Premier League opinion: Hull City did their homework, Man United had no response
Any hope Manchester United fans had built up in pre-season went up in smoke in their opening game of the 2026/27 Premier League, which they lost 2-0 away to newly-promoted Hull City.
The Tigers had more bite than a toothless Man Utd attack, leaving manager Michael Carrick with plenty to ponder before they welcome Ipswich Town to Old Trafford on August 30.
Sports News Blitz writer and Man Utd fan Robert Bore picks through the debris of the shock defeat for the Red Devils.
Hull (a) August 22nd 2026
Football's back baby! Football's back.
Frankly, it can f*ck off to where it came from.
I couldn't even blame Diogo Dalot this time either.
For context, and in terms of coming back down to earth with a bump, the opening 90 minutes of Manchester United's season were more akin to a multi-car pile-up on the M62.
I spent most of the game chummering on to myself in deepest Northwich, Barnton to be exact, as I was in the crowd for the FA Cup Preliminary Round clash between 1874 Northwich and Horbury Town - which was far more enjoyable.
Hungry Tigers
Parked up pre-match on a bench with a steak pie and a warming pint I grimaced through every sip and flaky bite, as Michael Carrick's title chasers laboured to defeat against a hungry Tigers side who re-joined the big boys from a sixth-placed yet play-off winning finish last term.
Cue the cliché most relevant to you: 'Roy of the Rovers stuff', 'David slays Goliath', whatever. It was shite. Cliché that.
Call it sour grapes or call it watching on an iPhone 16 with gristle between my teeth, but Hull will go down this season.
They deserved their win but United really were that bad. About as fluent as a Benidorm stag do.
Gunners in top gear
The visitors had clearly not heeded the script, unlike Arsenal who saw off Coventry exerting about as much energy as it takes to swat a fly the previous evening.
The difference was stark.
United were undone by two set pieces while we saw the return of Marcus Rashford as United chased the game.
More accurately chased the game the same way I chase a visit to the Dentist.
And the failure to deal with Hull's wing-backs had an ominous sense of deja vu to it, especially considering the last pre-season outing against AC Milan, or Ruben's (Amorim) Redemption as it is now known.
Hull did their homework, United had no response.
It was laborious and lacked any sort of intensity, how I envisage mating season at the Walrus enclosure.
Anyway, I've already wasted enough oxygen on this.
Onwards and upwards and all that. Bring on Ipswich next Sunday
Let's hope we turn up this time.
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