By Sachit Subba • Football • Aug 22, 2026 17:37 PM • 85 views
No one expected Hull City to do what they did during the opening weekend of the Premier League. Nine years after having been relegated from the top flight, they went to MKM Stadium and beat Manchester United 2-0 – a result that no one in a red shirt predicted, and it is the club's first league victory against United in 52 years.
In the 17th minute Semi Ajayi took advantage of a loose ball that resulted from Oli McBurnie's header from a corner bouncing off Senne Lammens. Hull continued to attack from set-pieces and once again reaped the benefits just before the interval when Regan Slater delivered a free kick, Nobel Mendy managed to get above the United defence and then headed the ball past Lammens, which caused the home fans to go delirious.
United were unable to find a solution. Although Marcus Rashford made his debut since December 2024 and showed a bit of promise, Michael Carrick's team still couldn't break down Hull. The nearest they got was Bryan Mbeumo's goal in the 78th minute, and thereafter Konstantinos Tzolakis didn't have to exert much effort. Carrick didn't attempt to justify the result afterwards. "It's just one match," he stated, describing it as disappointing but stressing that it wouldn't affect the club's course. On the other hand, Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic sounded as though he was pleased — he had told his players all week that a win was possible and now had proof of it on the pitch.
Along the coast, Ipswich Town achieved their own fairy-tale comeback. Julio Enciso set up Emerson for an early goal, but Sunderland — the side that had finished seventh the previous season when they were promoted — responded before half-time with Nilson Angulo curling in a free kick which hit the crossbar. The match seemed certain to end in a draw until Jack Clarke, who came on as a substitute, scored in the 90th minute and thus secured three points for Ipswich. This was only the fourth instance in the history of the Premier League in which two of the three promoted teams have won their opening games, mirroring what occurred the year before.
In other cases, the managerial turnover that characterized this summer—nine clubs beginning the season with new managers—had an early casualty. In his first match in charge at Nottingham Forest, Oliver Glasner suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Leeds United, the goal being scored by Anton Stach in the final two minutes. Ironically, Glasner's former team, Crystal Palace, also suffered a loss, being beaten 2-0 by Everton; Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry scored before and after the break for the Toffees, who won their opening match for the first time in five years even though Palace had twice hit the woodwork through Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Meanwhile, Coventry City's promotion celebration was halted a day earlier when reigning champions Arsenal defeated them 3-0 on Friday.
