Hull City secured a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in their first Premier League match of the season, with goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy. The win marked Hull's first league success against United since 1974 and their first in the Premier League era.
Set-piece dominance decides the contest
United were sluggish throughout and were punished for failing to defend set pieces. The first goal came from a corner delivered by Ryan Giles, which was flicked to the back post where Oli McBurnie had space to shoot. Goalkeeper Senne Lammens stopped the effort on the line, but Ajayi smashed home the rebound for only his second league goal for the club.
An avoidable free-kick given away by Youri Tielemans led to another set-piece United failed to deal with. Regan Slater's delivery was dangerous, and the lack of desire from anyone in white to attack the ball allowed Mendy to head a debut goal from close range.
United's struggles continue under Carrick
Michael Carrick's permanent appointment was supposed to herald a new era at Old Trafford, but this defeat suggested little has changed. United lost their opening fixture for the fourth time in the past seven seasons and looked like a side playing their first game of pre-season against an opponent midway through the campaign.
Carrick removed the cautioned Patrick Dorgu at half-time and brought on the returning Marcus Rashford, who provided some intent on the left wing but created nothing. Debutants Andrey Santos and Tielemans, signed for a combined total of £85m, were withdrawn with 23 minutes remaining after struggling to get a foothold in the game.
Hull's resilience secures historic win
Hull, who had the fourth worst defensive record in the Championship last season, did not need to attack in the second half and were happy to keep United at arm's length. The hosts deserved their victory through a mixture of quality delivery, aggression and organisation, three things United lacked.
