In a match that will be remembered for exactly as long as it took to play, Hull City and Aston Villa played out a 0-0 draw at the MKM Stadium. Hull, clearly in a generous mood, moved up to second in the Premier League table, while Villa, equally charitable, escaped the relegation zone - at least for now.

Emi Buendía had Villa's best chance, skewing the ball over from a few yards out after George Hemmings' cut-back. He trudged off, head down, with 15 minutes to go. Unai Emery's substitutions didn't exactly spark a revolution - more like a gentle nudge in the general direction of not losing.

Sergej Jakirovic walked off with a wry smile, the look of a man who's just banked another clean sheet and another point on the road to Premier League survival. It's seven points already. Aston Villa still haven't scored this season; Hull still haven't conceded. The home fans applauded another gutsy display, because what else are you going to do?

The second half was a masterclass in cautious ambition. In the 54th minute, Hemmings did brilliantly down the left, skipping past Coyle and laying it on a plate for Buendía, who, from eight yards out, cleared the crossbar by a distance. The ball was bobbling, but let's be honest, that's no excuse at this level.

Hull introduced new signings Sorba Thomas and Brooke Norton-Cuffy, while Villa brought on Tammy Abraham, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Alejandro Garnacho, Matteo Ruggeri, and Alysson. There was no debut for £47m signing Ibrahim Mbaye - perhaps he was spared the tedium. Emery lost his rag when substitutes weren't ready, because nothing says 'calm leadership' like yelling at backroom staff over a substitution.

Hull had their chances too: Oli McBurnie swung and missed on a cross, Cho forced a save from Suzuki, and Belloumi rattled the crossbar with a curling effort. But in the end, it was as you were: no goals, plenty of possession, and a collective shrug from everyone involved.