Arsenal saw their Premier League title hopes come to an end for another year after losing 3-1 at leaders Chelsea last weekend.

Arsene Wenger’s side were nine points adrift of Antonio Conte’s men going into the clash at Stamford Bridge, so really needed to get all three points to stay in the race.

However, goals from Marcos Alonso, Eden Hazard, and Cesc Fabregas secured a comfortable win for the hosts, with Olivier Giroud’s late header nothing more than a consolation for the Gunners.

They will now turn their attentions to consolidating a place in the top four, although they won’t find it easy against Marco Silva’s Hull City on Saturday, given that they beat Liverpool 2-0 in their last league outing.

Wenger’s men won 4-1 in the reverse fixture back in September, but after two successive defeats in the league, Silva’s Hull will sense an opportunity to grab three crucial points to aid their battle against the drop.

With Bayern Munich coming up in the week, Wenger may make a few changes to his side, so here are THREE players who deserve a chance against Hull on Saturday…

Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Francis Coquelin was absolutely hopeless against Chelsea last weekend and, given that he is the team’s only natural central midfielder at present, his performance was far from good enough.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fared a little better next to him, but with Granit Xhaka still banned and Mohamed Elneny building up fitness after a fine African Cup of Nations campaign with Egypt, Wenger may give youngster Ainsley Maitland-Niles his first Premier League start of the season on Saturday.

The 19-year-old made his league debut back in December 2014 as a substitute against Newcastle, and has since then gained valuable experience on loan at Championship side Ipswich, where he played 32 times and netted twice for the Tractor Boys last season.

He has played for Arsenal a handful of times this term, mainly in the domestic cup competitions, but Wenger may feel that he deserves an opportunity in the first team, and may look to how Coquelin filled in all the way back in 2014, as the Frenchman seamlessly moved into the Arsenal midfield despite spending time on loan at Charlton just weeks before.

It’d be a risk, but it could be rewarding for the Gunners this Saturday.

Danny Welbeck

England international Danny Welbeck is slowly but surely making his way back into first team reckoning after a nasty long-term injury.

The 26-year-old suffered a serious knee problem in their draw with Manchester City in May 2016, and didn’t feature for the first team again until he came on as a substitute in their 2-1 win over Preston in the FA Cup last month.

Since then, Welbeck has made three Premier League appearances, and also produced a man-of-the-match display by netting twice in their 5-0 thumping of Southampton in the FA Cup fourth round a few weeks ago.

Based on how blunt Arsenal were last time out, Wenger may be tempted to play the forward from the start against Hull on Saturday.

Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud last his place in the starting eleven after a below-par display against Watford last week, but did grab a late consolation off the bench against Chelsea last time out.

And given how ineffective Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil, and Alexis Sanchez were against the Blues, the French striker may get a recall this weekend.

That late header was Giroud’s eighth Premier League goal of the campaign in just 17 appearances, but only six of which have been starts.

Nonetheless, he gives Arsenal a more direct option, and given that Hull will likely be difficult to break down like they were against Manchester United, an aerial option may be beneficial to the Gunners, so Giroud could get the nod on Saturday.