Hull City player ratings: Semi Ajayi shines in victory over Manchester United

Hull’s return to the Premier League came with a statement: physically dominant, tactically sharp, and utterly unafraid of Manchester United. A 2-0 win was built on a powerful spine and a debut goalkeeper who looked like he’d been here for years.

Here’s how the players rated.

Hull City

Konstantinos Tzolakis – 8
Thrown straight into a Premier League debut and never blinked. Produced a superb one-handed save to claw away Bryan Mbeumo’s angled drive, the standout moment of a commanding display. Came decisively for high balls, relieved pressure when United slung crosses in and radiated calm behind a new-look back three. Really impressive first outing.

Lewie Coyle (off 70) – 7
Set the tone early with a deep cross from the right wing-back channel that picked out Oli McBurnie and revealed Hull’s plan: stretch United, hit them from wide. Worked tirelessly up and down his flank and helped lock United into uncomfortable areas. Solid, purposeful, and part of the territorial squeeze.

Semi Ajayi (off 63) – 9
A towering presence and the game’s decisive figure. Reacted first to Senne Lammens’ block on McBurnie’s effort, thundering in the rebound for Hull’s opener – his first Premier League goal since January 2021, back in his West Brom days at Wolves. At the other end he was a rock, winning duels, clearing danger, and giving Hull a platform to play from. Dominant.

John Egan – 8
Sat in the middle of the back three but refused to stay chained there. Stepped into midfield whenever Hull had the ball, compressing the pitch and helping his side keep United penned in. Read the game well, organised those around him and rarely looked troubled defensively. A quietly authoritative performance.

Ryan Giles (off 84) – 7
Constantly offered himself on the left, mirroring Coyle’s threat on the opposite side. Drove forward to stretch United, yet still found the legs to recover and shut down space when the visitors tried to counter down his flank. Balanced his game nicely: aggressive going forward, disciplined without the ball.

Regan Slater – 7
His delivery for the second goal was outstanding – a superbly shaped, curling free-kick that begged to be attacked and Nobel Mendy obliged. Beyond that, Slater knitted things together in midfield, pressing with intelligence and contributing to Hull’s control in the centre of the pitch. Part of a cohesive unit.

Matt Crooks – 8
Owned the central midfield battle. Industrious, combative, but also composed enough to keep Hull moving through the thirds. Set the tempo, never let his standards drop, and repeatedly shut down United’s attempts to build rhythm. Still had the energy late on to surge downfield and force Lammens into a hurried clearance. A complete, quietly dominant display.

Nobel Mendy (off 63) – 8
A debut to remember. Rose to meet Slater’s free-kick and guide home Hull’s second, capping a performance full of defensive assurance. Won his duels, cleared his lines when required and kept things simple when in possession. Looked like he had been in this side for far longer than one game.

Mohamed Belloumi – 8
Brought calm in the chaos. Rarely wasted a pass, kept his choices tidy and helped Hull build momentum with short, sharp combinations. His security on the ball meant United spent long stretches chasing shadows rather than launching meaningful attacks. An understated but crucial contribution.

Oli McBurnie – 8
Did everything but score. United simply could not handle him. Outmuscled Ayden Heaven in the build-up to the opener, bullied centre-backs all afternoon and created space for others by occupying two defenders at a time. His physical presence and relentless work off the ball were the foundation of Hull’s attacking threat.

Elliot Stroud (off 70) – 7
Survived a big early flashpoint when a late tackle on Harry Maguire left the Manchester United defender furious, but from there he settled. Grew into the game, used the ball sensibly and contributed positively out of possession. Once the early nerves passed, he looked assured.

Substitutes

Paddy McNair (on 63) – 6
Slotted into the defensive structure against his former club and did exactly what was needed. No frills, no fuss, just a solid, reliable shift to help see the game out.

Lucas Herrington (on 63) – 6
Arrived as Hull shifted into a more counter-attacking mode. Held his position well, maintained the team’s shape and made sure United didn’t find easy pockets between the lines. Disciplined cameo.

Liam Millar (on 70) – 6
Offered fresh legs on the break late on. Led a promising counter that might have killed the game, but couldn’t quite find the final ball for a third goal. Still stretched a tiring United backline.

