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How the bottom seven stand
64 min
N'Doye goes down pathetically in the box, and referee Lee Probert's not interested. N'Doye then squirms a shot agonisingly wide of Valdes' post.
63 min
A smattering of ill-informed cheers from some Hull fans - suggesting some positive developments elswhere - but they're not fooling me: I have the internet. It's still 1-0 at St James' Park.
62 min
More flapping from Valdes, as Hull pile bodies into the area for a corner. It was Blind on the line who finally cleared the danger. Rooney, meanwhile, is lying injured after getting caught in the set-piece melee.
60 min
Herrera scuffs a right-foot shot just wide of the post. Hull fans seem resigned to their fate, but a goal for the hosts might just change that.
58 min
Wayne Rooney narrowly fails to get on the end of a Juan Mata pass, as Maraoune Fellaini prepares to enter the fray in place of Ashley Young.
56 min
More football, fewer close-ups of Hull City fans please, Sky Sports. Daley Blind goes into the book for preventing a quick free-kick.
54 min
GOAL AT NEWCASTLE! That could be curtains for Steve Bruce and Hull - Sissoko has put Newcastle into the lead at St James' Park. A hush descends on the KC Stadium.
53 min
Newcastle have missed a sitter against West Ham. Hull remain on the precipice.
50 min
Juan Mata fells Tom Huddlestone just on the edge of the box on the left-hand side. Huddlestone tries to drive the free-kick low, but it's belted away.
48 min
CHANCES! A stray pass allow United forward and Michael Dawson is forced into a heroic block to deny Herrera. Sloppy from Hull. Seconds later, David Meyler volleys a presentable chance high and wide.
46 min
Survival Sunday™ resumes. No changes for either side.
Half time
A decent 45 minutes from Hull but, obviously, they need a goal. They've had the ball in the United net twice, though, only to be thwarted by the offside flag of Darren Can:
45 min +1
Two minutes of added time. Ashley Young clips a pass into the Hull box, upon which Herrera tries to pounce, but he pokes the ball wide of a spreadeagled Steve Harper's goal.
43 min
Another deep Brady cross, which Valdes this time claims well under pressure at the back post.
40 min
Marcos Rojo ventures forward, and his left foot drive is deflected up into the air, but safely into the hands of Harper.
38 min
Goals flying in everywhere, I can tantalisingly reveal, but none of them in the two games that matter at the bottom. Wayne Rooney has a little kick at Robbie Brady, who gets straight back up with a grin.
35 min
Two promising openings for Hull - first, Dame N'Doye almost sets David Meyler through, but Daley Blind nudges him out of the way. Next, N'Doye evades Herrera with a wonderful flick, but his through-ball to Jelavic is rushed.
33 min
This chap has all the latest, thanks to the world's biggest headphones.
29 min
Juan Mata has shown the most adventure out of all the visitors thus far, but Hull's work rate is keeping even him at bay.
26 min
N'Doye is halted by the offside flag again, as Hull continue to press forward. Very little coming the other way from United. Di Maria's durability summed up, meanwhile:
7 - Angel Di Maria completed 90 minutes in the Premier League only seven times this season. Fleeting.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 24, 2015 24 min
Nikica Jelavic is now in some pain, as he clutches an ankle. He'll soldier on.
23 min
Di Maria, who was been struggling since that collision with Elmohamady, is coming off. Januzaj replaces the Argentine, whose debut Premier League season finishes in low-key fashion.
20 min
ANOTHER GOAL DISALLOWED! N'Doye deflects in a driven cross but, again, the assistant's flag is correctly raised. A riproaring two-and-a-half minutes or so.
19 min
SAVE! Valdes atones for his error with a superb save to keep out Elmohamady's header to the bottom corner!
18 min
GOAL DISALLOWED! Hull win a free-kick, wide on the right, which Brady swings in. It should be straight down Valdes' throat, but he drops it and the ball squirms through to McShane, who SCORES...but he's offside.
17 min
There's an awkward header from Phil Jones. Yep.
16 min
Victor Valdes - impossibly comfortable on the ball, even for a modern goalkeeper - is seeing most of the ball for United so far. Pinging the ball about on a sunny day in Kingston-upon-Hull: there must be worse jobs.
13 min
Hull midfielders swarm round any United player in possession, but the hosts are in danger of running out of steam at this rate. They are, for want of a better phrase, pumped.
10 min
Huddlestone shaped to shoot, but instead fed Brady on the left, but Hull couldn't squeeze in a shot and settle for a corner. Captain Michael Dawson rises highest, but his header is way off target. Hull have started very brightly indeed.
9 min
James Chester beats Rooney to a high ball, and continues forward - juggling the ball as he goes - eventually earning Hull a free-kick, 30 yards out. Great spirit so far.
7 min
Di Maria and Elmohamady come together in painful-looking fashion on the halfway line and both receiving treatment. Injury-time always significant in the final-day pantomime.
6 min
The visitors are showing about half the urgency of the relegation-threatened hosts. Hull threaten again, as Jelavic races onto a lofted Huddlestone pass, but the angle is tight and his attemped lob over Valdes has little chance of going in.
3 min
CROSSBAR! United's turn to attack. Rooney receives the ball, 22 yards out, and swipes a right-foot shot onto the top of the Hull crossbar. Steve Harper, in fairness, had the measure of it.
2 min
CHANCE! Hull's Robbie Brady swings in a beautiful cross from the left, which is met by Dame N'Doye, but his header is scooped up by Valdes on the line.
1 min
United - all in white - get the game underway. Hull, as it stands, are relegated for having bright blue rugby league pitch markings.
