Hull City’s return to the Premier League brings back a fixture against Manchester United that has produced goals, drama and a fair share of one-sided afternoons since the two clubs first met in the competition back in 2008.
Ten meetings have taken place so far, spread across three separate spells in the top flight for Hull. Anyone checking Hull vs Man U odds for this season’s meeting is following a fixture Hull have never actually won in the Premier League, though not for a lack of trying.
Old Trafford’s capacity of around 74,310 dwarfs Hull’s own ground, the MKM Stadium, which holds a little over 25,000, a gap that has often been reflected in the scorelines between the two. Here are five of their most notable meetings.
November 2008: a seven-goal thriller
United came out on top 4-3 at Old Trafford in the sides’ first ever Premier League meeting, holding off a late rally from Phil Brown’s Hull side in what remains the highest scoring game the fixture has produced.
Hull, newly promoted that season, gave United a genuine fright before running out of time to complete the comeback, with both sides trading blows throughout an entertaining afternoon.
January 2010: Rooney’s four-goal haul
Wayne Rooney scored all four goals in a 4-0 win at Old Trafford, the first time in his career he had managed four in a single match. Rooney went on to be named PFA Players’ Player of the Year later that season, and this performance against Hull stood out as one of the clearest examples of the form that earned him the award.
December 2014: Van Persie’s return
Robin van Persie ended a barren run-in front of goal with a well taken strike in a 3-0 win over Hull at Old Trafford, adding to goals from Chris Smalling and Rooney.
Steve Bruce’s Hull side were midway through a four-match losing streak at the time, and Louis van Gaal’s United used the game to build some much-needed momentum of their own.
August 2016: a narrow win to open the season
Hull started the 2016-17 season with a 1-0 home defeat to United, a result that offered little hint of the struggles that would follow later that campaign as Mike Phelan’s side were eventually relegated in 18th place. For those tracking Premier League title odds at this stage of a season, results like that one is a reminder of how quickly form can turn for a promoted club. The reverse fixture in February 2017 finished goalless, one of only two draws the two clubs have played out in the Premier League.
Hull’s relegation sealing stalemate
The two sides played out a scoreless draw at Hull’s own ground during the closing weeks of the 2014-15 season, a result that confirmed the Tigers’ relegation back to the Championship. United dominated for long spells without finding a way through, giving Hull’s supporters a rare positive send-off from a difficult campaign even without a winning goal to celebrate.
Across ten Premier League meetings, United have won eight and drawn two, leaving Hull still searching for their first win in the fixture heading into this season’s reunion, with the closest they have come being a battling three-goal effort back in 2008.
