Bruno Fernandes said Manchester United were caught out by a surprise formation change as they were beaten 2-0 by Hull in the opening match of their Premier League campaign.
Two first-half set-pieces, converted by Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy, were enough to sink United, who were far from their best as they rolled over on Humberside, beaten by a motivated and efficient performance from the Tigers.
A disappointing start under Carrick
It is a hugely disappointing start to United’s campaign and the permanent reign of head coach Michael Carrick, who dragged the side into the European places last season after replacing Ruben Amorim.
For his captain Fernandes, though, United allowed old habits to get the better of them at the MKM Stadium and were duly punished.
Fernandes on the mistakes
“Same mistakes as we did last season, every away game we give too much of the ball to them,” he explained to TNT Sports. “In the first 20 minutes, the goalkeeper was the one with the most touches.
“We needed to press more, be more aggressive, and then again we need to work on set-plays and not concede these type of goals.”
Caught out by Hull’s back five
He continued, admitting United were caught out by Hull’s back five: “Against these types of teams, they are waiting for that moment. We knew before the game set-pieces would be a big part of their game.
“They played all pre-season with a back four but had a five against us for some height, for these moments. The most frustrating thing is that we lost the game.”
Unable to match Hull’s intensity
The MKM Stadium was in full voice throughout the match, and Fernandes added United were unable to match Hull’s intensity.
“We knew [how motivated they would be]. If someone didn't know, it's very surprising.
“We know in the Premier League these type of grounds are very difficult to play in. You need to match everything in intensity, aggression and everything.
“We had that apart from two set pieces. That cost us the game.”
