Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand launched a passionate defence of Alejandro Garnacho after the winger was accused of consistently making poor decisions on the pitch.
The Argentina international started as one of the two most advanced midfielders in Ruben Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 formation.
Garnacho’s faulty execution was on full display, especially in one or two crucial counter-attacks that broke down because he failed to release the ball to Marcus Rashford early enough.
Ex-United star Lee Sharpe pinpointed this as something Garnacho needs to work on, as he labelled the forward “a little bit greedy.”
Ipswich defender Axel Tuanzebe was also very comfortable against Garnacho and hardly needed to break a sweat.
The United n.o 17 has since come under some criticism from a section of fans, who have highlighted his weaknesses. In the latest episode of Rio Ferdinand Presents, co-host Stephen Howson provided a scathing critique of Garnacho, claiming the Carrington academy graduate “has the decision-making of a cat. It’s awful.”
Howson added that he would drop Garnacho from the starting XI, in favour of an attacking trio of Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund.
Ferdinand wasn’t having any of it and responded, “Don’t talk about Garnacho like that. You can’t be perfect, he’s a kid man!”
“[Without Garnacho] no one’s running back, no one’s running in behind the opposition. I’d play Garnacho on the left.”
“This is a process we can’t expect them to look like the Sporting team now. It’s impossible, you can’t expect that to be the case.”
Garnacho will certainly be hoping for far better fortunes when United host Eliteserien outfit FK Bodø/Glimt at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
Who was United’s Man of the Match against Ipswich?
Wednesday 26 February 2025 23:11
Manchester United earned a hard-fought three points in the Premier League with a valiant 3-2 win over Ipswich Town.
Despite playing the entirety of the second half with 10 men, Ruben Amorim’s side defended well and showed plenty of grit to see out the victory in M16.
We asked you, the supporters, after the encounter, to vote for your Man of the Match and it was hard to decide between some standout performers.
But winning by an almighty margin was one player who continues to epitomise everything good about our side of late…
Captain Bruno Fernandes collected 59 per cent of the votes lodged on our platforms, with the Portuguese playmaker creating two of the goals.
Even if he is granted just the one assist officially, that means our no.8 has a whopping 23 goal contributions in 39 games for United this term and we cannot understate his performances.
Running himself into the ground, Bruno’s efforts were clearly appreciated as he made his way off the field.
It’s two awards in a matter of days for Bruno – who also claimed the same prize after our 2-2 draw against Everton at Goodison Park recently too.
In second place was Harry Maguire who claimed 26 per cent after his match-winning header helped us claim the three points.
Harry seemed to be absolutely everywhere across the 90 minutes and managed to handle the threat of Town danger man Liam Delap.
Our no.5 won five out of six aerial duels and also won all three ground duels in a standout display in defence.
But there was only one winner on an entertaining evening for those inside the Theatre of Dreams.
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim was more than pleased with his side’s efforts in overcoming Ipswich Town 3-2 in an entertaining Premier League encounter.
The Reds were good value for the narrow victory, despite going down to 10 men in the first half when Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu was sent off.
Harry Maguire’s header proved the difference after the break and the dogged display, appreciated by the Old Trafford crowd, yielded three important points to lift morale in advance of Sunday’s Emirates FA Cup tie against Fulham.
ENCOURAGING STUFF
“It’s really good for a coach to see that. It’s one thing passing that moment to have a performance like this, when the performance is like this, it’s not perfect, but we suffer a goal with one mistake. In this context, I felt that the team were more calm than in certain games. That’s a good thing. We turned things around, scored twice and were clearly in control. Then we had the sending off and had to fight for the three points. Today was a good performance in all aspects for my team and also our fans. They were amazing.”
MORE IN CONTROL
“I enjoyed the performance and the way we managed all the things against us. I felt the team were strangely more in control in possession than in other games with 11 players. Football is like that sometimes. You get surprises. We defended in the second half and tried to make some transitions to win the game.”
THE OPENING GOAL
“I think it is something that happen, even with other players. It was like Patrick, when he looked, he saw Andre Onana on the goal but then looked down and made the pass and Andre was already out. A misunderstanding.”
