Manchester United’s fans had endured a bad enough day on the banks of the River Humber when Hull City’s stadium announcer gleefully piped up midway through the second half.
He had “an important announcement” for them.
Two trains back to Manchester from the city centre station had been cancelled.
The roar from the home fans matched that for their side’s two first-half goals that sealed a first ever top-flight win over United – and first in league meetings since a Second Division encounter in 1974.
“You should have come in a taxi,” they sang.
Football supporters can be a cruel breed.
As they were kicking their heels waiting for a train to take them back over the Pennines, the portion of the 2,400-strong visiting contingent that had chosen that mode of transport would have struggled to find any redeeming features.
“They didn’t create much, which was the biggest worry,” legendary former United striker Wayne Rooney told BBC Sport.
“When you play a promoted team, it’s always difficult. First game of the season away from home, United just didn’t seem ready for it.”
Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer felt it was a fitness issue.
“I haven’t seen Manchester United in pre-season. I saw them in this game and they didn’t look fit, they didn’t look ready to play 90 minutes of intense, high pressure, high-energy football,” he added on BBC Radio Five Live.
Well, I have seen Manchester United in pre-season; all six games of it.
I wouldn’t say it was a fitness issue. Until last weekend’s defeat by AC Milan in Poland, no-one was questioning the fitness of Carrick’s squad and six of his starting line-up returned to training on 9 July.
It is an opinion though – and everyone is entitled to them; just as they are entitled to say Carrick’s side were toothless in attack, before and after Marcus Rashford’s half-time introduction for his first United appearance since December 2024.
They are also entitled to say United don’t seem to be able to defend solidly against opponents who play with wing-backs, as AC Milan did last week and Hull on Saturday.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes felt it was a pressing issue as he told TNT: “Same mistakes as we did last season in every away game.
“We give too much of the ball to them. In the first 20 minutes the goalkeeper had more touches on the ball, too much time.
“We need to press a little bit more, be more aggressive, and set-plays – we need to work on it, to be more aggressive and try not to concede these types of goals.”
Set-pieces were a particular area Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic said he had identified to attack in the build-up to the game.
