Shota Arveladze delighted as Hull City follow the script and modest about his surprise selection

The match against Swansea City was only five minutes old when Brandon Fleming crossed the ball for Tom Eaves to give his side a lead Keane Lewis-Potter would double 17 minutes later. Despite Swansea hitting the woodwork twice, that 2-0 scoreline was the full-time outcome.

Fleming was the only change to Grant McCann's side, coming in for the injured Randell Williams to make his first Championship start since 2019.

Asked about his side's quick start to the game, Arveladze said: "If somebody was writing this scenario I would definitely write it this way.

"In future I hope we can do better, I hope we can continue and show much more than we did today.

"We did very well in the first half. We should credit the opponents, they changed their system in the second half with an extra midfielder and they used the extra man. We will have to improve on that.

"The closer you are to your goal, the more difficult it is but the boys showed tremendous character."

That spirit gives him hope for the future.

"It gives me a good feeling because in the first half everything worked. In the second half our opponents reacted and you have to show the character again and defend better and we kept a clean sheet. It was also the energy they put in.

"I am so happy to have this group and I was feeling this (spirit) from afar (when he watched Hull matches before taking the job). That's a good feeling."

Arveladze, who kept the same structure to the team having only had two training sessions with them, was modest about the choice of Fleming, who came off the bench in the previous weekend's win at Bournemouth for his first appearance since a League Cup outing in August.

"Sometimes you go easy and when Williams got injured we had a boy who could play there," he explained. "I didn't want to change many positions because it can make it difficult.

"If we had taken (Lewis-)Potter out (of his position behind Tom Eaves) you weaken it a bit there and you're not that much stronger in the (wing-back) position you put him in so it was a very simple decision to say one out, one in and in the end the boy had a strong game."

Speaking about Michael Obafemi and Liam Walsh hitting shots against the woodwork, the former Rangers striker said: "I turned and said to my staff it looked like everything is with me today."