THE RED CARD
“I didn’t see it. The important thing is I know my player and he doesn’t want to injure a colleague in his profession. He wants to play the ball. Maybe it was a little bit harsh in the way he went for the ball. I didn’t see the image so I have to see it. But clearly he’s ready for the Premier League. He’s inexperienced but people judge right away. Last week, he was okay and had a good performance against Everton. Today, you say he’s not experienced enough. We have central defenders who are very good defending the box and we saw already [with ten men] against Arsenal and Wolverhampton, when we were so near to drawing game, today we managed to score so the result was very good.”
THE FANS LOVE TO SEE US FIGHT
“The fans are amazing. They’ve been suffering a lot of years but especially this season. They just want to see their team fight. I think, with our fans, it’s more easy to feel love from them when they just want to see the team fight and that is what we are supposed to do in every match.”
ON TO FULHAM
“I just focus on the next game. It’s really important for us to establish a little bit in the table. We need to survive this season and enjoy every game that we win and prepare for the next one.”
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De Ligt: It was a hard-fought win
Goalscorer Matthijs de Ligt reviews a positive result for a ‘scoring, fighting’ United at home to Ipswich…
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Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has credited assistant coaches Carlos Fernandes and Andreas Georgson for the side’s win over Ipswich Town.
United beat Ipswich 3-2 on Wednesday evening to move to 14th place in the Premier League table.
Amorim’s men got off to the worst possible start as they fell behind within four minutes as Jaden Philogene took advantage of a mix-up between Andre Onana and Patrick Dorgu.
A Bruno Fernandes free-kick was turned in by Sam Morsy to restore parity before the captain’s corner-kick delivery was eventually fired home by Matthijs de Ligt, to put the hosts in the driving seat.
Dorgu was then shown a red card for a challenge on Omari Hutchinson. Buoyed by the advantage, Ipswich drew level, with Philogene once again capitalising on a howler from Onana. But Harry Maguire secured all three points for him, bagging a second-half winner with his headed effort.
All through the season, one of United’s major weaknesses has been set-pieces but against the Tractor Boys, this was what helped get them over the line and Amorim was quick to praise set-piece coaches Carlos Fernandes and Andreas Georgson.
Speaking in his post-match presser, Amorim said, “This is well-deserved by the fans [the win]. The support was amazing and since day one, I felt that they just want to see the team fight until the end, no matter what and I think we did that today. You have that feeling of connection with the fans.”
“All the things in the game were against us and we fought through that.”
On the logic behind his decision to take off Alejandro Garnacho after Dorgu was given his marching orders, Amorim said, “The thinking was that we were playing 5-3-1. I know that was a risk because we took off maybe the one player who has pace in one vs. one situations. But I felt the team was ok and in control of the game, it was almost half-time and then we made the substitution. We have to choose someone to go out, think about set-pieces and eventually it was my choice.”
“We’ve talked about that[set-piece vulnerabilities] when we’re suffering goals. We talk about Carlos changing with Andreas. We’re in the same team and today they won the game for us. So, credit to them.”
“One thing that I felt here…it’s completely different than abroad. The contact with the defenders, especially with the goalkeepers [is intense]. So we adapt, we are improving the way we defend but also the way we attack set-pieces and like today, it changed the game.”
On implementing his preferred style of play, Amorim remarked, “I think that’s clear. It’s hard for me. Sometimes it’s like you’re fighting. That’s why I make that analysis… when we’re together and we have players like Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt defending the box, they are really strong but then when they have to cover a lot of space the game changed for them.”
“So I know that but I do not just think about now…of course we need to survive but it’s really hard for me to play like we did in the second half but I feel that the players are sometimes more comfortable when defending in a low block.”
“We have to improve in every aspect. We need to have more possession. I felt that today, we were more calm with the ball, especially in the beginning and after we suffered the first goal. I think Bruno was really important in that. Sometimes we want Bruno higher up the pitch but sometimes we need him also in building up and he was really good in that today. We clearly need to create more chances, especially to score more goals. I think that’s a big issue in our team.”
When he was withdrawn, Garnacho immediately went down the tunnel as opposed to remaining on the bench with the rest of his teammates.
Asked about this behaviour, Amorim joked, “You’re making a connection with Rashford, right?”
