Seven points from three games - are Hull on track to avoid relegation?

ByAdwaidh Rajan

BBC Sport journalist

"Maybe expect to combat for a Champions League place?"

Sergej Jakirovic could not defy a gag erstwhile asked astir Hull City's singular commencement to beingness backmost successful the Premier League connected BBC Match of the Day.

"No, of people it is early," the caput manager was speedy to travel up.

Three games into a play is so excessively tiny a illustration size to foretell a club's fortunes.

But with 7 points from a imaginable nine, 3 cleanable sheets and lone 2 points down aboriginal pacesetters Manchester City, the Hull supporters tin beryllium forgiven for dreaming a little.

"It's immense for our assurance coming up into the Premier League," defender John Egan told Sky Sports.

"The commencement is important. We got the triumph the archetypal time [against Manchester United] and I deliberation that gave everyone confidence."

If past is thing to spell by, the Tigers whitethorn already person gone a agelong mode towards securing their astir important nonsubjective of the 2025-26 play - preserving their top-flight status.

No recently promoted broadside has been relegated aft taking 7 oregon much points from their opening 3 Premier League games. Looking beyond promoted sides, lone 3 teams person gone down aft doing so.

It mightiness beryllium acold excessively aboriginal to settee immoderate endurance talks but, pursuing different awesome outing successful a 0-0 gully against Aston Villa connected Saturday, determination is nary doubting Hull person fixed themselves the cleanable level to physique on.

As precocious arsenic past twelvemonth Hull avoided relegation to League One lone connected extremity difference.

Fast-forward 16 months and they are present going toed to toed with the large names of the Premier League.

The turnaround tin beryllium traced backmost to the accomplishment of Jakirovic earlier past season.

The erstwhile Bosnia planetary joined a nine nether a transportation embargo, confining them to escaped transfers and loans, but inactive made them promotion contenders.

Jakirovic guided Hull to a play-off triumph against a Millwall broadside who finished 3 places and 10 points supra them, earlier Oli McBurnie's last-gasp victor against Middlesbrough secured top-flight football.

And Hull did not enactment inactive successful the summer.

They were the busiest Premier League broadside with 18 caller signings for astir £150m, with six of them, including £22m midfielder Tim Iroegbunam from Everton, arriving connected deadline day.

"I cognize the halfway of my team. This is the Championship players," said Jakirovic, who signed a two-year declaration extension connected Friday.

"We brought the players successful to enactment immoderate prime there.

"The large occupation for maine is who didn't person a pre-season. This is simply a precise large problem. But we volition try.

"For example, connected Tuesday [against Sunderland successful the Carabao Cup], we volition usage that to springiness minutes, and astatine the extremity they volition get a caller chance."

The result? Hull person beaten Michael Carrick's United and chap promoted broadside Coventry City earlier holding Europa League winners Villa.

Defensively, they person been outstanding.

Only Charlton successful 1998-99 and Huddersfield Town successful 2017-18 had kept cleanable sheets successful each of their archetypal 3 league games aft promotion to the Premier League.

"The enactment goes into it connected the grooming pitch," said Egan, who is portion of the three-man defence, alongside Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy, that has yet to beryllium breached.

"It astir apt started successful the play-offs erstwhile we moved to that shape. We person a batch of acquisition and it each helps.

"We've got a batch of lads who privation to enactment together, support for each other, and truthful far, truthful good. We conscionable person to support improving."

Hull are besides comfy without possession.

No squad has had little of the shot this play than Hull (29%). Since 2003-04, lone West Ham successful 2023-24 (27%) person had a little fig implicit their archetypal 3 matches.

Hull's emergence is successful stark opposition to past season's Championship winners Coventry, who are yet to unfastened their relationship aft 3 games.

Only 1 of the erstwhile 12 promoted sides person survived aft doing truthful - Southampton successful 2012-13.

Yet Jakirovic knows Hull's enactment is acold from done.

Wolves successful 2011-12, West Brom successful 2017-18 and Leeds United successful 2022-23 are the 3 teams who were relegated contempt collecting 7 points from their opening 3 matches.

That equates to lone 4% of the 78 teams to person collected 7 points aft 3 games and inactive spell down.

It mightiness beryllium a debased probability, but Hull bash not privation to instrumentality immoderate chances.

"This is simply a large effect for us," Jakirovic said aft his broadside threatened to assertion each 3 points successful the closing stages against Villa astatine MKM Stadium.

"Seven points. Three games. Clean sheet. Let's determination on.

"Our extremity is to cod the points. I deliberation astir 38-40 points, truthful arsenic soon arsenic imaginable to get these points."