Key events
46 min Another change for United: Cunha to the right, and Mbeumo to the middle, where he started most of the pre-season games.
Carrick sends on Rashford
Here comes Marcus Rashford, wearing a United shirt for the first time in the Premier League since December 2024. He replaces Dorgu on the left wing.
In the mailbox, there seems to be the odd disgruntled United fan. “This has been some rubbish so far from United,” says Matan. “Again, what are we doing with a back four of Shaw, Maguire, Heaven, and Mazraoui? The lineup is crying out for Lisandro Martinez, who I assume can’t go 90 yet. And probably Leny Yoro as well. And maybe also Diogo Dalot…”
“So,” says Chris Blunt, “considering your withering tales about Amorim (you were not wrong btw), who gets the blame for this omnishambles?” Well, the buck always stops with the boss, but Carrick has a lot of credit in the bank.
The cameras find Marcus Rashford, going through an energetic warm-up.
“It’s been much more than set pieces,” says Owen Hargreaves, who knows a bit about playing for United. “Hull have won every second ball… United haven’t played poorly, but Hull have been more aggressive.”
HALF-TIME! Hull 2-0 Man United
The scoreline of Hull’s dreams, and they deserve it. Goals from two set pieces, both scored by centre-backs, have got the MKM Stadium rocking.
United, meanwhile, have conceded five goals without scoring one since they were 2-1 up against AC Milan last weekend. Michael Carrick may need to make some changes much earlier than he usually does.
45+1 min The first of two added minutes. Cunha tees up Fernandes, whose curled shot is well blocked.
45 min Another half-chance for Dorgu, who heads well wide. There’s a pattern to United’s moves – started by Maguire, finished or not by Dorgu. You wonder if this is a policy from Hull, to keep the ball away from the real danger man, Fernandes. If so, it’s working a treat.
44 min Fernandes takes a neat touch on the right wing, but again the cross is easily cleared.
43 min The first yellow card for Hull goes to Matt Crooks, not sure what for.
41 min United manage some possession, but the move peters out when Dorgu makes the wrong choice in the box. Then Mbeumo gets to the byline, only for his cross to be hoofed away.
40 min Football, bloody Hull.
GOAL!!!! Hull 2-0 Man United (Mendy 38)
They’ve done it again! Another set piece, another ball whipped in, and again it’s a Hull defender who’s first to the ball – Nobel Mendy, on his debut.
37 min As Hull bustle forward, Tielemans gives away a free kick in a dangerous zone.
35 min Chance for United: a cross from Shaw leads to a bicycle kick from Mbeumo, sweetly struck but easily saved. The resulting corner is well held by Tzolakis, who is making a confident debut.
34 min The first yellow card goes to Dorgu. That might lead to more minutes for the only left-winger in United’s squad, a fellow named Rashford.
32 min A graphic shows that there have been 31 duels, one a minute, and Hull have won 20 of them. That’s telling.
29 min Another opening for Dorgu as Maguire sends in a testing cross, but Dorgu is still not quite a forward, even if he scored a worldie at Arsenal.
“United fan here,” says Matan. “Our starting back four looks, let’s say, short of the level required for any type of title challenge. Or for finishing in the Champions League places. I assume Lisandro Martinez isn’t fully fit and will take a starting spot once he is?” Yes, up to a point: I suspect they’ll rotate, with Heaven or Leny Yoro playing when pace is required, and Maguire getting a few breathers. Matthias de Ligt is back in training at last.
26 min The tempo has been frenetic, which suits Hull more than United. They need to get Tielemans and Fernandes pulling the strings.
25 min Messy from both sides in midfield. Fernandes is allowed to send a chip to Dorgu, who gets a shot away, but it was always going wide.
24 min Hull have a clear plan: to send in crosses. Against Maguire and Heaven, it shouldn’t work, but it has made all the difference so far.
22 min As United wonder what’s hit them, they get away down the right. Mbeumo curls in a nice cross, looking for the head of Dorgu, who fouls the keeper.
