Luke Shaw has been roundly criticised by Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who condemned the left-back’s contribution to Hull City’s second goal
Luke Shaw positioned himself too far back, allowing Hull’s forwards to stay onside for their second goal against Manchester United
Wayne Rooney tore into Luke Shaw’s defensive work against Hull City, calling it schoolboy after the full-back faced scrutiny for his part in Manchester United’s 2-0 loss at the MKM Stadium on Saturday. Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy struck in the opening period to secure victory for the newly-promoted club.
United entered the fixture as strong favourites on the season’s opening day but were left reeling when Hull opened the scoring in the 17th minute. The home side began the match with intensity, requiring Senne Lammens to make several important stops, including a curling set-piece that found McBurnie at the far post.
His shot was kept out, though Ajayi pounced fastest to fire in the rebound. Hull then doubled their lead shortly after from a dead-ball situation.
Regan Slater’s cross picked out Mendy, whose header sealed the outcome for United. Rooney was especially aggrieved with Shaw for the second goal, taking issue with the defender for retreating too deep and keeping Hull’s entire forward line onside.
On BBC’s Match of the Day, the former United captain observed that Heaven was with McBurnie, Ajayi was with Mbeumo. Heaven lost his player, it was a very good save by Lammens and there was no reaction from Mbeumo and they went 1-0 down – it was a very difficult game from there. Rooney said this really summed things up from Hull’s perspective.
Rooney explained that Hull got the ball out wide and then Dorgu and Shaw had to make a decision about who would press the ball. Tielemans was covering the runner. Rooney believed Shaw should have gone to press the ball, but he did not. Shaw allowed Dorgu to try to press the ball, but Dorgu did not get close enough.
The ball came into the box and United cleared it. Hull came alive and won the second ball. Giles was on the other side, the ball went out. Mbeumo did not get out quick enough, which allowed the ball to come into the box. It got cleared again. Hull picked up the second ball again, there was no intensity, no pressing on the ball from Mbeumo.
Rooney continued that Belloumi came and got on the ball. Tielemans, who was probably fed up, had seen the ball going from side to side, getting headed out, not picking up second balls. He gave away a free-kick, which led to the second goal. Rooney described this as schoolboy defending from Shaw.
Rooney noted that Manchester United had a good line, and Hull had been waiting for this all day. Shaw dropped in, he was five yards behind his back line, and if this ball was good enough – which it was – it was impossible to stop. So Hull had a game plan: get the ball in the box and pick up second balls, and Manchester United found it really difficult.
United’s manager Michael Carrick expressed his frustration but maintained his side produced a lot of good things in Hull. He said they came there to win as they do in any game, so to not take anything away was hugely disappointing.
He noted that they had not lost many games in six or seven months. He understood that they lost that day, and there were questions to be asked, but it did not mean everything was wrong just because they had lost a game. They had done a lot of good things and they did some good things that day, but it gets lost, and he understood it would get lost. It did not get lost from their point of view.
He said there were definitely issues playing against different systems. They had to find the answers for that, but it was just because they lost one game does not mean that everything needs to be dissected and it was wrong from their point of view. He understood from others, it happens, and that was how it is.