Sergej Jakirovic remains in dreamland following Hull City’s unbeaten Premier League start, saying he “would have signed immediately” if he had been offered seven points from three games.
Following victories over Manchester United and Coventry City, Hull had a chance to become just the second promoted club to start a Premier League campaign with three wins – after Bolton Wanderers in 2001-02 – when they hosted Aston Villa on Saturday.
And though they were unable to preserve their perfect record, they remain unbeaten and are yet to concede a goal on their top-flight return, following a goalless draw.
Villa missed several good opportunities either side of half-time, but Hull finished the stronger of the two teams and almost snatched all three points in memorable fashion.
Mohamed Belloumi saw an audacious, left-footed curler bounce off the crossbar following a short corner routine in the second half, while Mohamed-Ali Cho and Oliver McBurnie passed up late half-chances to win it for the Tigers.
While Jakirovic was unable to celebrate his new two-year contract with a win, Hull are second in the early-season table on seven points, only behind Manchester City ahead of Sunday’s fixtures.
Hull are just the third promoted side to keep clean sheets in their first three games of a Premier League season, after Charlton Athletic in 1998-99 and Huddersfield Town in 2017-18.
And Jakirovic admits that, if offered this start before a ball was kicked in 2026-27, he would not have hesitated to accept it.
He told Sky Sports: “We could have won, but they also had a few chances in the second half.
“We won’t be ungrateful for seven points after three games and another clean sheet. It’s a great result for us.
“It’s amazing! If someone offered me seven points before the start of the season, I would have signed immediately! Especially against who we have played!
“It is a great example for us and we have to continue like this, because we have shown that we can compete at this level.”
Fantastic support once again, #hcafc fans
We’ll see you back at the MKM in October! pic.twitter.com/pzI6VSw8bj
— Hull City (@HullCity) September 5, 2026
Only five promoted teams had previously earned seven or more points from their opening three games of a Premier League season, with Huddersfield doing so most recently, in 2017-18.
Asked by BBC Match of the Day if Hull’s fast start had altered their expectations for the season, Jakirovic quipped: “Maybe we expect to fight for a Champions League place?
“No, of course it is early. Our goal is to collect the points as soon as possible. I think we need around 38 or 40 points, so we need to get those points as quickly as possible.”
Hull are in EFL Cup action against Sunderland on Tuesday, before visiting Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in their next Premier League match in a week’s time.
