Time to celebrate: Man United have moved to within five points of leaders Liverpool having played a game more
All white on the night: The own goal came from Ashley Young's cross midway through the second half
Head in hands: James Chester turns from hero to zero after scoring the decisive goal in the second half
Danny Graham spurned a fine chance to
equalise in the 87th minute, with Chester also going close at the death
after Antonio Valencia picked up a late red card.
For
United boss David Moyes it was both a lucky escape and a fifth straight
win in all competitions, while Hull's Steve Bruce has still yet to beat
the club he once captained in 15 years of management. He can rarely
have had a better chance.
The visitors' team sheet - phoned in
after a delayed arrival - contained several intrigues: Darren Fletcher
back for a first start since December 1 2012, Danny Welbeck fit after
achilles trouble but Phil Jones absent with a knee injury.
Hull,
unchanged for the third time in a row, set the tone for the afternoon
by scoring with the first chance of the game, Jake Livermore and Ahmed
Elmohamady having earned an early corner.
Back of the net: The England international watches his first-half strike sail into the top corner
On target: Wayne Rooney unleashes from distance to score his 150th Premier League goal for Manchester United
Tom
Huddlestone delivered the ball into the box where Alex Bruce got above
Patrice Evra to head towards the far post. Welbeck was slow to come off
the line but Chester was one step ahead, advancing to volley first time
into the roof of the net.
United
had been caught cold and worse was to follow in the 13th minute as
Hull's fine start turned into the stuff of dreams. Meyler was the man
who drove Hull into the penalty area and stayed up to collect Yannick
Sagbo's cutback across the box. His first connection was wayward but
Evans allowed him a second chance with a sloppy clearance that came back
to the Irishman. The resulting shot would not have troubled De Gea but
Evans again intervened, wrong-footing the Spaniard and turning the ball
into his own net.
The home support first celebrated then turned their attention to Moyes, who was told 'you're getting sacked in the morning'.
An
apparent groin injury to Rafael gave the Scot a chance to change
things, and he made an aggressive move in sending on livewire winger
Adnan Januzaj. He had an almost immediate impact, winning a 19th-minute
free-kick from which United scored.
Rooney
provided the hanging cross from the right and Smalling produced a
clinical header that nestled inside the far post. United, almost
immediately, regained confidence and only a superb save from Allan
McGregor stopped Tom Cleverley finding the top corner with a 20-yard
curler.
Heads up: Chris Smalling rises highest from Rooney's free-kick to score for the visitors with 19 minutes gone
Back in the game: The United defender wheels away in celebration after scoring his side's opening goal
Net gains: David de Gea is powerless to prevent James Chester scoring against his former club
Eye of the Tiger: Chester is mobbed by his Hull team-mates after his first goal of the game
Injury blow: Rafael was replaced by Adnan Januzaj with 19 minutes gone after limping off with a groin problem
That's handy: Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was among the spectators in Hull
Heat map: Wayne Rooney covered notable ground in Manchester United's victory at Hull
The
Scotsman's effort was all the better considering he had earlier
collided awkwardly with Ashley Young, an incident that eventually forced
him off at half-time.
The
pace did not relent and with 25 minutes gone, Rooney netted the pick of
the day. He controlled Evans' long ball effortlessly with his back to
goal before flicking an overhead pass to Welbeck.
When
it came back to him, via a combination of Welbeck and Curtis Davies,
the England striker took another deft touch before crashing home a
fierce 30-yard volley. Bruce had to reshuffle at the interval, Steve
Harper on for McGregor and Robert Koren replacing Meyler.
Fury: Hull manager Steve Bruce reacts angrily to Danny Graham's missed opportunity to equalise for the hosts
But the hosts once more came out brightly, Yannick Sagbo working De Gea
on the turn and Davies glancing a header wide from Huddlestone's corner
having beaten Smalling.
Hull
turned the screw again either side of the hour mark, Sagbo tripped by
Valencia as he surged towards goal and Huddlestone denied by a ricochet
off Evra. Bruce's header, off the resulting corner, had De Gea well
beaten but came back off the frame of the goal.
Having weathered that storm, United promptly scored on the counter in
the 66th minute. Rooney started the move in midfield and hoped to finish
it after Young had beaten Maynor Figueroa on the wing.
Instead,
it went down as an own-goal as Chester nodded into his own net. In the
87th minute Sagbo's determination yielded a good chance for Graham to
equalise but his header lacked conviction.
Valencia's red card gave Hull a sniff in extra-time but De Gea's block off Chester ensured United held out.
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