Hull City have matched a rare Premier League defensive achievement after extending their unbeaten start with a goalless home draw against Aston Villa.
The Tigers completed their first three league matches without conceding a goal, becoming only the third newcomer in Premier League history to keep a clean sheet in each of their opening three games.
Hull City began the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Coventry before recording an impressive 2-0 win against Manchester United in their second fixture. They then held Aston Villa to a 0-0 draw at home, leaving them with seven points from a possible nine and a goal difference of 3:0.
The result means Hull City have not only avoided defeat in any of their first three matches but have also prevented every opponent from scoring. Their defensive record now places them alongside two other clubs that achieved the same feat after entering the Premier League.
According to statistics provider Opta, only Charlton in the 1998/1999 season and Huddersfield Town in 2017/2018 had previously managed to avoid conceding during each of their first three Premier League fixtures as newcomers.
Hull City have now joined that select group. Their run has been built on three different types of result: a narrow victory against Coventry, a two-goal win over Manchester United and a scoreless draw with Aston Villa. Across those matches, the club have scored three times and conceded none.
The stalemate with Aston Villa was enough to preserve that record, with the final whistle confirming a 0-0 scoreline. It also ensured that Hull City finished the opening three rounds with seven points, a total that leaves them unbeaten at this early stage of the season.
Opta’s comparison places the achievement in the wider history of the Premier League, which was created in 1992. Since then, Charlton and Huddersfield Town had been the only newcomers to start a season by keeping their opponents scoreless in all three opening matches.
Hull City’s name has now been added to that list following their shutout against Aston Villa. The club’s early campaign has therefore combined a strong points return with an unbroken defensive record, producing a goal difference of 3:0 after three rounds.