He then added, “I’m obviously going to talk with Garnacho about that and if you want we’ll talk about that in the next press conference.”
Amorim refused to slam Onana, instead emphasising that all the players in the squad need to refine their game and get better. On the mix-up with Dorgu, he explained that it was simply “a misunderstanding” between the two stars.
The Red Devils are back in action on Sunday when they welcome Fulham at Old Trafford in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
Bruno Fernandes maintained that the Manchester United players are sticking with manager Ruben Amorim through thick and thin even if it doesn’t always go to plan, after his team edged past Ipswich Town.
Speaking to TNT Sport after the game, Fernandes sidestepped a question about Dorgu and instead explained how confidence is looking in the squad.
“We know that we have to stick with what we’ve been training and trying to do, what we’re supposed to do,” he said. “You could feel in moments that it’s not working but for some reason the manager wants us to do that.”
It’s a quote which reads worse than it was delivered, with the 30-year-old’s tone expressing faith in his manager rather than scepticism.
He went on to praise the backroom staff: “they watch so many games, they prepare themselves. We have a big staff, not only the ones that came with [Amorim] but the ones that are already here.
“We have great people behind the team to work on that, so if they do that in the right way we just have to come on the pitch and show it. And as I said we need to be more confident, be more brave, to show our character and our qualities.”
The Portuguese was key to United’s hard-fought win, notching one official assist but also delivering the ball which set up the own goal and the corner which was eventually scrambled home by Matthijs de Ligt.
Keen to emphasise that his team had good moments today, he said: “we scored from two set pieces but we were completely in control of the game, playing between the lines, finding the spaces, finding the gaps.”
Nevertheless, the perfectionist in the club captain offered thoughts on how the team could improve: “I think we’re still missing that little bit of aggressiveness going forward. When we beat our opposition between the lines, when we turn, we need to be more aggressive going into their box.
“But we’re going to get that with time, with players getting more confidence. When we win games you get more confidence, you get more brave, so hopefully in the next few games we’re going to score more.”
United host Fulham on Sunday in the FA Cup, and will be looking to build on tonight’s win to take another step towards some silverware.
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.
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.
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.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes played a key role yet again, this time hauling his side to a spirited 3-2 victory over Premier League strugglers Ipswich Town.
Ipswich took the lead less than five minutes into proceedings after a calamitous mix-up between Patrick Dorgu and Andre Onana allowed Jaden Philogene-Bidace an easy goal.
United fought back, as Fernandes’ sublime free-kick delivery was turned in by Sam Morsy. Fernandes was at it again moments later, with his corner eventually being fired home by Matthijs de Ligt.
Dorgu was shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Omari Hutchinson and things got even worse for Ruben Amorim’s men after another Onana howler was punished by Philogene-Bidace. However, Harry Maguire powered in another Fernandes corner early in the second half to secure an important three points for United.
Three goals from Fernandes’ set-pieces means that he has now assisted the last six goals scored by the Red Devils.
During the time he was on the pitch, the skipper touched the ball 81 times and managed to find his teammates with 49 of the 64 passes he attempted. Four of these were key passes.
He successfully connected with four of the crosses he delivered and seven of the 14 long balls he tried to ping. The Portugal international created one big chance.
Fernandes was also good defensively, winning four of the six ground duels he delved into.
The 30-year-old was required to contest one challenge in the air and he didn’t disappoint, coming out on top.
It seems that no matter how bad things get at Old Trafford, the club can always rely on Fernandes to bail them out of trouble. He may not be everyone’s cup of team but there’s no denying his importance and impact at the club.
United are back in action on Sunday when they face Fulham in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Kick-off is at 16:30.
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt expressed his delight at scoring in our 3-2 win over Ipswich Town.
De Ligt’s smart finish turned the game around to make it 2-1, as he slid in to net his second goal for the club with 26 minutes on the clock.
A first effort at Old Trafford will have tasted that much sweeter as 10-man United hung on to win 3-2 in front of a rapturous crowd in M16.
Matthijs spoke to MUTV following our latest victory.
De Ligt: It was a hard-fought win Video
De Ligt: It was a hard-fought win
Goalscorer Matthijs de Ligt reviews a positive result for a ‘scoring, fighting’ United at home to Ipswich…
“I think it was a hard-fought win,” began the 25-year-old.
