Carrick Blames Early Goal For Manchester United Defeat To Hull City

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has blamed his side’s slow start for their shock 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Hull City in Saturday’s Premier League opener.

The Red Devils suffered an embarrassing setback at the MKM Stadium, with Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy scoring in the first half to hand Hull a memorable victory on their return to the top flight.

Carrick admitted that conceding early left United facing an uphill battle against a Hull side buoyed by their home support.

“It was never going to be perfect, but going behind and giving ourselves a lot to do makes it more difficult,” Carrick said after the match.

The United boss also acknowledged the difficulty of playing a newly promoted side on their home ground, insisting his team failed to make the most of their opportunities.

“It was a typical one of those games, with a newly promoted team at home. You can’t give them much, they’ve got a lot to hold on to,” he added.

United created opportunities after falling behind but lacked the cutting edge required to trouble Hull’s defence.

“After that, we had moments and opportunities but we didn’t have the spark to put the chances away or create any more,” Carrick said.

Despite the disappointing result, Carrick insisted the defeat would not derail United’s campaign.

“We’re bitterly disappointed with the result, but we won’t let it knock us,” he said.

The defeat leaves Carrick with plenty to address as United look to recover from a disastrous start to their league campaign.