Fernandes blasts Man Utd for repeating last season's mistakes after 2-0 Hull humbling

Manchester United suffered a chastening 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Hull City in Saturday’s early Premier League fixture, with captain Bruno Fernandes pulling no punches in his assessment of a performance he said mirrored the failings of the previous campaign.

Hull scored twice from set pieces in the first half and comfortably protected their lead, while United dominated possession without threatening. Bryan Mbeumo had two efforts comfortably saved, and new signings Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos endured difficult debuts. Marcus Rashford was introduced at half-time but could not alter the game’s direction.

“Same mistakes as we did last season, every away game we give too much of the ball to them,” Fernandes said after the match. “In the first 20 minutes, the goalkeeper was the one with the most touches. We needed to press more, be more aggressive, and then again we need to work on set-plays and not concede these type of goals.”

Fernandes revealed that United had been warned about Hull’s aerial threat from dead balls going into the game, making the manner of the defeat all the more frustrating. “We knew before the game set-pieces would be a big part of their game. They played all pre-season with a back four but had a five against us for some height, for these moments. The most frustrating thing is that we lost the game.”

The United captain also acknowledged the difficulty of playing at grounds where promoted sides carry enormous motivation. “You need to match everything in intensity, aggression and everything. We had that apart from two set pieces. That cost us the game.”

Despite his frustration, Fernandes appealed for continued supporter backing. “Every season that starts, we want to compete and go as forward as we can, winning every game. We need them on our side, like last season, believing in us. We know we need more from ourselves too.”

It was the first competitive game of Michael Carrick’s tenure as United’s permanent manager, a stark contrast to the optimism that accompanied his arrival as interim boss in January and the third-place finish that followed. Carrick acknowledged the disappointment while urging calm. “Some of it was okay, there’s bits to improve on. It was never going to be perfect, but going behind and giving ourselves a lot to do makes it more difficult. We’re bitterly disappointed with the result, but we won’t let it knock us.”