Hull City 2-0 Manchester United: Five Things That Went Wrong for Carrick’s Side on Opening Day

Twenty-four hours after Arsenal opened their title defence by brushing Coventry aside 3-0 at the Emirates, Manchester United travelled to the MKM Stadium with a point to make. Michael Carrick had lost only two of his 17 games since taking charge in January, guided the club from seventh to third, and returned them to the Champions League for the first time in three years.

There was real belief around Old Trafford that this squad, strengthened by the summer arrivals of Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos, and Carlos Baleba, was ready to challenge. But Hull City had other ideas.

Sergej Jakirovic’s side, back in the Premier League for the first time since 2016-17 after Oli McBurnie’s 95th-minute winner in the play-off final against Middlesbrough, beat United 2-0 with goals from Semi Ajayi and debutant Nobel Mendy. It was the Tigers’ first Premier League win over United in their history.

Sportsbuzzfeed.com brings you five things that went most wrong.

1. United’s set-piece vulnerability punished them again

Both Hull goals came from Regan Slater’s deliveries, and neither was especially difficult to defend on paper. The first was when Slater’s corner reached the back post, pinballed off McBurnie’s effort, and fell to Ajayi, who tapped in from a yard out. The second was even worse. Slater whipped a free-kick from the left with genuine pace and Nobel Mendy, a summer signing from Rayo Vallecano making his debut, headed it into the bottom corner unmarked.

Since Carrick’s first game in charge, only four Premier League clubs have conceded more goals from set-pieces than United’s six. The 17-minute opener and the 38-minute header shared one thing in common. Man United’s  defenders did not pick up their men. Heaven, who had impressed in pre-season, was outmuscled by McBurnie for the first and lost Mendy for the second. This was a known weakness walking into this game. It seemed like Hull knew it.

2. The front line offered nothing without the ball

Alan Shearer said on BBC Radio 5 Live that there was nobody on the end of United’s balls up front, and he was right. Andrey Santos, starting in his first competitive Premier League game, gave the ball away in dangerous positions early and was replaced by Sesko at the break.

The Brazilian forward Cunha, whose seven goals and six assists last season made him arguably United’s best performer under Carrick, worked hard without getting into meaningful positions. United generated just 0.71 xG across the entire first half and 1.10 xG in the second, despite holding 71% of the ball after the interval. That combination of possession and impotence, against a team playing their first Premier League game in nine years, tells its own story.

3. Hull’s wing-backs tore United’s full-backs apart

BBC Sport’s Simon Stone noted before halftime that Hull had watched how AC Milan caused United problems in pre-season, stretching their full-backs wide and moving the ball quickly on the counter. It worked. Ryan Giles and Lewie Coyle pushed high and stayed wide, pulling Mazraoui and Shaw out of position repeatedly.

Shaw created four chances on the day, but his defensive positioning was questioned throughout, particularly when Belloumi exploited the space behind him in the second half and only Lammens’ quick intervention kept the score at two. For a full-back who missed long stretches of last season with injury, managing both sides of the pitch against an energetic promoted side proved too much.

4. Carrick’s attacking options on the bench did not change the game

When United brought Rashford on for Dorgu at halftime, it was his first Premier League appearance in over a year. He had scored goals under Carrick toward the end of last season on loan and earned a permanent return in the summer, partly because Anthony Gordon’s move to Barcelona left a gap on the left.

Sesko came on for Santos at 67 minutes, headed wide under pressure in stoppage time, and created little else. Mainoo, introduced at the same time as Sesko, gave the ball away carelessly in the 81st minute and nearly let Hull run through for a third. The bench did not deliver.

5. Absent players exposed how thin United’s squad still is

Carrick confirmed before the game that Benjamin Sesko was back in training but not ready to start, while Mason Mount remained touch and go. De Ligt’s absence left Ayden Heaven starting alongside Maguire at centre-back, and the 19-year-old was visibly overmatched in the physical battle with McBurnie for Hull’s opening goal.

Sesko, United’s joint top scorer last season with 11 league goals (equal with Bryan Mbeumo), came on from the bench rather than leading the line from the start. Carlos Baleba, the club’s most expensive summer signing at £60 million from Brighton, is still completing his medical. United look like they are building something real under Carrick, but they started their most important season in years with key pieces missing and paid for it. Hull were not a generous opponent to find out.