Hull complete Shane Long signing

Hull have confirmed the signing of Shane Long from West Brom in a three-and-a-half year deal thought to be worth around £6million.West Brom agreed a fee for Long on Thursday, with the player having a medical with Hull on the same day. Personal terms were finalised on Friday morning and Long's paperwork was cleared in time for the 26-year-old to be available for the Barclays Premier League trip to Norwich on Saturday. Long was close to signing for the Tigers on deadline day in September and was at the club's training ground when West Brom pulled the plug as their own pursuit of Romelu Lukaku faltered. Manager Steve Bruce maintained an interest in the player and received the green light from new Baggies boss Pepe Mel when a new enquiry was made this month. Long, who joins fellow Republic of Ireland internationals David Meyler, Robbie Brady, Paul McShane and Stephen Quinn in East Yorkshire, said: "I finally got the deal signed. I've met all of the lads today, and everybody seems really friendly. "It's a club that's on the up, and I'm delighted to be a part of that. I'm lucky that I've had a few inside informers letting me know what it's like up here. They all love it up here, and they're excited by what is happening at the club. "After meeting the manager, and respecting what he's done as a player and a manager, I was happy to start a new part of my career here and hopefully I can score a few goals to take us further up the league." Long's arrival completes a swift overhaul of Hull's forward line, which has laboured for goals so far this term, following the earlier capture of Nikica Jelavic from Everton. Ivorian Yannick Sagbo has impressed with his hold-up play but found the net just twice, while on-loan Sunderland striker Danny Graham has struck a solitary goal in a disappointing spell. Graham may yet be sent back to the Black Cats, while Matty Fryatt and Nick Proschwitz are available for transfer and have already attracted interest from in the Championship. Long's scoring record is not spectacular but he has a track record in the division, with 19 goals in 60 Premier League starts for Albion. He has three to his name this season, a fine effort against Chelsea and two against Aston Villa. Graham is currently in possession of the number nine shirt worn by Long at The Hawthorns, with the new signing taking number 21.

Match Report: WBA 1 Manchester United 2

A late own goal spared goalkeeper David de Gea's blushes as Manchester United began their defence of the Premier League title with victory at West Brom. Wayne Rooney scored early on when he combined with Fabio and Ashley Young to drill in a low effort. Shane Long equalised on his competitive debut for West Brom when his tame effort crept under the body of De Gea. United grabbed the winner when Young's cross from the left took a deflection off Steven Reid and beat Ben Foster. In the end luck was on the side of United, who had dominated for much of the first half but seemed devoid of bright ideas after the break. Had Reid not put through his own net then De Gea's error would have been highlighted on Monday's back pages, although it is unlikely his moment to forget will pass without comment. In the past Ferguson's Achilles heel has been the man wearing the number one jersey and on Sunday De Gea may have made his manager consider whether he was right to throw the 20-year-old straight into the first team. Other young players such as Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck have been loaned out to gain experience before being handed their first-team opportunity, but Ferguson had no hesitation in giving the £18m summer signing his league debut. Rooney opens the scoring early on The Spanish stopper looked impressive when he took up a good position and then stayed on his feet to palm away a fierce strike from Paul Scharner. However, he appeared weak when balls were floated into the area. Yet it was not a teasing cross that outfoxed De Gea for the West Brom goal but a weak strike that drifted under his body. Up until the equaliser, United were in control and some fans must have been wondering how many the champions would score after Rooney drilled home in the 13th minute. The England striker linked with up with Fabio and Young before shifting inside the area and firing low into Foster's bottom left corner. United produced some controlled pinball in and around the penalty area. Nani, Rooney and Danny Welbeck knocked one-touch passes between themselves before Nani scooped over. Moments later, the Portugal international fired over again when former United keeper Foster failed to deal with a cross. The visitors' setup was upset after the break when centre-backs Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand were forced to come off with injuries. The average age of the starting XI was 23.9 years and that was lowered when Jonny Evans and Phil Jones came on as replacements. It was lucky for the pair that only Long's movement and Somen Tchoyi's crossing raised their heartrates during the second half. At the other end, United replaced Welbeck with experienced striker Dimitar Berbatov, hoping that a moment of Bulgarian magic would gift them victory. But as it was, it was a moment of good fortune which gave the champions the perfect start.