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Manchester United suffered a nightmare start to the 2026/27 Premier League campaign, falling to a humiliating 2-0 defeat against newly-promoted Hull City at the MKM Stadium.
Two first-half goals from set-pieces via Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy left Michael Carrick’s side completely stunned on opening day. Despite commanding a staggering 72% of the possession and taking 20 shots, United lacked any real cutting edge or tactical discipline to break down a resilient Hull defense.
Here is how the Manchester United players rated in a toothless performance in East Yorkshire.
Goalkeeper & Defence
- Senne Lammens (GK) — 6/10: The Belgian shot-stopper was arguably United’s best performer during a chaotic first half. He pulled off two sharp saves, including a fantastic stop on Oli McBurnie, only to be completely let down by his defense on the rebound for the opener.
- Noussair Mazraoui (RB) — 4/10: Saw plenty of the ball, racking up 94 touches, but did absolutely nothing with it. He lacked defensive awareness during Hull’s wide overloads and failed to provide any true width or progressive overlapping threat.
- Harry Maguire (CB) — 4/10: A rough return to his former stomping grounds. While he sprayed a few decent progressive long balls from deep, he completely failed to impose himself in the air, losing key duels against McBurnie and the Hull frontline.
- Ayden Heaven (CB) — 4/10: Welcome to the Premier League. The teenage defender looked completely overwhelmed by the physicality of McBurnie, who comfortably outmuscled him in the build-up to Ajayi’s 17th-minute strike.
- Luke Shaw (LB) — 4/10: Offered decent overlapping runs in the second half but left cavernous gaps behind him. Defensively, he was caught out of position far too often and failed to track runners during set-piece situations.
Midfield
Andrey Santos (CM) — 3/10: A competitive debut to forget for the high-priced Brazilian signing. He looked completely off the pace of the game, letting the midfield battle pass him by entirely before being hauled off in the 67th minute.
Youri Tielemans (CM) — 2/10: An absolute shocker from the debutant. He brought down Mohamed Belloumi to concede the dangerous free-kick that led to Hull’s second goal. He spent the afternoon aimlessly lofting desperate high balls into a crowded box.
Bruno Fernandes (AM) — 4/10: Smothered and frustrated by Hull’s deep defensive block. The captain tried to orchestrate standard attacking moves but lacked his signature sharpness, rarely creating clear-cut chances or putting himself into dangerous shooting zones.
Attack
Bryan Mbeumo (RW) — 5/10: The only member of the starting frontline who showed signs of life in the first half. He forced an excellent one-handed save from Konstantinos Tzolakis, but his execution waned significantly as frustration grew.
Patrick Dorgu (LW) — 2/10: Deployed out of position on the wing, he looked like a fish out of water. He picked up a silly yellow card for a late challenge, squandered two decent opportunities, and was deservedly hooked at half-time
Matheus Cunha (ST) — 4/10: Started as a makeshift false nine but kept dropping deep into crowded central areas. His tendency to check back meant United lacked any sort of focal point or physical presence inside the penalty box.
Substitutes & Manager
Marcus Rashford (LW on at ’46)—5/10: Brought on to inject energy into a flat side. He initially ran at the Hull defensive line but quickly fizzled out, providing plenty of huff and puff but zero clinical final product.
Benjamin Šeško (ST on at ’67’)—5/10: Provided an immediate physical aerial presence that United desperately needed, but clear sharpness was missing after missing out on pre-season.
Kobbie Mainoo (CM on at ’67’)—5/10: Kept things tidy and attempted to inject a quicker tempo with his short passing, but it was too little, too late to turn the tide.
Diogo Dalot (RB on at 80′) — 5/10: Replaced Mazraoui late on and managed to make a couple of solid tackles, but the game was already dead.
Shea Lacey (AM on at 80′) — 5/10: A late roll of the dice from Carrick, but didn’t have enough time or support to alter the scoreline.
Michael Carrick (Manager) — 3/10: Tactically outclassed by Sergej Jakirovic. Setting up a team without a true focal point backfired massively, and his squad’s complete vulnerability to basic set-pieces will raise massive alarm bells for the rest of the campaign.