Manchester United ground out a tense 3-2 win against Ipswich Town to secure their first Premier League win since January.
It was a gritty performance across the board as the Red Devils held on to a narrow lead with only ten men, and Harry Maguire’s contribution at both ends was a massive factor in his side emerging with all three points.
The Englishman stepped up barely two minutes after the restart to head home what proved to be the winning goal from an inch-perfect Bruno Fernandes corner.
It was one of three shots he had on target – no other United player had more than one, and his shots accounted for half of the entire side’s efforts on target.
After giving his side the lead, he was one of the key men in hanging onto it with an imperious defensive display.
Maguire made seven clearances and blocked three shots, more than any of his team-mates in each defensive action.
He also came in with two tackles and one interception to keep the Tractor Boys’ persistent attackers at bay, particularly during a nervy second half.
The 31-year-old’s battle with Ipswich centre-forward Liam Delap was one of the central narratives of this evening’s game, and it’s safe to say that Maguire came out on top.
Delap struggled where United’s number 5 shone; Maguire won eight of the nine duels he contested, coming out on top in all three aerial battles and only losing one on the ground.
He was also solid on the ball, taking 70 touches – only Fernandes took more – and was accurate with his passing in a match where ball retention was particularly important.
Although mostly prodding the ball around at the back, 46 of his attempted 52 passes found their man, coming out at a more than respectable 88% accuracy.
It was an absolute must-win match for United, and Maguire played a crucial part in getting it over the line and hopefully helping Ruben Amorim’s consistently inconsistent team turn a corner.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
