Brown's side demonstrated a marked improvement from the 5-1 capitulation at Everton the previous week but Nicklas Bendtner netted a stoppage-time winner as the Gunners' persistence paid off against 10-man Hull at the KC Stadium. The result saw Arsene Wenger's side keep their title dreams alive with eight games remaining following a fifth straight league win, while the Tigers suffered a fourth successive loss to remain languishing in the relegation zone. But asked who he would back in the title race, Brown said Arsenal had "every chance" before adding: "I'm not going to go against Manchester United and I'm not going to go against Chelsea. "My bet would be on Hull City staying in the Premier League." In the week Brown was forced to apologise for a fracas between Jimmy Bullard and Nick Barmby which took place in front of members of the Women's Institute, the Tigers boss was thrilled with his side's fighting spirit. And he is confident similar performances in the remaining nine games - beginning next weekend against Portsmouth - can lead the Tigers to survival for a second successive season. "If we bring that kind of pride and performance to the table for nine games, then we've got no problems," said Brown, whose side failed to win any of their final 10 fixtures last term before staying up on the final day. "I had a fear - if that's the right word - of maybe having to dip into the bottom three because of Everton away and Arsenal at home. "That's happened. It's up to us now to respond in nine cup finals - none more so than Fratton Park next week." George Boateng was sent off on the stroke of half-time for Hull, after Bullard's penalty following a controversial Sol Campbell challenge had cancelled out Andrey Arshavin's opener. Boateng will now serve a ban, but Brown absolved his captain of blame. "George has got no reason to apologise to anybody," the boss added. "He's been an absolute credit to the Premier League for 15 years. "He's a big player for us and someone's got to step up to the plate instead of George now." One player close to a return is Stephen Hunt, with the Republic of Ireland international in contention for the clash at Portsmouth, the only team below Hull in the table. However, Kamil Zayatte's condition will be assessed in the next 24 hours to determine the extent of the injury which forced him off and onto crutches last night.
