attack is going through the motions.

Buried beneath the relief of this triumph is a certain William Saliba. He's been sent to play for the U21s on Sunday, which is quite the luxury for Arsenal.

That very concept only underlines that these are truly unprecedented times in N5. On Tuesday in Czechia, Arteta insisted the Frenchman was very much ready for action after travelling to Prague with the Gunners.

But unsurprisingly, following a three-and-a-half-month lay-off, he was an unused substitute. He wasn't even involved against Hull as managers can only name nine substitutes, two less than Europe, in the Premier League.

Saliba, who played a half in a behind-closed-doors friendly last week, will instead bank valuable minutes for the youth team against Aston Villa at Boreham Wood this weekend.

Arteta has also noted that the imperious 25-year-old is itching to return to first-team action but for now, there is one immovable object in the way: Konsa.

In recent years, such as the final months of the 2022-23 campaign, losing Saliba to injury would have been nothing short of disastrous for Arsenal.

The narrative is drastically different now because, on current form, it's hard to envisage how you can make an argument for dropping the rock-solid Englishman.

He's been colossal alongside Gabriel and at times, he's actually outperformed the Brazilian stalwart. It's a great problem that will only benefit Arsenal but it might prove complex to keep all three centre-backs happy.

It's clear the Premier League champions can improve their frontline but Konsa has undoubtedly vindicated their decision to upgrade their defensive options this summer.

He has given them an extra limb at the back and if they can become more free-scoring - goals have still not really been an issue, mind - they'll be a near-complete side.