Hull stun Leicester as City gifted win by Sunderland
LEICESTER City’s Premier League title defence got off to a dismal start as crisis-club Hull clinched a 2-1 win over the champions, while the Pep Guardiola era at Manchester City started with a dramatic 2-1 home victory over Sunderland on Saturday’s opening day.
Three months on from their 5 000-1 fairytale title triumph, Leicester fell to Scottish winger Robert Snodgrass’s 57th-minute strike after Riyad Mahrez had cancelled out Adama Diomande’s opener.
Leicester’s stumble was followed by an equally gripping encounter at Eastlands, where new City manager Guardiola enjoyed some good fortune in his first Premier League match.
Sergio Aguero’s early penalty for City was erased by Jermain Defoe’s second-half equaliser before an 87th-minute own goal from debutant Paddy McNair gifted the points to Guardiola’s side despite their inconsistent display.
Leicester are the first defending English champions to start the campaign with a defeat since 1989, when Arsenal lost at Manchester United, and boss Claudio Ranieri admitted it was a sign of the tough campaign ahead.
“I told my players this season will be harder than last season,” Ranieri, whose side lost only three times last season, said.
“For this reason I told them we must be very strong together.”
Leicester went behind in first-half stoppage time at the KCOM Stadium when Kasper Schmeichel parried Curtis Davies’s header and Diomande and Abel Hernandez launched themselves at the loose ball.
Both men attempted an overhead volley – Hernandez made contact first, but the ball flicked off Diomande’s foot and flashed into the net.
Mahrez equalised from the penalty spot in the 47th minute after Tom Huddlestone clipped Demarai Gray from behind, although replays showed the foul occurred outside the box.
But 10 minutes later Hull secured victory when Danny Simpson could only partially clear Ahmed Elmohamady’s cross and Snodgrass thrashed the loose ball home.
Hull are without a permanent manager following Steve Bruce’s resignation last month and had just 13 senior players in their match-day squad.
“It was great to see the team and staff all pull together and surprise so many people,” caretaker manager Mike Phelan said.
After trophy-laden spells with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Guardiola is expected to bring major silverware to City.
The Spaniard quickly put his stamp on the team with debuts for new signings John Stones and Nolito, and a surprise decision to replace goalkeeper Joe Hart with Willy Caballero.
Guardiola’s debut began in ideal fashion when Raheem Sterling won a fourth-minute penalty after a foul by Patrick van Aanholt.
Argentina forward Aguero drove in the spot-kick, but Sunderland equalised in the 71st minute.
Jack Rodwell slipped a pass through the heart of the City defence to Defoe, who slotted past Caballero. That set the stage for a late flurry of City pressure which culminated in McNair heading a Jesus Navas cross into his own net.