‘We did a number on them’ – Hull star revels in ‘statement’ win over Man Utd

HULL CITY star Ryan Giles basked it “doesn’t get much better” than “doing a number” on Manchester United. Full back Giles enjoyed acres of space as newly-promoted Hull manager Sergei Jakirovic outwitted Michael Carrick‘s system using just three matches of prep. Ryan Giles basked it ‘doesn’t get much better’ than ‘doing a number’ on Manchester United Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Michael Carrick said there ‘are no easy games’ in the Premier League but losing to Hull City was embarrassing all round Credit: Shutterstock Editorial United showed no stomach for the fight, were played off the park and carved open on set plays and in the full-back channels. Hull bullied them from start to finish, even after entering the match with eight pre-existing injuries and losing both goalscorers—Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy—during the match. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! The Tigers have been prepped for their return to the top-flight with a summer spend of just £70million on 12 players – the same United are primed to splash on Carlos Baleba from Brighton. Quizzed on keeping a clean sheet and dominating from start to finish, Giles, 26, said: “We did a number on them. It doesn’t get much better than that to be honest. “To a man everyone was great and the stadium was rocking. It is something to take confidence from. “We knew what they were about and we’ve done what we needed to do. We take confidence from it.” United captain Bruno Fernandes noted that the team failed to prepare for Hull’s aggressive, high-energy style of play. Just a short drive over the Humber Bridge connects Hull and Grimsby Town, two venues that now share a special place in United’s hall of shame. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK In consecutive Augusts, United managed to lose to a fourth-tier side on penalties and get completely outplayed by a depleted, newly-promoted team. To add insult to injury, the traveling support faced logistical nightmares leaving both grounds. Eight of the players who led Hull to play-off victory over Middlesbrough at Wembley returned to the starting line-up, anchored by standout Prem debuts from goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis and Mendy. But United appeared to be stuck in preseason mode with several stars returning from their World Cup holidays before the Leeds camp on August 12. Giles said: “It was a fantastic day for the football club. Hopefully it sends a statement that we can compete with the best sides and have a part to play.” Hull have been tipped for relegation, just like they were last season in the Championship when the club were locked down under two transfer embargoes. Giles said the players heard the comments from pundits like Joe Cole, who said “Hull are gone, man” when asked who will face the drop come May. The crowd gave Cole abuse on Saturday. Giles added: “We’ve seen it and we need to use it as fuel. I appreciate that everybody might feel like we might go down, but we shouldn’t get too caught up in it. “Days like today can send a statement out. I do believe we can cause teams more problems this season. “I’m hoping days like today send a bit of a message to the rest of the league and everyone watching that we’re not just here to make the numbers up. “We know it’s going to be tough but there’s a good core in that dressing room, with brilliant togetherness and resilience and if we could stick to that we can go toe-to-toe with a lot of teams this year.” Asked if he was surprised by how poor United were, Giles said: “Not really, we knew set-pieces are massive in this league. We’ve got legs to burn on the counter-attack. We’ve got big Oli Mac in the box.” Home boss Jakirovic tailored his game plan around United’s pre-season vulnerabilities, targeting the flanks with quick switches of play to set up physical battles for striker Oli McBurnie against 19-year-old defender Ayden Heaven. McBurnie’s outstanding performance highlighted what United are missing: strikers. While Benjamin Sesko logged his first minutes since April, he remains far from match-ready, and Michael Carrick opted against using Joshua Zirkzee altogether. Marcus Rashford was thrown on at half-time for his first competitive United appearance in 20 months. The defeat laid bare United’s transfer window shortcomings—most notably the lack of cover for Luke Shaw and Baleba’s expected late arrival coming too late in the summer. United need a response when fellow new boys Ipswich visit next Sunday. Comment now