Hull City Stun Manchester United 2-0 on Opening Day
The promoted side beat Michael Carrick's United with two first-half set pieces to open the 2026-27 Premier League season.
The new Premier League season is one afternoon old and it already has its first shock. Hull City, back in the top flight after promotion from the Championship, beat Manchester United 2-0 at home on Saturday in the opening round of the 2026-27 campaign.
Both goals came from set pieces. Semi Ajayi put Hull ahead in the 17th minute from a corner, and Nobel Mendy doubled the lead in the 38th, converting from a Regan Slater free kick, according to NBC Sports' live coverage. One report noted that on the opener, United defenders Noussair Mazraoui and Harry Maguire ended up marking each other rather than picking up the danger.
A familiar failing
For a Hull side that carried a shaky defensive record through the Championship, the composure was striking. Set up in an organized 5-4-1, they dealt comfortably with United's disjointed attacks and broke with purpose when the chances came.
United manager Michael Carrick turned to his bench after the break, sending on Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Benjamin Sesko, but the visitors' play flattened into hopeful crosses by the end, per Yahoo Sports' match report.
Why it matters
Opening-day results rarely decide anything, but they set the terms of the conversation. For Hull, this is proof the survival plan — organization, set pieces, counters — can hurt even the biggest names in the division. For United, the questions arrive immediately: a side with top-four ambitions conceded twice from dead balls to a newly promoted team and never looked like responding.
The fixture list offers United a quick chance to reset — they host Ipswich Town next weekend. Hull, meanwhile, will take confidence that would have seemed fanciful when the fixtures were published.