The home side looked in control of the match after two goals inside the opening 13 minutes, but Chris Smalling and Wayne Rooney netted twice in quick succession to get United back on level terms at the break.

Alex Bruce hit the woodwork for Hull City, but moments later, James Chester put through his own net to gift his former side the three points.

Here, Sports Mole analyses the game to see if Manchester United were deserving of their triumph at the KC Stadium.

Match statistics:

Hull City:
Shots 17
On target 5
Possession 39%
Corners 6
Fouls 12

Manchester United:
Shots 13
On target 4
Possession 61
Corners 5
Fouls 14

Was the result fair?

Hull City produced a respectable performance against the Premier League champions, but David Moyes's side deserved the three points. They looked shell-shocked after quickly falling 2-0 behind, but they were the better team for the remaining 75 minutes. Steve Bruce's team pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but the Old Trafford outfit deserved to leave Yorkshire with all three points.

Hull City's performance

Hull started and finish this match strongly, but Steve Bruce will be disappointed that his players failed to build on their excellent early start. United first two goals were a result of well-taken efforts, but the third was Hull's own doing. They gave Ashley Young too much space on the right and Chester made a poor attempt to head the ball behind for a corner. Overall, this was a decent display, but there is still room for improvement.

Manchester United's performance

Moyes looked furious with his defence after they struggled to cope with Hull's blistering start, but as the game went on, United displayed their attacking quality and constantly had Hull on the back foot. Rooney and Danny Welbeck were impressive, while Smalling enjoyed a fine game at the back. United will have problems at right-back going into their next fixture, but this result made it five wins in succession, and they finally look ready to mount a challenge at the top of the table.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Wayne Rooney The 28-year-old has been United's star performer during a mixed campaign and he didn't disappoint against Hull City. Rooney crossed for Smalling to head United's first, before he scored one of the goals of the season with a stunning volley from 25 yards. He also pressured Chester into making a mistake for the decisive goal, despite Welbeck pushing him all of the way, Rooney just about wins this accolade.

Biggest gaffe

Jonny Evans can count himself very fortunate. After deflecting the ball past David de Gea for Hull's second, he looked a sure bet to be given this accolade, but he has been edged out by Chester. The former Manchester United man could probably anticipate a challenge from Wayne Rooney, but he should have avoided heading the ball into his own net.

Referee performance

Michael Olivier enjoyed a good game during this encounter. He could be excused for wrongly awarding Hull a corner in the run-up to the Tigers' first goal, and he went on to delivered a composed display under pressure. He made the right call to dismiss Antonio Valencia in the closing stages, and he can be happy with his performance..

What next?

Hull City: Hull host Fulham on Saturday afternoon, which could quickly turn out to be a massive game at the bottom of the table. They then travel to Liverpool on New Year's Day, where they will attempt to withstand the in-form Luis Suarez.

Manchester United: Manchester United face another game on their travels in two days time when they play Norwich City at Carrow Road. They then host Tottenham Hotspur in what should be an enthralling clash at Old Trafford.