Hull City marked their return to the Premier League in spectacular fashion after beating Manchester United 2-0 at the MKM Stadium in Saturday’s early kickoff match, securing their first-ever top-flight victory over the Red Devils.
The Tigers produced a disciplined and energetic display to stun Michael Carrick’s side in their opening fixture of the 2026/27 campaign, with goals from center backs Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy in the first half enough to settle the contest.
Ajayi opened the scoring in the 17th minute after following up on Oli McBurnie’s effort, reacting quickest to the rebound to give Hull a deserved lead.
The hosts continued to threaten from set pieces and doubled their advantage seven minutes before half-time when Nobel Mendy headed Regan Slater’s well-delivered free kick beyond the Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
A Historic Result After 52 Years
The victory ended a remarkable 52-year wait for Hull to defeat Manchester United in a league fixture.
Their previous and last league victory over the Red Devils came on November 23, 1974, when Hull won 2-0 at Boothferry Park in the old Second Division, then the second tier of English football. Alf Wood and Ken Wagstaff scored for the Tigers that afternoon.
Hull had also endured a difficult record against United during their Premier League meetings. Before Saturday’s encounter, the sides had met several times in the top flight, with Manchester United winning the majority of those fixtures.
Their most recent Premier League meeting before Hull’s relegation in 2017 ended in a goalless draw at Old Trafford in February 2017. Hull had also famously beaten United 2-1 in the League Cup semi-final second leg at the MKM Stadium in January 2017, although United progressed 3-2 on aggregate.
Saturday’s result was therefore significant beyond Hull City’s first three points on the new campaign. It was their first Premier League victory over Manchester United and their first league win against them since that Second Division encounter in 1974.
Tzolakis Impress on Premier League Debut
Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis also played a major role in preserving the clean sheet.
The Greek goalkeeper made five important saves as United attempted to respond after the interval, including a crucial stop to deny Bryan Mbeumo. Marcus Rashford was introduced from the bench but could not inspire a comeback as Hull remained organised defensively.
For Hull, the victory was the perfect reward for an extraordinary journey back to the top flight. The Tigers had not played in the Premier League since the 2016/17 season and spent several years in the Championship and League One before returning to the elite division.
They secured promotion through the Championship play-offs after finishing sixth in the regular season. Hull defeated Middlesbrough 1-0 in the final at Wembley, with Oli McBurnie scoring a dramatic 95th-minute winner.
The achievement made them the first team since 2010 to finish sixth in the Championship and win promotion through the play-offs.
Manchester United, meanwhile, suffered an early setback in their attempt to build on last season’s third-place finish and return to the UEFA Champions League.
Carrick’s side had also lost their opening league game of the previous campaign, going down 1-0 at home to Arsenal before ultimately recovering to finish third.
For Hull, however, the message could hardly have been clearer. Their Premier League comeback has begun with a statement victory, and the Tigers have already shown that their return to the top flight is about more than simply trying to survive.
The Premier League newcomers will hope that this historic win would propel them to retain their status in the league.
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