Hull Punish Manchester United as Carrick Keeps Calm

Manchester United’s season lasted 17 ragged minutes before the alarm bells started ringing.

By then at the MKM Stadium, Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy had both scored, Hull were two up, and Michael Carrick’s side looked exactly the opposite of a team tipped to chase down champions Arsenal.

Hull, back in the Premier League for the first time since 2017 and missing 10 players through injury, simply tore into them. Energy, aggression, belief. United had none of it. The promoted side had plenty.

Ajayi struck first, punishing slack defending to jolt United out of their early-season haze. When Mendy added a second before the interval, the visitors looked stunned, short of ideas and even shorter of intensity.

This was supposed to be a statement start from a club that finished third last term and talked up a title tilt. Instead, it was a warning.

Carrick, though, refused to reach for the panic button or the hairdryer.

“We came here to win so to not take anything away is hugely disappointing. It is not a nice feeling but it is not going to change our direction as a team or a club,” he said, insisting there would be no repeat of the emotional eruptions that helped sink his predecessor Ruben Amorim.

“You have to carry on as normal. We just don’t all have to shout and scream and create some chaos. Calmness doesn’t mean there is not emotion.”

Hull’s afternoon only grew sweeter.

Teenage Socceroos defender Lucas Herrington, signed from Colorado Rapids in a deal reported at around $A33 million, came off the bench on 64 minutes to make his Premier League debut. At 18, he did not look overawed. Composed on the ball, assured in his positioning, he earned early praise as he began to stake a claim for regular minutes.

United, by contrast, offered little sign they can “go toe to toe” with Arsenal any time soon. For an opening day, it felt more like a reality check than a launch.

Spurs’ big spend, Brentford’s big statement

If United’s defeat stung, Tottenham’s collapse at Brentford was downright embarrassing.

More than £200 million ($A380 million) has been thrown at a squad that only just avoided relegation on the final day last season. New faces, fresh optimism, a reset promised.

On this evidence, the rebuild is nowhere near complete.

Roberto De Zerbi handed starts to four of his new signings — Sandro Tonali, Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke — with Mateus Fernandes introduced in the second half. Names, fees, expectation. But Brentford, assembled on a fraction of Tottenham’s budget, simply ripped into them in west London.

Keith Andrews’ side played with clarity and conviction. Spurs looked disjointed, fragile, easy to open up.

Keane Lewis-Potter struck first, Vitaly Janelt added a second before the break, and when Michael Kayode made it 3-0 after the interval, the scoreline finally matched the pattern of the game.

It might have been even uglier. Igor Thiago missed a penalty that would have put Brentford four goals clear and turned a bruising afternoon into a full-blown humiliation.

For a club that has spent so heavily to avoid a repeat of last season’s ordeal, this was the nightmare they thought they had paid to escape.

Sage’s Palace stumble, Glasner’s Forest fall late

Crystal Palace know all about new eras too, and Pierre Sage discovered quickly how unforgiving the Premier League can be.

The Frenchman arrived with a glowing résumé after guiding Lens to second place in Ligue 1 and a French Cup triumph last season. He inherited a squad still basking in the glow of Oliver Glasner’s FA Cup win in 2025 and UEFA Conference League success last term.

None of that helped him at Goodison Park.

Everton, under pressure as always, struck first against the run of play. On 42 minutes, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall mugged Daniel Munoz, drove forward and lashed a fierce shot into the far corner past Dean Henderson. Clinical, ruthless, exactly what Palace lacked.

Thierno Barry deepened Sage’s misery early in the second half, thundering a bullet header from Iliman Ndiaye’s cross in the 53rd minute. Palace huffed, but Everton held firm. For Sage, it was a cold, sharp introduction.

Glasner did not fare any better in his new job.

The Austrian’s first match in charge of Nottingham Forest ended in a 1-0 home defeat to Leeds at the City Ground. With the game drifting towards a stalemate, Anton Stach stepped up in the 88th minute and whipped in a free-kick that squirmed past Matz Sels to steal the points.

Forest will not have long to stew on it. The same opponents return on Tuesday in the League Cup second round. Glasner’s second impression needs to be better than his first.

Ipswich announce their return in style

Portman Road has waited a long time for days like this.

Ipswich, back in the Premier League, marked their return with a dramatic 2-1 win over Sunderland that arrived right at the death.

The afternoon started perfectly. New signing Emersonn opened his account with a debut goal in the 24th minute, settling any nerves and igniting the home crowd. Sunderland, though, refused to play the role of visitors in a celebration.

Nilson Angulo levelled in the 39th minute with a fine free-kick, bending his effort beyond the wall and into the net to silence the stadium and reset the contest.

The game seemed destined to drift into frustration for Gary O’Neil, taking charge of his first match as Ipswich boss after replacing Kieran McKenna. Then came the 90th minute.

Jack Clarke curled home the winner, a composed finish that sent Portman Road into chaos and handed O’Neil the kind of opening-day victory managers dream about.

Champions roll, giants reset

The rest of the division watched on with interest.

Arsenal, the standard-setters, had already laid down their marker on Friday night, brushing aside promoted Coventry 3-0 at the Emirates to open their title defence with authority.

On Sunday, Manchester City begin life without Pep Guardiola, as Enzo Maresca takes charge for the first time against Bournemouth. New ideas, same expectations.

Liverpool also step into a new age. Mohamed Salah has gone, Andoni Iraola has arrived, and his first assignment is a testing one at home to Newcastle.

One round in, and the storylines are already piling up. United rattled, Spurs exposed, newcomers fearless. If this is the tone of the opening weekend, what comes next?