“I think as you said in the second half with ten men, [we were] fighting and even scoring is a really good achievement from us in that second half.
“Even the first half we didn’t even play that bad, we just conceded two silly goals. Obviously this always can happen in football.
“But in general we made some improvements compared to the last game.”
Amorim’s men flexed our aerial presence by netting from two set-pieces across the 90 minutes, with De Ligt expressing how it is hard not to get on the end of our captain’s pin-point deliveries.
“We have a lot of strengths at set-pieces with our heights and the crosses that we have from Bruno [Fernandes],” added Matthijs. “I am happy that today we could score two goals like that.
“It was a shot from Diogo [Dalot] and I saw that the goalkeeper was bouncing it, pushing it towards me.
“Then, like you said, the defender was quite close so I tried to hit it high into the goal and luckily it went over his leg so it was a [good] goal.”
Next up is the visit of Fulham this weekend, as our quest to retain the FA Cup resumes. The former Ajax man says United will do all they can to make it back-to-back victories on home soil.
“It is really important especially because this was a really important game for us,” said De Ligt.
“Obviously we know what situation we are in and if you are in at half-time with ten men, 2-2, it is going to be a difficult second half.
“So I think it is a really important win for us and hopefully we can continue [that] against Fulham.”
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Watch Amorim’s press conference Video
Watch Amorim’s press conference
POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE | Garnacho and set-pieces were topics of conversation in Ruben’s media briefing…
Manchester United finally clinched all three points at Old Trafford in the Premier League with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Ipswich Town on Wednesday.
It was more impressive as the victory came despite the Red Devils playing for over 50 minutes down to 10 men after Patrick Dorgu was shown a straight red.
The visitors took the lead after a calamitous mix-up at the back between the January signing and Andre Onana. Why the Cameroonian had to rush off his line with the wingback under no pressure made no sense whatsoever.
But despite the error, the 20-year-old did not let it affect his game and he bombed forward at will and was not afraid to put in dangerous crosses into the box unlike Diogo Dalot, whose decision-making was suspect once again.
Set-piece key to United win
The hosts equalised through an own goal before Matthijs de Ligt scored their second. But soon after Dorgu’s red, Onana was once again at fault as he allowed an innocuous ball into the box to nestle into the net.
With the 20-time English league champions down by a man, fans must have feared the worst but United, contrary to expectations, were quicker off the blocks in the second half as Harry Maguire scored the winner.
Even more surprisingly, all three goals on the night came from set-pieces. United have been notoriously bad at converting set-pieces but not on Wednesday.
Bruno Fernandes’ deliveries were inch-perfect and the way the centre-backs attacked the box seemed like it was well rehearsed, and hopefully this will continue in the games to come.
As for the red card, yes Dorgu did catch Omari Hutchinson high up on his left leg but when viewing in slow-motion every challenge looks worse than it is.
There was no malicious intent whatsoever and he did get a touch on the ball first before his momentum meant he clattered into the Ipswich man.
The Denmark international is still raw and looking back, he will probably have tackled the situation differently but the incident must be looked at with context.
VAR and ref bound to show Dorgu red after what transpired at Goodison
United had escaped Goodison Park with a point after VAR and the referee opted to wipe away their earlier penalty call for a clear dive from Ashley Young in the box.
What followed was a barrage of criticism by former players, pundit, journalists and even ex-referees with everyone pointing to how lucky United got on the day.
After a week of such discourse, VAR and the referee was bound to be swayed and a direct red card followed. Was it a bad tackle? Sure. But again, there have been way worse tackles in the league with malicious intent but VAR has never got involved.
Unfortunately for all of them, United still escaped with all three points against the Tractor Boys. The referee booked almost all United players for minor misdemeanors on the day, almost as if trying to get another player off.
So maybe VAR and the referees might try to affect another game of ours negatively and Amorim must tell the players to be more smart when dealing with confrontations on the pitch. A siege mentality must ensue. After all, this is United — hated, adored but never ignored!
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
Manchester United came out on top of a frenetic Premier League contest against Ipswich Town, emerging as 3-2 winners, despite playing most of the contest with 10 men.
