Martin Odegaard scored the only goal as Arsenal beat Hull City 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, and City's 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest later in the evening left Enzo Maresca's team six points adrift after a third successive league loss.

City's slump opens up a gap

Forest led 2-0 at half-time at the City Ground, according to the Evening Standard. Rayan Cherki’s's finish early in the second half briefly raised hopes of a City comeback before Liam Delap sealed the win for Forest.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Redknapp said City's wide options remain dangerous even without Semenyo, describing him as "a big player for them in the wide areas". He continued, however: "That one today is a sore one, it gives you the feeling right now in terms of who can challenge Arsenal?" I just don't see one."

'I never thought I'd say this'

Brighton can move above City into second place if they beat Brentford on Sunday afternoon. The Seagulls are the only team to have beaten Arsenal this season, winning 3-0 at the Amex, and they have also won at the Etihad. According to The Mirror, Fabian Hurzeler's team have found the net more times than any other side in the division.

"If you look at the league table, I think right now, probably the one you'd point to, and I never thought I'd say this at the start of the year, but it's Brighton," Redknapp told Sky Sports.

He went on: "I don't really see anything else other than Arsenal running away with this title at the moment." He remarked: "I know it's really early but I just think they're so much better than everyone else in every single area."

Defensive strength and a testing run

Redknapp also pointed to the return of Saliba and the depth of Arsenal's defensive options, saying you would not expect Mikel Arteta's side to look as open as City did against Forest.

The Mirror states that Arsenal have a tough run of fixtures, including three away matches in their next four — visits to Newcastle, Brentford and Tottenham — plus a home game against Manchester City in between. Arsenal's next match is at Newcastle United on Saturday 21 November.

According to the same outlet, Arteta wants to join former City boss Pep Guardiola as just the second boss in almost 20 years to win back-to-back Premier League titles.

Arsenal's win over Hull, combined with City's latest setback, means the champions hold a six-point advantage, and Brighton's result against Brentford on Sunday will determine whether the gap at the top narrows before domestic football pauses.

Photo: Arne Müseler via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, resized.