‘Stay calm’ – Carrick unbothered after Manchester United’s shock defeat to Hull City

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has urged his players and supporters not to panic after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City in the club’s opening Premier League fixture of the 2026/27 season.

First-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy, both from set-piece situations, handed the newly promoted Tigers a famous victory and ended a 52-year wait for a league win over United.

While the result has sparked early questions about United’s title ambitions, Carrick insisted there was no reason to lose perspective after just one game.

“One game doesn’t change the whole direction of everything, but we need to be aware where we need to improve,” Carrick said after the match.

He added, “We’ll stay calm, in our bubble… It’s one game. We are bitterly disappointed with the result today. But it won’t knock us.”

Hull City made a dream return to the Premier League, as Semi Ajayi opened the scoring in the 17th minute after United failed to deal with a dangerous set-piece, before Nobel Mendy doubled the advantage in the 38th minute with another well-worked dead-ball routine.

The win was particularly historic for Hull, marking their first-ever Premier League victory over Manchester United and their first league triumph against the Red Devils since 1974.

Despite controlling possession for long spells, Manchester United struggled to translate their dominance into clear-cut chances.

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens prevented the defeat from becoming even heavier with several important saves, but United’s attack failed to find a breakthrough against Hull’s organised defensive block.