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Manchester United kicked off their campaign on Saturday with just their ninth opening-day defeat in 35 seasons of the modern era. However, a trip to Hull City marked the first time they had ever lost to newly promoted opposition on the opening weekend, in the Premier League or any other competition.
Preseason had been encouraging for Michael Carrick following his appointment to the manager's role on a permanent basis in May, but just 17 minutes into the season, Hull defender Semi Ajayi tucked away a rebound from a corner. United controlled possession and generated more attempts overall, but a second set-piece goal proved costly late in the first half, as Nobel Mendy headed a Regan Slater free kick past Senne Lammens.
United improved in the second half — a side that made significant progress last season and harbors ambitions of claiming the Premier League title by May 2028 — but Hull stood firm throughout.
United don't often face newly promoted sides on the opening day of Premier League seasons — Fulham were narrowly edged out at Old Trafford in 2001 after coming close to a major upset inspired by Louis Saha — but this was the polar opposite of launching 2025–26 against eventual champions Arsenal and should have been a far more manageable fixture.
Set-Piece Goals, Duels Decisive in Loss
1 - Manchester United have lost on the opening day of a league season to a newly promoted side for the first time in their history, having won 10 of the first 13 instances (D3).
Sluggish. pic.twitter.com/swgIjAGKsV
Both Hull goals stemmed from set pieces, and the Tigers offered very little in the way of open-play threat.
Their open-play xG stood at just 0.07, compared to 1.19 from set pieces. United created enough to have scored at least once (1.81 xG overall, 1.50 xG open play), though they ironically posed little set-piece danger themselves (0.30 xG set pieces).
Set pieces will continue to play a major role in the Premier League this season. Going forward, it's less of a concern if open-play chances are being generated. But it becomes an automatic liability against any opponent — regardless of their overall quality — if defending set pieces is a vulnerability. Addressing that issue could make a meaningful difference.
Another notable aspect was that United appeared caught off guard by a home side brimming with intensity. Beyond set pieces, sheer determination is the great equalizer in football. Hull simply wanted it more, winning 59% of all duels (60% on the ground, 58% in the air).
Rashford Plays
While a transfer remains a possibility, it would come as a genuine surprise at this stage if Marcus Rashford is not still a Manchester United player by the morning of Sept. 2.
He has been handed the No. 9 shirt — worn with distinction over the years by club legends Sir Bobby Charlton, Andy Cole, Tommy Taylor, Jack Rowley and Brian McClair — a jersey of considerable significance that suggests the club does not anticipate a departure in the coming fortnight.
Rashford didn't feature from the start, which was perhaps unsurprising given that last weekend's friendly against AC Milan was his only outing during a heavily condensed preseason. But his 45-minute cameo in the second half — replacing Patrick Dorgu on the left flank at the break — showed enough to suggest the 28-year-old England international can be a valuable asset this season. He brought pace in dangerous areas and, while he didn't register a shot himself, the four chances he created were more than any other player on the pitch.
The Red Devils entered the summer transfer window in need of a left winger and may well end it having found exactly that. Rashford is effectively a new signing, even with more than 600 days separating his 426th United appearance in 2024 from his 427th this weekend.
United were a better side with Rashford on the pitch than without him.
Sesko Lacks Match Sharpness
Benjamin Šeško had a promising debut campaign in 2025–26, netting 11 Premier League goals. His slow start that season could be put down to adjusting to a new league following a preseason overshadowed by transfer speculation. This time around, he would have been eager to hit the ground running — particularly with Slovenia having missed out on World Cup qualification — only to lose his preseason to a persistent fitness issue carried over from May.
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Having had last season cut short by injury, Šeško spent much of the summer on an individual conditioning program to get himself ready for the new campaign.
He didn't feature at all during preseason, which was far from ideal, and coming off the bench for the final 23 minutes of Saturday's defeat represented his first competitive action of any kind in nearly four months. Even as United improved after the break, the 23-year-old managed only six touches, completed three passes, lost five of six duels and failed to register a single shot on or off target.
The ability is undoubtedly there, but it may once again take some time before Šeško finds his rhythm.