20 min Another chance for Hull! A cross from the left, a half-clearance from Heaven, and a shot from Belloumi, who balloons it into the crowd.
19 min It came from a corner, mayhem in the box, a good flick-on from somebody, a shot from McBurnie that almost went over the line as Lammens saved it, and then Ajayi, a centre-half, following up like a centre-forward.
GOAL!!! Hull 1-0 Man United (Ajayi 17)
After dominating for two minutes, Hull take the lead! One shot is well saved by Lammens, but Semi Ajayi is there to slam in the rebound. What a moment.
16 min It’s been a good open game, no sign of a bus being parked.
15 min Best chance so far, and it falls to Hull! McBurnie sends in an excellent header, which Senne Lammens does well to save, low to his right.
14 min A second shot for United, after a flowing move inspired by Fernandes. Cunha takes a touch, spins and shoots with his left foot, straight at Tzolakis.
13 min First chance for United! Shaw’s cross eventually reaches Mbeumo, whose snap shot is well saved by Tzolakis.
11 min Hull go long down the right, but this time Lewie Coyle can’t get quite keep the ball in.
9 min McBurnie might have another chance on the break, had he not opted to stand still and appeal to the ref for a foul. “Don’t know why he did that,” says another well-travelled striker, Ally McCoist.
7 min Tielemans, surrounded by orange shirts, feels the need to go down and pick up a rather soft free kick.
5 min Chance for Hull! They race away down the right and Lewie Coyle, the local hero, sends in a fine cross. It’s homing in on Oli McBurnie’s head until Noussair Mazraoui gets in the way.
3 min Ayden Heaven drills the ball forward to launch a lovely lattice-work of passes, which doesn’t quite end in a chance for Fernandes.
2 min The smoke still hasn’t cleared, but as Bryan Mbeumo sends in a high cross, Konstantinos Tzolakis has no trouble picking the ball out of the sky.
1 min United kick off and Maguire goes long to find Luke Shaw on the left, but a promising move is cut short by a free kick to Hull.
Hull, naturally, are in orange too, with black stripes. United are in ivory as Bruno Fernandes gathers them for a pep talk.
The teams come out, and so do the fireworks. The MKM Stadium is a happy swirl of orange smoke.
Michael Carrick has been talking to TNT. He’s asked about the new midfielders, Santos and Tielemans. “Top quality between them, different ways. Two fantastic personalities that fit straight away into the group.”
On Rashford: “We’re delighted to have Marcus back. He’s looked fit, he’s looked sharp.”
On Amad: “He just picked up a niggle at the end of the week. He’s been in good form, so it’s a bit of shame.”
In true Guardian fashion, the first correction of the new season has already landed. “Not to be pedantic,” says Dave Greenhalgh, “but United’s defeat wasn’t ‘at’ Leeds, it was at home.” So it was! Thanks Dave, and apologies.
The mailbox is beginning to bulge. “Hey,” says Karen Asad, ”I know you don’t like to hear it Tim, but I look at United and the only negative I see right now is the fact that Rashford’s back. I just hope his presence and media attention do not derail a very settled squad from last season. Please don’t forget Rashford’s struggles long predate Amorim.
“I love Carrick being here but it’s not fair to ignore the discipline Amorim brought to United; all his other faults considered. Maybe Barca not signing him has brought a long-overdue wake-up call for Rashy.”
Point taken about the discipline, but Amorim’s purge of the left-wingers did weaken the team. And Rashford’s presence didn’t derail Villa, Barca or England. I’d back Carrick to cope, knowing him as well as he does, but you may be right, it could all go wrong.
The first email of the day comes from our man at the match. “Grey skies sit above the MKM Stadium,” says Will Unwin, “but there is great positivity among both clubs as Hull mark their return to the Premier League with a game against one of the competition’s greats.
“Manchester United think Michael Carrick can banish the memories of numerous failed spells from higher profile coaches and have invested in midfield. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have been tasked from the start and are a well-balanced pairing in theory, but the proof will be in the performance.
