Manchester United manager Michael Carrick admitted his side must improve after suffering a shock defeat to newly promoted Hull City in their opening Premier League match of the season.
The result marked Hull City’s first ever Premier League victory over Manchester United. It also ended a 52 year wait for a league win against the Red Devils.
Michael Carrick demands improvement after Hull defeat
Carrick accepted that Manchester United produced some positive moments. However, he felt the team made the game harder by conceding early and giving Hull confidence.
On the performance, Carrick said: “Some was okay, obviously bits to improve on. It was never going to be perfect today but going today, giving ourselves a lot to do makes it more difficult. Probably one of those typical games with a new promoted team at home. We can’t give them much, they’ve got a lot to hold on to. After that we had moments, we had opportunities. We just didn’t have that spark to then put the chances away or create any more. We are bitterly disappointed with the result today. But it won’t knock us.”
Manchester United created chances as the match progressed. Still, they lacked the cutting edge needed to turn those opportunities into goals.
Carrick also insisted that his players already know where they need to improve. He does not want to make rushed assessments immediately after the defeat.
On the areas requiring improvement, he said: “I’m not going into areas now. I think it’s for us to know and we will keep improving through the week and through the games and when we keep stronger as a group. That will come. Today is a game we can’t ignore. We have a lot to learn from it. But we will.”
Set pieces proved especially costly for Manchester United. Hull scored twice from dead ball situations, leaving Carrick frustrated by a weakness he believes the team usually handles well.
“Two goals conceded anyway is frustrating. For sure, set plays, we’ve been pretty good at it over a period of time. That decided the game today. Of course there are things to improve on and that is one of those from today, which is pretty obvious to say. In general we’ve been pretty good. One game doesn’t change the whole direction of everything. We know that but we still got to be aware of what we need to get better at,” Carrick added.
For Hull City, the result capped a remarkable rise into the top flight. Sergej Jakirovic’s side finished sixth in the second tier last season before taking advantage of the Spygate drama that removed Southampton from the promotion playoffs.
Hull then seized their opportunity at Wembley Stadium and secured promotion to the Premier League. Many critics expected the newly promoted side to struggle against top flight opposition.
Instead, Hull produced the perfect response on the opening weekend. Their victory over Manchester United gave the club a historic start and immediately challenged expectations about their chances of surviving in the Premier League.
For Michael Carrick, the defeat offers an early warning rather than a reason to panic. Manchester United now have the rest of the campaign to respond, correct the defensive issues and develop the attacking sharpness they lacked at Hull.
