Hull Maul United as Carrick’s Era Starts with a Thud
Michael Carrick spent the week brushing off talk of an easy start. Hull away, Ipswich at home – it sounded gentle on paper. Ninety chaotic minutes at the MKM Stadium ripped that script to shreds.
This was a mauling.
Hull, tipped by many to go straight back down, tore into United and exposed every soft spot in a side supposedly ready to chase their first league title since 2013. The 2-0 scoreline flattered United. The performance did not.
Hull’s belief, United’s shock
Tigers boss Sergej Jakirovic had promised his team would embarrass the pundits who had them nailed on for relegation. He got his wish and then some, as Hull claimed their first win over United since 2017 and marked their Premier League return with a first top-flight goal in nine years.
From the start, the pattern looked familiar enough. United had the ball, the territory, the early chances. Luke Shaw bent in a teasing cross, Bryan Mbeumo met it cleanly, and Hull’s debutant keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis had to stand tall to beat it away. Moments later, Noussair Mazraoui slipped in Matheus Cunha, whose low drive again drew a sharp save at full stretch.
United seemed to be settling. Hull were just getting started.
Ryan Giles whipped in a dangerous cross, Oli McBurnie rose and forced Senne Lammens into a strong save. It was a warning. United didn’t heed it.
Set-piece shambles
On 17 minutes, United’s chronic frailty at set-pieces was laid bare. McBurnie shook off slack marking at a corner with embarrassing ease and drilled a shot that Lammens could only parry. Nigeria defender Ajayi reacted first, stabbing the rebound home from close range.
The stadium erupted. Orange and black shirts bounced in unison as Hull’s first Premier League goal since their last top-flight stint sent a surge of belief through the stands. United, by contrast, sagged.
Patrick Dorgu then wasted a golden chance to quieten the noise, scuffing wide after being picked out by Harry Maguire. It summed United up: hesitant in both boxes, unsure of themselves and each other.
Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, signed from Aston Villa and Chelsea to refresh Carrick’s midfield, barely figured. Anonymous on debut, they watched the game swirl around them as Hull grew bolder.
The pressure told again on 38 minutes. Regan Slater delivered a precise free-kick, United’s defence froze, and Senegal defender Mendy powered a header beyond Lammens. Simple ball, simple header, shambolic marking.
From the home end came the chant that cut deepest: “You’re getting mauled by the Tigers.” On the touchline, Carrick – so calm during last season’s steadying interim spell after Ruben Amorim’s turbulence – looked stunned.
Carrick’s gamble falls flat
Carrick, now the permanent man in charge and expected to launch a title challenge, had already pushed hard for reinforcements. United have agreed a deal for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. On this evidence, he will not be the last arrival Carrick demands.
At half-time, the manager rolled the dice. Marcus Rashford, back from a loan spell at Barcelona, came on to spark a response. The spark never came.
Hull stayed on the front foot. They hunted in packs, won second balls, and refused to sit on their lead. Mohamed Belloumi stepped inside and whipped a fierce effort just wide from distance, underlining where the greater threat still lay.
Tielemans and Santos were both hooked midway through the second half, their first United outings ending in the kind of substitution no new signing wants to see. The change altered nothing. United remained blunt in attack and brittle at the back, their shape ragged, their ideas thin.
From the stands, the sense grew that Hull were not just hanging on to a famous win, but controlling it.
“Shocking, no hunger”
The verdict from one of United’s most famous former forwards was brutal. Speaking on BBC duty, Alan Shearer did not bother with diplomacy.
“Man United have been shocking, no hunger, they’ve been terrible,” the former England captain said.
It was hard to argue. Carrick’s side, so composed and resilient during last season’s revival, looked nothing like title contenders. They looked like a team still searching for a spine, a voice, a plan when things go wrong.
Hull, promoted via the play-offs after finishing sixth in the Championship – the first side to do that since Blackpool in 2010 – played like they belonged. United played like they had believed the talk of an easy start.
Carrick wanted more signings before this game. After this wretched, timid surrender, he might need a minor overhaul.
