“There are no favourable starts. It’s an easy thing to throw out there but pretty ridiculous. It’s a tough start” said Manchester United coach Michael Carrick ahead of the season opener against Hull, who are newcomers to the Premier League. And boy was he right! The team which ended up in an elite league due to Southampton’s ‘spygate’ and exclusion from the playoffs delivered a dream start of the season – a 2-0 win over Manchester United! A fantastic achievement for a team which is one of the candidates for relegation and against a team which finished third in the Premier League third last season.But how was this possible? Well, there are a couple of reasons for that. United’s new looking midfield (Santos, Tielemans) allowed Hull players to bully them and win the majority of duels. The energy of Manchester players was also missing. It looked like they were playing this game at the end of the season, in May, and not in August. Totally opposite to Hull, who were buzzing from the first minute. The Red Devils allowed two goals from set pieces. It’s was also a mistake to allow inexperienced Heaven to cover Hull’s McBurnie instead of Maguire. Carrick changed that eventually, but it was already 1-0. Heaven lost six out of eight duels in the first half (four out of five in the air). Very unpleasant start of the season for Manchester, especially against one of the worst teams in the league. Not to mention that Carrick was forced to turn to Marcus Rashford in a second half. A footballer who last played of Manchester United in 2024 and who came back just because nobody wanted to buy him had to come in, but he couldn’t prevent a defeat. The last time Man Utd lost to Hull was in 1974 in the old Second Division.The first chances started after only 12 minutes, when United had a good opportunity to score. Luke Shaw crossed the ball but both Hull defenders Mendy and Giles failed to clear the bouncing ball, which eventually came to Mbeumo who was also surprised by the events but still managed to take a good shot. Luckily for the hosts, keeper Tzolakis made a good save. Just two minutes latter it was time for United’s keeper to shine. Giles' cross was excellent as Hull's wing-backs threatened again before the big forward got above Heaven and aimed for the bottom corner, only to see Lammens making a good save. But in the 17th minute United were down 0-1. A flick at the near post from a corner, a sliding effort from McBurnie on the far side, a save onto the post from Lammens Ajayi’s shot from from two meters into the net for an unexpected lead. United continued to attack and had a good chance in the 32nd minute but Tzolakis was there again. And then another shock – a second goal, again after the set-piece. Slater's free-kick came from the left and new player Nobel Mendy took advantage and sent the stadium into a delirium.Manchester United have lost to a promoted side in their opening game of a top-flight season for the first time in their history. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Dko5rPRy6v— Squawka (@Squawka) August 22, 2026 None of the Man Utd midfielders or forwards have created any chance in the first half, only defenders and Carrick introduced Marcus Rashford at halftime instead of Dorgu. United started with a pressure as soon as the second half started, but still didn’t create any meaningful chance until until 78th minute. Tzolakis was there to make a great save against Mbeumo and the fact that United needed 33 minutes in the second half to make a proper chance says it all. Hull did have two good opportunities during that period, but it was mainly shots from distance. The focused on defense and in the end, even managed to keep a clean sheet. PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 1FridayArsenal – Coventry 3-0 (2-0)/Havertz 15, Saka 23, Odegaard 49/SaturdayHull – Manchester United 2-0 (2-0)/Ajayi 17, Mendy 38/17.00: (2.25) Everton (3.50) Crystal Palace (3.40)17.00: (2.80) Ipswich (3.25) Sunderland (2.60)17.00: (2.35) Nottingham Forest (3.45) Leeds (3.20)19.30: (2.50) Brentford (3.50) Tottenham (2.95)Sunday16.00: (2.30) Brighton (3.50) Aston Villa (3.25)16.00: (1.53) Manchester City (5.00) Bournemouth (6.00)18.30: (3.90) Newcastle (3.70) Liverpool (2.00)Monday22.00: (3.70) Fulham (3.80) Chelsea (2.00)***odds are subject to change***
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