In both matches, a clear advantage in possession was not enough to prevent defeat. Hull and Brentford were superior to their more illustrious opponents in terms of intensity and duelling and ruthlessly exploited their weaknesses. It was a particularly painful afternoon for United, who had entered the new campaign with renewed optimism.
Hull punish United twice from set pieces
Manchester United went into the game as favourites but fell behind after just 17 minutes. Following a corner, Oli McBurnie got a shot away at the far post. Senne Lammens made the initial save, but Semi Ajayi reacted quickest to the rebound and put Hull 1-0 ahead.
Hull defended in a compact 5-4-1 without simply retreating to the edge of their own penalty area. Sergej Jakirović’s side competed aggressively in midfield and caused particular problems for United’s new central pairing of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Hull won 65 per cent of the aerial duels and 59 per cent of the ground duels in the first half.
Their second goal also came from a set piece. Regan Slater delivered a precise free-kick into the box in the 38th minute and Nobel Mendy headed home. Michael Carrick had started without a conventional centre-forward: Matheus Cunha operated centrally but frequently drifted away from the position, while Benjamin Šeško began on the bench.
Possession counts for little as United struggle
Carrick reacted at half-time by introducing Marcus Rashford for Patrick Dorgu. It was Rashford’s first competitive appearance for Manchester United in 618 days. Šeško and Kobbie Mainoo were also introduced later, but Hull protected their advantage with few problems.
United finished with 71.6 per cent possession and 21 attempts, although only five were on target. Their xG figure of 1.81 shows that chances were created, but their attacking play rarely looked truly incisive. Their reliance on wide areas was particularly striking: United attempted 34 crosses from open play, their highest tally in a Premier League match for almost eight years.
It was a historic victory for Hull. The Tigers beat Manchester United for the first time in the Premier League and recorded their first league win over them since 1974. United, meanwhile, lost an opening league fixture against a promoted side for the first time in their history.
Brentford dismantle new-look Spurs
Tottenham’s defeat was even more emphatic. Roberto De Zerbi handed competitive Spurs debuts to four summer signings from the start in Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Sandro Tonali. The lack of cohesion was immediately apparent.
Keane Lewis-Potter put Brentford ahead in the 12th minute. Former SK Rapid midfielder Mamadou Sangaré played a key role, driving through the centre before creating the opening goal and producing an excellent all-round performance. Vitaly Janelt made it 2-0 in the 33rd minute before Michael Kayode added a third four minutes after the restart.
Tottenham struggled to cope with Brentford’s intensity and physicality. Richarlison was rarely able to hold the ball up as the central reference point, while Conor Gallagher had little influence on the attacking play in the No 10 role. De Zerbi responded at half-time by bringing on Mateus Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur, but the contest was effectively over when Brentford scored their third shortly after the break. Igor Thiago later missed a penalty, but that did little to alter the one-sided nature of the match.
The statistics underlined Brentford’s superiority. The hosts registered 26 attempts to Tottenham’s nine and led the expected goals count 3.96 to 0.47 despite Spurs having almost 59 per cent possession.
Former Rapid midfielder Sangaré shines on Premier League debut
Mamadou Sangaré was one of the standout performers. The former SK Rapid midfielder joined Brentford from RC Lens at the beginning of August for a club-record fee of around €48 million and immediately showed that he can make an impact at Premier League level.
Sangaré created the opening goal, was involved in numerous dangerous attacks and also played a major part in the third, with his initial shot being saved before Kayode converted the rebound. In a midfield packed with expensive talent, the 24-year-old Mali international was considerably more influential than Tottenham record signing Sandro Tonali. Sangaré’s Premier League debut already suggested that he could prove to be a major addition for Brentford.
Glasner loses Forest home debut
Oliver Glasner also began his new job with a defeat. Nottingham Forest lost 1-0 to Leeds United in the Austrian coach’s first home match at the City Ground. Nikola Milenković hit the post in the first half, while Xaver Schlager came on in the 74th minute to make his Premier League debut. Anton Stach settled the contest in the 88th minute with a directly converted free-kick.
