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After an emphatic return to the Premier League last season, Sunderland were brought back down to earth on the opening day of the season with a 2-1 defeat at newly promoted Ipswich Town. It was a performance which was dampened by two goals which were "avoidable" for Regis le Bris' side, according to ex-Black Cats forward Martin Smith, who told BBC Radio Newcastle it was Sunderland's "sloppy" passes that ultimately gifted the hosts victory. As well as their possession frailties, Smith believes the Black Cats are in need of a "fox in the box" to help convert more chances.
United's Premier League season got off to a nightmare start as goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy - both stemming from set-pieces - put them to the sword in Yorkshire.
Hull City assistant manager Dean Holden has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Carabao Cup game against Stoke City at bet365 Stadium (kick-off 19:45 BST). Holden said Nobel Mendy, Semi Ajayi and Lewie Coyle, who were forced off against Manchester United, had cramp so it's "not as bad as first feared". Summer signing Hidemasa Morita "will get some minutes" after recovering from injury and there are expected to be several changes to the starting XI.
Michael Carrick was not pleased with questions he received on Saturday (Picture: Getty Images) Former Premier League striker Jan Åge Fjørtoft insists everyone involved was happy with the interview he conducted with Michael Carrick after a tense exchange with the Manchester United manager. Fjørtoft spoke to Carrick on Saturday after the Red Devils lost 2-0 at Hull City in their first Premier League game of the season. After the extremely disappointing start to the campaign Carrick was not in the best of moods and did not take kindly to one of the Norwegian’s questions. The former Middlesborough, Swindon and Barnsley striker, who now works for ViaPlay, asked Carrick: ‘I guess in management there are so many buzzwords hanging around, like passion, intensity and “go for it”. But would you accept that there was a lack of passion in the first half?’ Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. The United boss looked annoyed and snapped back: ‘Oh, come on. That’s ridiculous.’ Pushed for his own assessment, Carrick said: ‘You played football. You understand. That’s a ridiculous thing to say. Just because you get beat doesn’t mean you don’t care about it.’ Fjørtoft tried again, suggesting that Hull seemed more up for the game than Carrick’s players, but the manager was not accepting that assessment. pic.twitter.com/roQd4gKyeE— utdreport (@Burnerunitedacc) August 23, 2026 ‘No. No. The two goals came from set plays. Other than that, we had opportunities. That was where the game was,’ he said. ‘I don’t think it was passion or anything to do with that. I think it was just their moments that made the difference in the game.’ The 59-year-old, who won 71 caps for Norway, came in for some stick for the interview on social media, but said that no one had fallen out over the questions. He also pointed out that he has known Carrick – a man he shares Middlesborough connections with – for a long time. ‘To those of you who follow me—feel free to unfollow,’ Fjørtoft wrote in reply to an X user. Fjørtoft is a regular face at Premier League grounds (Picture: X) ‘Carrick, Manchester United, and we all thought it turned out well. Had a good chat with them afterwards, too.’ He added in another reply: ‘Both Carrick and Manchester United were pleased with the discussion. ‘I have known Carrick for many years.’ Unsurprisingly Fjørtoft was not the only to question the Manchester United performance, with Gary Neville saying Hull were more competitive and aggressive than his former side. He also said that the Red Devils must make signings in defence before the transfer window closes as they remain short of top level quality at centre-back and full-back. ‘Hull did everything they had to in terms of competing, being aggressive, organised and hard to break down,’ he told Sky Sports. Nobel Mendy headed in Hull’s second from a free-kick (Picture: Getty Images) ‘Manchester United fell short in those areas in the early stages of the game and they have struggled at times against teams that play deeper. ‘It’s a massive wake-up call. Hull didn’t just match Man United physically but were better than them in that area and that will be the big disappointment for Michael Carrick. ‘Too many players were well below par and he will want that to just be a blip, you can’t let it stretch into next weekend as well, they have to be at it. ‘What it did highlight is that Man United defence isn’t good enough. To be fair the club probably know that, they rebuilt the forward line last summer and rebuilt the midfield this summer with a few signings. ‘I don’t know if they’ve got the money or not but they do need a centre-back, and they do need full-backs. They just do. There’s no other way of putting it really. That was highlighted yesterday.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Little about the office tucked into the corner of the Academy of Light gives any clue it belongs to the man leading Sunderland's first European adventure in over half a century.
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