Hull City just dropped a 2-0 shocker on Manchester United, snagging their first ever top-flight win against United and their first league victory overall against them since way back in 1974. Yeah, you read that right. United fans, already stuck with two cancelled trains back to Manchester, got serenaded by Hull supporters chanting “You should have come in a taxi” after those two first-half goals sealed the deal. Talk about a brutal welcome back to the season.
What Went Wrong? Legends Weigh In
United’s faithful were kicking their heels, trying to find *anything* redeeming about this mess. Legendary striker Wayne Rooney didn’t mince words on BBC Sport, saying United “didn’t create much, which was the biggest worry.” He felt the team “didn’t seem ready for it,” especially for a first game away against a promoted side. Alan Shearer, the former Newcastle man, piled on from BBC Radio Five Live, straight up calling it a fitness issue. He hadn’t seen United in pre-season, but after this game, he claimed they “didn’t look fit,” weren’t “ready to play 90 minutes of intense, high pressure, high-energy football.” Ouch.
Now, the article’s reporter had seen *all six* of United’s pre-season games and didn’t think fitness was the problem, pointing out that no one questioned the squad’s conditioning until the AC Milan defeat last weekend and that six starters were back training on July 9. But everyone’s got an opinion, right? And plenty are saying United were straight-up “toothless in attack,” even after Marcus Rashford came in at half-time for his first appearance since December 2024. Then there’s the defensive side: opponents playing with wing-backs, like AC Milan last week and Hull on Saturday, seem to expose United’s inability to “defend solidly.” It’s a pattern, folks.
Captain’s Call and Carrick’s Calm
Skipper Bruno Fernandes didn’t hold back either, telling TNT that it felt like “Same mistakes as we did last season in every away game.” He slammed the team for giving “too much of the ball to them,” noting that Hull’s goalkeeper actually had more touches in the first 20 minutes. His message? “We need to press a little bit more, be more aggressive, and set-plays – we need to work on it, to be more aggressive and try not to concede these types of goals.” Funny how Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic actually said he identified set-pieces as an area to attack in the build-up. Coincidence? Probably not.
Amid all this, head coach Michael Carrick kept his cool. That calm presence is his trademark, a total flip from the wild rides Ruben Amorim, the former United boss, used to take everyone on. Carrick’s take on the defeat was pretty simple: “It’s just one game, we’re disappointed we haven’t won,” adding, “It’s not more than that, it’s not less than that. We’ve got to soak it up and come back stronger.” But don’t let that public calm fool you. This was Hull beating their “illustrious opponents” in the Premier League for the first time, and inflicting Manchester United’s first ever opening-game defeat. It’s just one game, yeah, but when you open the season like this, those questions hit immediately. United’s gotta figure out what’s really going on here because the next game is going to be under a microscope after a start like this.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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