Defensive confusion between Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and Andre Onana presented Jaden Philogene with the simplest of finishes after just four minutes, but United overcame that early obstacle to lead by the half-hour mark.
Sam Morsy headed a Bruno Fernandes free-kick beyond his own goalkeeper at the half’s midpoint, and the skipper’s corner three minutes later caused further problems for the away side’s backline, eventually culminating in Matthijs de Ligt slamming home his first goal in M16 to give us the advantage.
The contest took another turn moments before the break when Dorgu’s challenge on Omari Hutchinson was deemed worthy of a red card, a decision made with the intervention of the VAR, and Ipswich compounded our frustration shortly after, as Philogene equalised with his second goal right on the cusp of the half-time interval.
The second half proved less eventful, as United stuck in their shape well with a player less in their ranks, ensuring that Harry Maguire’s powerful header within two minutes of the second-half restart was decisive – and enough to hand us all three points.
Our centre-backs’ efforts proved crucial at both ends of the pitch.
FIRST HALF – FRANTIC AFFAIR
Ruben Amorim made two changes to his side, following our 2-2 draw at Everton last time out, with Leny Yoro and Alejandro Garnacho introduced in place of Noussair Mazraoui and Casemiro. The boss had spoken of his desire to see a quick start from his side, but rather, it was the visitors who surged into an early lead.
Liam Delap had only just dragged a shot wide of the bottom corner, when United experienced a defensive mix-up to allow the visitors to go in front. Dorgu attempted to shepherd Dara O’Shea’s over-the-top ball back to Onana, but as he came off his line, the ball was instead knocked beyond the goalkeeper – and Philogene raced ahead unopposed to convert into an empty net.
United looked to respond as Maguire nodded goalwards from a Bruno Fernandes corner, which was met by a diving save from Alex Palmer, and our no.5 was heavily involved at the other end as an ongoing battle with Ipswich frontman Delap ensued. Maguire crucially cleared a low cross ahead of the striker, before cleverly halting his mazy run forward on an opposition counter.
We endured a short spell of plenty of possession without significant threat in front of goal, but that all changed within a matter of moments, midway through the half. Another wicked set-piece delivery from Fernandes brought about our equaliser on 23 minutes, with his cross from a left-wing free-kick nodded into his own net by Morsy, under pressure from the nearby Rasmus Hojlund.
Then, only three minutes later, we took the lead following a Fernandes corner and the resulting scramble in the penalty area. A clearance fell short to Diogo Dalot whose low shot was palmed in front of goal by Palmer, where De Ligt pounced for his first Old Trafford goal – before the Stretford End, no less.
Our dominance of the ball continued as Garnacho robbed Philogene of possession and glided into the box, sensing strongly he should have had a penalty when Axel Tuanzebe knocked him off his stride, as Dorgu drew a diving save from Palmer from the subsequent loose ball. Garnacho looked set to pull the trigger himself seconds later when he reached the edge of the area, but Tuanzebe again thwarted him with a sliding challenge.
There was another turning point before the break, when Dorgu’s challenge on Omari Hutchinson led to a halt in proceedings for a couple of moments. It felt like that would be that as both sides took a pause, but referee Darren England was advised to consult the pitchside monitor by the VAR, leading him to show our full-back a red card
Garnacho was sacrificed by Amorim as a result, Mazraoui replacing him amid a defensive reshuffle, but the story of the first half was not yet done, with Ipswich equalising just before the break. Delap threatened to get a touch on Philogene’s low, searching cross from the right-hand side, but it was not needed, as the latter’s delivery trickled inside the bottom corner for his second of the night, deep in first-half stoppage time.
SECOND HALF – MAGUIRE MAKES DIFFERENCE
With the disparity in numbers, it looked like life after the restart could prove challenging but, in contrast to the opening period, we started the second half in perfect fashion. Fernandes floated in another inviting set-piece delivery, from the corner in front of the travelling Ipswich contingent, and Maguire met it with a thumping header beyond Palmer, reinstating our lead.
