Hull 0-0 Aston Villa: a point that flatters no one but a record that stings Villa
Villa dominated the ball at Hull but became the first team in Premier League history to open back-to-back seasons with three straight blanks, while unbeaten Hull keep racking up clean sheets.
A goalless draw between a promoted side and an established European contender usually reads as a decent point for the underdog and a shrug for the favourite. This one carries more weight than that. Aston Villa are still without a goal — or a win — three games into the season, and Opta's numbers frame Saturday's 0-0 at Hull as part of something historic, for the wrong reasons.
Villa's blank streak enters the record books
Unai Emery's side had 73.5% possession and out-shot Hull 13 to 11, building 1.74 expected goals to Hull's 0.58. But Emiliano Buendía and Ross Barkley passed up the clearest openings, and per Opta, Villa are now the first team in Premier League history to fail to score in their opening three matches of back-to-back campaigns — they also drew blanks in their first four games of 2025-26. One point from nine leaves them 17th, and the underlying chance creation is the only comfort on offer.
Hull's quiet piece of history
The home side earned their point the hard way and nearly stole more: Mohamed Belloumi's curling left-footed effort clattered the crossbar, the closest either team came all afternoon, per ESPN's match report. The clean sheet was Hull's third in three games, making them just the third promoted side to keep clean sheets in their first three Premier League matches, after Charlton in 1998-99 and Huddersfield in 2017-18. Unbeaten with seven points, the Tigers sit second — a start almost nobody saw coming.
What it means
For Hull, the model is clear and working: defend properly, take the moments that come. For Villa, the concern is less the table in September than the pattern — a team that controls games without scoring in them has a problem that possession statistics cannot solve on their own.