Hull Maul United as Carrick's New Era Begins

Michael Carrick insisted this wasn’t an easy start. Hull away, then Ipswich at home. Promoted sides, yes – but not pushovers. He laughed off the talk in the build-up. Nobody was laughing by full-time at the MKM Stadium.

Hull, written off as relegation fodder before a ball was kicked, ripped into United and fully deserved a 2-0 win that exposed every soft spot Carrick feared his side still had. It was their first victory over United since 2017, and it felt like a statement.

United’s midfield revamp, with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos handed debuts after summer moves from Aston Villa and Chelsea, barely registered. Both were anonymous, swallowed up by Hull’s energy and aggression, and hooked midway through the second half. By then, the damage was done.

“Man United have been shocking, no hunger, they’ve been terrible,” the former England captain said on BBC duty, his verdict landing as hard as any Hull tackle.

Carrick, whose calm stewardship after Ruben Amorim’s chaotic reign had dragged United back into contention last season, walked into this campaign with a different job description. Interim rescuer no more; now the permanent boss charged with chasing a first English title since 2013. The pressure has changed. So has the scrutiny.

He has pushed the board for more signings and United have agreed a deal for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. After this, his demands will only grow louder.

Hull, by contrast, played like a team desperate to prove everyone wrong. Sergej Jakirovic had spent the week insisting his side were better than the pundits’ predictions of a swift return to the Championship. For 90 minutes, his players backed every word. At times, even he must have wondered if he was dreaming.

United actually started on the front foot. Luke Shaw whipped in an early cross, Bryan Mbeumo met it with a fierce strike, and debutant goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis beat it away. Moments later, Noussair Mazraoui slid in Matheus Cunha, whose low drive forced Tzolakis into a full-stretch save. The away end stirred. It looked like a matter of time.

Then Hull punched back.

Ryan Giles swung in a teasing cross, Oli McBurnie rose and powered a header that Senne Lammens had to claw away. It was a warning. United ignored it.

On 17 minutes, their chronic weakness at set-pieces was brutally exposed. A Hull corner, slack marking, and McBurnie simply walked free. His drilled effort was parried by Lammens straight into the path of Nigeria defender Ajayi, who stabbed home from close range. Hull’s first Premier League goal in nine years detonated around the MKM Stadium. Orange and black shirts bounced, scarves whirled, the noise savage.

United’s response? A single, squandered chance. Harry Maguire threaded a smart pass into Patrick Dorgu, but the youngster scuffed wide when silence was there for the taking. It summed them up. Toothless up front, disorganised at the back.

Hull smelled weakness and went for the throat.

Seven minutes before the interval, they doubled their lead. Regan Slater delivered a pin-point free-kick into a crowded box, United’s defending dissolved again, and Senegal defender Mendy rose to thump his header past Lammens. Simple. Too simple.

“You’re getting mauled by the Tigers,” boomed the home fans. Carrick stood on the touchline, expression fixed but eyes betraying the shock. This was not in the script.

He rolled the dice at half-time, sending on Marcus Rashford after his season-long loan at Barcelona. Rashford buzzed around the fringes, searching for a spark, but United never found any rhythm. The passing was slow, the movement predictable. Hull, by contrast, played with clarity and bite.

Mohamed Belloumi went close from distance, his fizzing drive skimming just wide as Hull continued to carry the greater threat. Every Hull break felt dangerous; every United attack felt hopeful at best.

When Tielemans and Santos were both withdrawn midway through the second half, it was an admission as much as a tactical tweak. The new midfield had vanished into the game, offering little protection and even less invention. Their exit changed nothing. United drifted to defeat, tamely surrendering as the clock ran down.

Last season, Hull became the first side since Blackpool in 2010 to finish sixth in the Championship and still climb into the Premier League via the play-offs. They arrived at this level with questions hanging over them. On this evidence, they have answers. United, supposedly ready to challenge again, have only more doubts.

Carrick’s demeanour helped steady the club once. Now, with expectations sharpened and a title drought stretching back more than a decade, he walks into a very different storm. One game in, the question is already hanging in the air: is this just a bad day, or an early glimpse of a season that could unravel?