Hull City delivered a significant upset on Saturday, defeating Manchester United with two set-piece goals scored within 21 minutes. This outcome was unexpected, especially given Hull's record of scoring the joint-fewest league goals from set plays in the Championship last season.
The match represented a difficult start to the campaign for Manchester United. Despite manager Michael Carrick's pre-game comments that it would not be an easy fixture, the straightforward nature of Hull's victory was likely unanticipated. Opta had rated United's chance of winning at 68.9% before kick-off.
United's defence struggled to contain Oli McBurnie and conceded from set pieces. However, their attacking performance has been highlighted as a greater concern. While United generated 1.83 expected goals compared to Hull's 1.01, 16 of their 21 shots were individually worth less than 0.1 expected goals.
This difficulty in creating valuable chances has been a recurring issue for United, particularly against teams employing a back five. They have now won only one of their last six league matches against sides using a back three or five formation. Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic's use of a back five effectively crowded out United's attackers, limiting their opportunities in the penalty area.
Following the defeat, Carrick stated, "We got beat, we’re hurt and it’s not a nice feeling. It doesn’t mean it’s going to change the whole direction of how we’re going as a team or as a football club."