Cody Drameh (on 70) – 6
Alert defensively when United finally built some pressure. Read Luke Shaw’s intentions perfectly and nipped in to stop a dangerous cross, a small but important intervention as Hull protected their lead.

Matt Targett (on 84) – 6
Introduced to help lock things down in the closing stages. Kept his side compact, did his defensive work cleanly and helped Hull see the job through.

Subs not used: Dillion Phillips, Jens Hjertø-Dahl, Kieran Dowell, Lucas Gourna-Douath.

Manchester United

Senne Lammens – 7
The scoreline flatters no one in a United shirt, but Lammens emerges with credit. Made two smart stops early on, then produced a big block to deny McBurnie, only for Ajayi to smash in the rebound. Continued to stand up to Hull’s attacks and prevented the afternoon becoming even more painful.

Noussair Mazraoui (off 80) – 5
Spent much of his time drifting into inside channels but never really hurt Hull. When the hosts broke forward, he struggled to stem the tide on his flank. A frustrating outing where neither his attacking nor defensive work clicked.

Harry Maguire – 6
Back at Hull and given a rough afternoon. Defended his own box reasonably well and won his share of aerial duels, but couldn’t lift or organise those around him into a coherent response. His anger at Stroud’s early tackle summed up a day that never quite settled for him.

Ayden Heaven – 5
Exposed. Outmuscled by McBurnie in the build-up to Hull’s opener and then drawn into a heated argument with the striker at half-time. His inexperience showed under sustained physical pressure, and Hull targeted that weakness relentlessly.

Luke Shaw – 6
Pushed high and wide to give United an outlet on the left and combined neatly in spells, but the trade-off was brutal. With so much ground to cover, he often found himself sprinting back towards his own goal as Hull broke. Caught between two roles, he couldn’t fully impose himself in either.

Andrey Santos (off 66) – 5
Premier League reality hit hard. Hull’s midfield smothered him and he never gained a foothold in possession. Too many loose touches, too many turnovers, and the game passed him by.

Youri Tielemans (off 66) – 5
Produced the odd slick pass, yet drifted into ineffective patterns. Started hoisting hopeful high balls into the Hull box, a tactic United’s forwards were ill-suited to win against such a dominant back line. For a player of his quality, it was a disappointing contribution.

Bryan Mbeumo – 5
United’s liveliest attacker before the break, but lacked end product. Saw one angled drive brilliantly saved by Tzolakis and another acrobatic effort deflected wide. Once Hull tightened up, his influence faded and he couldn’t drag his side back into the contest.

Bruno Fernandes – 5
Worked, shouted, gestured – but nothing came off. Rarely found himself in shooting positions and couldn’t pick the lock with his usual precision. When United needed a spark, their captain never quite found it.

Patrick Dorgu (off 46) – 4
Got into advanced areas but squandered promising situations. His decision-making stunted several United moves and he struggled to maintain the tempo of their attacks. A booking and a half-time substitution underlined a difficult afternoon.

Matheus Cunha (off 80) – 5
Nominally led the line, but his instincts pulled him back into the No 10 pocket in search of space. That left United without a true focal point, exactly what Hull’s centre-backs wanted. Flickers of quality on the ball, yet no real threat inside the box.

Substitutes

Marcus Rashford (on 46) – 5
First Manchester United appearance since December 2024. Immediately looked to run at the Hull defence and injected some urgency, but the end product never arrived. Couldn’t carve out a clear chance or change the game’s direction.

Benjamin Sesko (on 66) – 5
At least offered a more physical target up front. Gave Hull’s defenders a different type of battle, but service into him was poor and he never truly stretched the hosts.

Kobbie Mainoo (on 66) – 5
Tried to get on the ball and bring some control, yet struggled to bend the game to his will. Hull’s midfield shape remained intact and he found few openings between the lines.

Diogo Dalot (on 80) – 5
Late introduction, little time to influence either end of the pitch. United were already chasing shadows by the time he arrived.

Shea Lacey (on 80) – 5
Thrown on in the closing stages with the match drifting away. Worked hard off the ball but couldn’t make an imprint going forward.

Subs not used: Karl Darlow, Lisandro Martinez, Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro.

Hull walked off to a roar, United to questions. On this evidence, one side looks built for the fight ahead. The other still seems to be searching for its identity.