14.59
"Kick-off, now just moments away!" says Sky's Alan Parry, whose permanent state of semi-panic is perfect for a day like this...
14.51
Not long until kick-off at the KC Stadium. With the urgent need for updates from elsewhere, sales of these bad boys are reportedly at their annual peak (although I hear smartphones are the next big thing):
14.46
Newcastle have brought out the big guns at St James' Park - Mike Ashley has finally broken his media silence on Sky Sports to pledge his future (and his fortune) to "winning something" with the club. Not sure how Hull can match that before kick-off.
14.26
Will Steve Bruce give us a song, should Hull make the great escape?
If that's just too Phil Browny, perhaps some celebratory bumps from his playing staff. They'll have earned their bonuses then, certainly.
14.21
Van Gaal himself has had a mixed debut season at Old Trafford. The stats, at least, suggest that progress from the disastrous David Moyes reign has been minimal:
How Van Gaal and Moyes compare
| Man Utd | David Moyes | Louis van Gaal |
|---|---|---|
| Games played | 34 | 37 |
| Ave Goals per game | 1.65 | 1.68 |
| % Shots on Target | 46.8% | 49.2% |
| % Goals to Shots | 16.3% | 17.0% |
| Overall Pass Completion % | 83.6% | 85.2% |
| Pass completion in final third % | 72.5% | 74.5% |
| % Passes in final third | 31.2% | 29.4% |
| % Passes Long | 12.1% | 13.8% |
| Cross Completion % | 20.9% | 22.7% |
| Ave goals conceded per game | 1.18 | 1.00 |
| Tackles won % | 74.5% | 74.0% |
| Blocks, clearances & interceptions | 1925 | 1838 |
14.16
Two notable omissions from the Manchester United squad, meanwhile, including the hapless - and surely Monte Carlo-bound - Radamel Falcao. Our man Mark Ogden reports that the Colombian has no future at Old Trafford:
"...with Falcao playing in more than half of United's games this season, Van Gaal has been left unconvinced by his ability to succeed in the Premier League and he informed the player of his failure to earn an extended stay ahead of Sunday's trip to East Yorkshire."
14.12
If you're from Hull, and you just can't face reality, here's our FIFA '15 simulation of today's potential events:
14.05
Amid ominous orchestral strings and extra-ominous Sky Sports presenter voices, here are the lineups:
Hull: Harper, Chester, Dawson, McShane, Elmohamady, Meyler, Huddlestone, Quinn, Brady, N’Doye, Jelavic. Subs: McGregor, Rosenior, Bruce, Hernandez, Sagbo, Aluko, Robertson.
TEAM NEWS: Here's the @HullCity team to face @ManUtd in today’s #BPL clash at the KC Stadium #HULMUN pic.twitter.com/0JNsm4lt6B
— Hull City (@HullCity) May 24, 2015 Man Utd: Valdes, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Rojo, Blind, Mata, Ander Herrera, Di Maria, Young, Rooney. Subs: Januzaj, Lindegaard, van Persie, Fellaini, McNair, Blackett, Wilson.
United starting XI: Valdes, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Rojo, Blind, Herrera, Di Maria, Mata, Young, Rooney. #mufclive pic.twitter.com/feRVdFQtBe
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 24, 2015 Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
14.01
Good afternoon, and welcome to Survival Sunday™. The situation, for Steve Bruce and Hull City, is simple:
Hull have to beat Manchester United - and hope that Newcastle do not beat West Ham - to avoid relegation to the Championship.
11.45
Hello and welcome to the final day of the Premier League season.
As one final treat we have Hull City v Manchester United for you. If that doesn't get you excited then literally nothing will. Literally. Nothing.
Adam Hurrey will be here from around 2pm with all the pre-match build-up and team news.
PREVIEW
Andy Cole thinks Manchester United should target a top-four finish next season because he believes the title is probably beyond them.
United head to Hull on Sunday for the final game of the Premier League campaign having already secured their target of Champions League qualification.
Although they trail champions Chelsea by 15 points, manager Louis van Gaal claimed during his bizarre and entertaining speech at the club's awards night this week that United were "very close" to Jose Mourinho's men. But Cole disagrees.
The former striker, who won the Premier League five times with United, believes the Red Devils have fallen behind their rivals after two trophy-less years, and therefore reckons the club needs to temper their expectations.
"The aim should be the same again - to finish in the Champions League," Cole said.
Premier League top seven
"To win the Premier League next year would be very, very tough.
"Chelsea have been the best team. In the first half of the season they played very well and in the second half they ground results out. How many teams can do what Chelsea do? There are going to be the team to beat next season.
"Arsenal will be there if they buy a couple of players. If you miss out for two years it gets harder and harder. It will be tough for Manchester United to win the Premier League next year."
United hit form in the spring, beating Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham in quick succession, but ultimately their poor start cost them.
Despite enjoying a near-perfect pre-season campaign - and indulging in a £150million spending spree, Van Gaal lost his opening game to Swansea and ended up winning just three of his first 10 matches.
United have had to grind out several results and many of their new buys have not lived up to their star billing.
Cole thinks some United supporters have been left underwhelmed by some performances and is somewhat disappointed to have seen the team score just 62 goals in 37 matches.
"It has been another strange season," Cole said.
"The way Manchester United play is totally different to when Sir Alex Ferguson was here. They play a different way. And I just think it's a case of getting used to the system, and play the way we used to play.
"The fans are looking to always have galvanising, attacking, free-flowing football with lots of goals and when they don't get that then they are disappointed because that is what they have been brought up on.
"It has been an up and down season again, but we are in the top four."
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