in brief
- The Queenslander was thrown into the action with Hull leading 2-0.
- Hull's victory was their first league triumph over United since 1974.
Australian teenager Lucas Herrington has made a stunning arrival in the Premier League, coming off the bench to help Hull City pull off a famous 2-0 boilover against Manchester United.
The 18-year-old Socceroo, the only Australian currently playing in England's top flight, was thrown into the deep end when starting defender Nobel Mendy went off injured in the 64th minute.
The record $33 million Australian signing barely put a foot wrong as Hull held firm to claim their first league win over United in 52 years.
Written off as overwhelming relegation favourites, with former England Joe Cole irritating their fans with his suggestion that "Hull are gone, man", the Yorkshire side were well worth their win over a lumbering United whose build-up play was too pedestrian and attacking execution too shoddy.
In the 38th minute the Tigers' central defender Nobel Mendy, signed on the same day as Herrington earlier in the month but who got the nod to start ahead of the young Aussie, scored their second goal.
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It inspired the inevitable chant around the MKM Stadium: "Are you watching, Joe Cole?!"
By that time, Michael Carrick's United were already struggling to get to grips with a side that deservedly led through a couple of first-half set-pieces.
Centre-back Semi Ajayi opened the scoring in the 17th minute when United failed to deal with a corner, and then Regan Slater whipped in a 38th-minute free-kick that another central defender, Mendy, latched onto, nodding home expertly.
But when Mendy had to come off injured in the 64th minute, Herrington, a record $33 million signing for an Australian player, got his big moment, the former Colorado Rapids defender coming on in a triple substitution.
He became the first Aussie teenager to play in the Premier League since Harry Kewell and, at 18 years 351 days, is the third-youngest Aussie to play in England's top flight.
The youngster with a big reputation for his calmness never looked fazed as United tried to eke their way back into the match with a series of largely lumbering attacks.
He only had nine touches amid United's huff-and-puff, but they all told of a lad who already seems at home in this elevated company.
With Hull's Bosnian boss Sergej Jakirovic revealing that Ajayi, Mendy and captain Lewis Coyle will all have to be assessed for their injuries over the next 24 hours, Herrington will next be in line to feature in Wednesday AEST's League Cup tie at Championship side Stoke.
Then he may well feature in their next league game, a huge one at also-promoted Coventry, who lost their opener on Friday 3-0 at champions Arsenal.
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