“The wily Oli McBurnie will fancy his chances of unnerving Ayden Heaven, who has been given the nod at centre-back. The striker has spent much of his career outside of the English top flight but is relentless in terms of work-rate and pops up inside the box at crucial times, as he evidenced at Wembley to secure promotion.”
McBurnie does look like a big threat. But I’d back Heaven to cope – he was classy in pre-season and can’t be blamed for the collapse against Milan, as it was 2-2 when he was taken off.
Teams in full
An interesting contrast: on paper, United’s bench is stronger than Hull’s first XI. But football isn’t played on paper, it’s played on grass.
Hull (probable 3-4-2-1) Tzolakis; Mendy, Egan, Ajayi; Coyle, Crooks, Slater, Giles; Stroud, Belloumi; McBurnie.
Subs: Phillips, Drameh, McNair, Herrington, Targett, Gourna-Douath, Hjerto-Dahl, Dowell, Millar.
Man United (4-2-3-1) Lammens; Mazraoui, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Santos, Tielemans; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Dorgu; Cunha.
Subs: Darlow, Dalot, Yoro, Martinez, Mainoo, Lacey, Zirkzee, Rashford, Sesko.
Referee Darren England.
Teams in brief: Hull City
Sergej Jakirovic is handing out the competitive debuts too – to Konstantinos Tzolakis in goal, Nobel Mendy at the back and Elliot Stroud as one of the 10s. It looks as if Hull are playing three at the back, the formation that bothered Carrick’s United at Leeds last season and against AC Milan the other day.
Teams in brief: Man United
Youri Tielemans makes his competitive debut for United, and so does Andrey Santos, alongside him in the pivot. There’s no sign of Amad, so Bryan Mbeumo reverts to the right wing and Matheus Cunha starts up front. On the bench, Marcus Rashford is back, 20 months after his long and largely distinguished United career was rudely interrupted by Ruben Amorim. He will wear the No 9 shirt, as he did on loan at Aston Villa. Benjamin Sesko makes the bench too after a slow-healing shin injury.
Preamble
Morning everyone and welcome to the second game of the Premier League season. It’s the Harry Maguire derby. It’s the Paddy McNair derby. For fans of a certain age, it’s the Stuart Pearson derby. It’s the north against the north. It’s the white rose against the red. It’s the club that finished 26th in last season’s league pyramid against the one that came third. It’s one of the world’s most famous clubs going to a place that may still be unable to believe that it’s in the Premier League.
But Hull City and Manchester United also have things in common. Both were abysmal the season before last – Hull 21st in the Championship, United 15th in the Prem. In Sergej Jakirovic and Michael Carrick, both have managers who radiate decency and are loved by the supporters. And both could struggle to maintain their recent resurgence, as Hull try to cope with the high life and United suddenly find the season stretching to more than 40 games.
Last time United visited the east coast was a year ago next week, under Ruben Amorim, and they had a shocker. They went 2-0 down at Grimsby in the League Cup and ended up losing on penalties. For a writer who run a Substack site reviewing United’s performances, this was so bad that it was actually quite good. The headline wrote itself: “Battered by an inflatable haddock.”
That night, as on many other occasions, Amorim was a fish out of water. It’s just one of the ways in which Carrick is a very different creature. He’s not just at home at Carrington: he’s used to going to Hull. He took his Middlesbrough team to the MKM Stadium three times, winning twice and drawing once. If the atmosphere has an edge of hostility today, he won’t be fazed. So much of managing Man United is about staying calm, which comes naturally to Carrick.
His team are hot favourites to win today, but the fans have a couple of reasons to be fearful. One is the way the wheels came off last weekend, for the first time under Carrick, as three goals were conceded in 15 minutes to AC Milan – managed by Amorim, of all people.
The other is the one blot on Carrick’s copybook last season, which came in trips to promoted clubs, with a defeat at Leeds and a stalemate at Sunderland. His United seem to cope better with low expectations than high ones. This may explain why he’s been scoffing at the idea that they have an easy start to this season. Secretly, Carrick might prefer to be in Jakirovic’s shoes today, with a moment to savour and nothing to lose.
