Hull made a dream return to the Premier League after a nine-year absence, beating Manchester United 2-0 on Saturday to puncture any preseason optimism surrounding the 20-time champions.
First-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy at set-pieces consigned United to a tepid loss away to a team that was promoted via the second-tier Championship playoffs at the end of last season and is widely expected to be among the relegation candidates.
United finished
third last season to secure a return to the Champions League, rewarding interim manager Michael Carrick with a permanent contract as well as a new midfield in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Marcus Rashford has come back from a loan spell at Barcelona and entered as a halftime substitute.
They struggled to impress along with many other players in a lackluster team display that showed United — last a Premier League champion in 2013 under Alex Ferguson — still has far to go to recapture its former glories and is unlikely to challenge for the title, at least on this evidence anyway.
“We have a bit to improve on — it was never going to be perfect," Carrick said.
“One game doesn’t change the direction of everything,” he added. "It doesn’t change the direction of the football club.”
Everton had a famous fan in its stadium watching a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Andy Burnham took in his first Everton match since becoming Britain's prime minister last month and saw Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry score goals for the hosts.
Senegal forward Ismaila Sarr, linked with a move away from Palace, wasn't in the matchday squad for Pierre Sage's first game in charge of the team. Palace lost Morocco defender Chadi Riad to what appeared to be a serious knee injury that forced him to be carried off on a stretcher.
Ipswich was another promoted team to win in the opening round of games, scoring in the 90th minute through Jack Clarke to beat his former club Sunderland 2-1.
Leeds also scored a late winner, with Anton Stach's 88th-minute free kick enough to dispatch Nottingham Forest 1-0.
The late game on Saturday sees Tottenham — fresh off spending $300 million, and counting, on new players — visit Brentford.
Arsenal began its title defense by beating Coventry, the second-tier champion last season, 3-0 on Friday.
On Sunday, Manchester City — demolished 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend — looks to bounce back against Bournemouth and Liverpool travels to Newcastle.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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