Manchester United began their Premier League season with a 2-0 defeat at Hull City in Michael Carrick's first game as permanent manager. Having arrived on Humberside full of optimism, they left having produced one of their worst performances in recent memory.
Ajayi and Mendy strike for Hull
Hull took the lead in the 17th minute when Semi Ajayi smashed in a loose ball from a corner. The lead was doubled in the 38th minute when Regan Slater's free-kick was headed in by Nobel Mendy.
United went in at half-time having seen 70 per cent of the ball but having tested Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis only once, with Bryan Mbeumo's effort at the back post.
Carrick's changes fail to spark response
Carrick sent on Marcus Rashford for Patrick Dorgu at the break but got no reaction from his players, who remained sloppy in possession and lacking intensity out of it. The first real chance came in the 78th minute, when Tzolakis saved from Mbeumo one-on-one after Hull had substituted their two starting centre-backs.
United mustered next to nothing of note and were deservedly beaten by organised and determined opponents.
Lammens left exposed
United goalkeeper Lammens had been forced into three decent stops before Hull went ahead. The Belgian pushed away a header from Ollie McBurnie, tipped over Ryan Giles' shanked cross and kept out another from McBurnie just before Ajayi buried the rebound.
Lammens has been a solid presence since arriving from Royal Antwerp 11 months ago, but his defence let him down early. Luke Shaw lost John Egan at the front post, Ayden Heaven lost McBurnie at the back post, and Ajayi was unmarked to power home after Lammens' save came back off the post.
Direct and deadly Tigers
Hull's game plan was clear from the start: get the ball wide and put it into the box to challenge United in the air. McBurnie is the perfect striker for that tactic, aggressive and awkward, but it was the centre-backs who did the damage from set pieces.
On both occasions the delivery was exceptional, flat and fast. The lack of leadership and presence in the United defence was remarkable, with Harry Maguire's usual aerial dominance nowhere to be seen.
United way off the pace
United were slow to the ball, lost duel after duel and looked all at sea while defending. New arrivals Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos failed to offer much protection without the ball or push United forward with it, and the tactical set-up frequently left players occupying the same positions in the centre of the pitch.
Tenacious Hull, who conceded 66 goals in the Championship last season, turned it on when it mattered in May. On this evidence, Sergej Jakirović has a plan for keeping them up. His five-man defence did not look defensive, with wingbacks Giles and Lewie Coyle getting forward, and Mendy made the perfect start on debut.
Ponderous and toothless
United were supposed to come out after the break on a mission, get Bruno Fernandes on the ball and turn it around through sheer willpower, but it was simply more of the same lacklustre stuff. Tielemans looked well off the pace, Heaven's performance was riddled with errors, Fernandes' trademark passes were nowhere to be seen, and Matheus Cunha, dropping deep time and again, was completely bypassed. Rashford did not return a hero, and Mbeumo looked the most threatening. It is back to the drawing board after this shambolic display.
