Manchester United vs. Hull City: Score and Reaction from 2017 EFL Cup Leg 1
Manchester United convincingly beat Hull City 2-0 during the first leg of their 2017 EFL Cup semi-final tie on Tuesday.
Juan Mata gave the hosts a deserved lead early in the second half, and Marouane Fellaini doubled the advantage close to the final whistle, ensuring the Red Devils enter the second leg with a healthy lead. The two teams will meet again on January 26.
As United's official Twitter account shared, star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was absent for the first leg of this tie, with Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford shouldering attacking duties:
Mata had an early chance to open the score, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian combined to set up the Spaniard. Hull keeper Eldin Jakupovic was ready for his curling shot, however.
Hull started the match well, taking the fight right to United, and it made for a lively opening period. David De Gea intervened to deny Markus Henriksen, and Rooney almost got on the end of a great passing move set up by Darmian.
Harry Maguire stole the show with a fantastic run after taking the ball from Mata, but the 23-year-old defender couldn't keep his cool in the end, firing a shot too close to De Gea.
Henriksen landed awkwardly after a duel with Paul Pogba, and the midfielder had to come off early in the first half with his arm clearly bothering him.
Philip Buckingham of the Hull Daily Mail feared for a serious issue with his shoulder:
Mkhitaryan inexplicably failed to hit the target after great work from Mata, and the Armenian continued his wasteful ways, blasting another shot well wide of the mark from a great position.
Jakupovic made a good save to deny Pogba from range, but the Frenchman kept causing problems, setting up Rashford with some nifty footwork. The best chance of the half fell on the other side, however, with Adama Diomande hitting the post after a great delivery from Robert Snodgrass.
Betting company Paddy Power couldn't help itself:
Ander Herrera became the latest United midfielder to miss the target with a wild shot, and Snodgrass threatened with a low strike that barely troubled De Gea. Abel Hernandez also tested the Spaniard, and Pogba kept Jakupovic busy. David Meyler ended an entertaining first half with a key interception.
PA Dugout didn't understand how United didn't score before the break:
The Red Devils tried to change that early in the second half, with Pogba picking out Mkhitaryan, who missed his touch. Rooney nearly grabbed the United scoring record with a low drive that went wide, but the hosts' pressure finally paid off after 56 minutes.
Antonio Valencia found Mkhitaryan with a cross, and the former Borussia Dortmund man delivered the ball to Mata, who calmly finished.
Per WhoScored.com, the Spaniard has been invaluable of late:
Manager Jose Mourinho introduced Anthony Martial in favour of Rooney almost immediately after the goal, changing his tactics to aim more for the counter. Hull kept prodding for an equaliser, with Diomande firing an acrobatic effort over.
Pogba found the post with a superb free-kick, and substitute Shaun Maloney couldn't connect cleanly with the ball when he found space for a shot.
United kept up the pressure, and substitute Fellaini eventually doubled the lead. Darmian fired in a great cross, and Meyler gave the Belgian far too much space, making life easy on him.
The Red Devils kept up the pressure, and Martial missed a great chance to add a third goal, but Hull held on, giving themselves a chance for the return leg.
Per United's official Twitter account, Mata believes the job is far from over:
The Tigers will host United for the return leg on January 26.
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