Manchester United’s Premier League campaign began disastrously on Saturday as Michael Carrick’s side suffered a 2–0 defeat away to newly promoted Hull City. Goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy gave Hull a memorable victory and exposed several weaknesses in United’s performance.

United made a sluggish start and struggled to cope with Hull’s physical approach and three-man defensive system. The visitors were also punished by poor marking at set pieces, with Ajayi opening the scoring in the 17th minute before Mendy doubled Hull’s advantage in the 38th minute.

Carrick’s team showed some improvement after the break following tactical changes. Benjamin Šeško came on for his first appearance since United’s victory over Liverpool last season and looked lively in attack, although he was unable to score. United still lacked the creativity and urgency needed to turn the game around.

Amad also suffered an injury during the match, leaving Carrick hoping that the problem is not serious. The setback added to United’s concerns after an afternoon in which they struggled to defend crosses, create chances and match Hull’s intensity.

The result gave Sergej Jakirovic’s Hull side a dream start to their return to the Premier League. For Manchester United, the defeat raised early questions about their defensive organization, attacking creativity and ability to deal with teams using a back-three system. Carrick must now find quick solutions if United are to prevent one disappointing result from becoming a wider problem.