# Carrick’s Attack Misfires as Hull Expose United’s Set-Piece Woes

What an absolute nightmare start to the new campaign, Reds! Our lads travelled to Hull on Saturday and came away with nothing but embarrassment after the promoted side schooled us 2-0. Two set-piece goals in 21 minutes. Two! From a team that scored the joint-fewest set-piece goals in the Championship last season. Let that sink in.

Michael Carrick warned us it wouldn’t be easy, but nobody expected this. We were rated at nearly 69% favourites before kick-off, and rightly so given the gulf in resources between us and a newly promoted side. Yet Hull made it look like a training exercise. The lads couldn’t break down their back five, and our defence looked all at sea from dead balls. Absolutely criminal.

Here’s what concerns me most: it’s not just the defensive frailties that are ringing alarm bells. Carrick’s attack looked toothless. We’ve got quality in the final third with Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings, plus the firepower of Benjamin Šeško, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo. On paper, that should terrify any defence in the league. But against Hull’s back five, we had no answers. No creativity, no cutting edge, no urgency.

Yes, the set-piece defending needs sorting immediately. But if we can’t unlock packed defences, we’re going to struggle all season long. Every team will sit deep against us now, especially after watching Hull’s masterclass in frustrating United.

Carrick did brilliantly to secure third place and Champions League qualification last season. That earned him the permanent job, and deservedly so. But this performance shows he’s got serious work to do on our attacking patterns. We can’t afford many more days like this if we want to challenge for silverware.

✍️ This summary was written by the MUFC Fanatics SA team based on reporting from The Guardian.

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