Naturally, Ipswich began to see more of the ball as they looked to level again, but the contest remained a cagey one for the most part – Maguire continuing his good work at the other end, forcing a Delap strike wide with his block and heading clear the corner that followed. It felt like a personal duel between the two, and one that our towering centre-back relished.
Excellent work from Yoro advanced on the left, and a lovely piece of improvisation to escape Hutchinson almost produced a chance for Hojlund, who feigned to shoot but there was no man in reserve forthcoming behind him, before Mazraoui closed down and saw the ball rebound off him and narrowly wide from his challenge.
Bruno was the provider for two of our three goals on the night.
Jens Cajuste’s low delivery across the face of goal caused angst as it lingered dangerously in our area, but Philogene’s attempted piece of control at the back post only diverted the ball out of play. Kieran McKenna introduced Jack Taylor and Nathan Broadhead from the bench, the former going close not long after coming in, but cut across his shot from the edge of the box and it swerved wide of the mark.
Fernandes surged down the left and looked to pick out Mazraoui in the centre, who’d sprinted forward from the halfway line, but the Morroccan was just beaten to the ball. Another double change for the visitors saw the arrival of George Hirst and Ben Johnson going into the final 10 minutes, but United remained resolute, defending well and restricting to Ipswich to very little. Hirst got his head to a corner shortly after corner his introduction, albeit with team-mate Jacob Greaves challenging for the same ball, and so failed to trouble Onana.
Forward Sammie Szmodics was also ushered on late in the contest for the away side, but he nearest they came to an equaliser, ultimately, was through Philogene, who did give Onana some cause for concern. Ipswich’s no.29 cut inside on to his left foot to drive a shot towards the bottom right corner, but Onana held on well, as we maintained our lead for a first Premier League win in three attempts on home soil.
Manchester United welcomed Ipswich Town to Old Trafford looking for a much-needed three points.
Andre Onana started in goal with Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro forming the back three.
Patrick Dorgu began the match at left wing-back with Diogo Dalot lining up on the right hand side.
Captain Bruno Fernandes moved further back to partner fellow weekend goalscorer Manuel Ugarte in the midfield.
Alejandro Garnacho, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund were the front three.
Here are four things we learnt from the match.
United continue poor starts
There has been much discussion over United’s inability to score goals in the first half and how their poor starts have consistently put them on the back foot.
Ruben Amorim’s side would have hoped for a solid start where they could put pressure on the visitors’ goal, but they did exactly the opposite.
A ridiculous mix-up between Andre Onana and Patrick Dorgu after just four minutes resulted in Jaden Philogene having all the time in the world to roll the ball into an empty net.
The Red Devils have many problems to solve but they cannot seriously expect to improve until they begin to start games in a professional way that their fans expect, especially at Old Trafford.
Set pieces are finally working for United
United and set pieces hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier in the season when it seemed that they would concede a goal every game from a free kick or corner.
Lately, they have been much more threatening from an attacking perspective and getting much joy from this area of the game.
Fernandes scored a wonderful free kick against Everton at the weekend and he played a key role in both of United’s first half goals.
The captain whipped in a fierce ball into the box which was headed into his own net by Sam Morsy.
A few moments later, his deep corner kick eventually resulted in De Ligt scoring the home side’s second of the match.
Harry Maguire powerfully headed in United’s third of the match thanks again to a corner from Fernandes that was right on the money for yet another assist for the team’s talisman.
Onana can no longer be defended
Every fan wants to defend and support their players and many stuck with Onana much longer than he probably deserved.
The Cameroonian started the season in good form but his level has sunk to record lows this calendar year.
He made two disastrous mistakes versus Brighton and Hove Albion last month and was at it again versus Ipswich tonight.
Whilst the first goal was also very much of Dorgu’s making, he had no need to come racing out and put the 20 year old under such pressure.
The second goal was very much on his own poor positioning which seems to be exploited on a regular basis by United’s opposition.
All in all, it means Amorim and United have another very big decision to make in the summer over the former Inter Milan player’s future.
United finally show some fight
When the home side trudged down the tunnel at half-time after just conceding and going down to ten men, Old Trafford probably feared the worst.
Nonetheless, Maguire’s goal shortly after the re-start was just the start of United’s impressive fightback.
The players ran themselves into the ground and were led by the tireless work of Fernandes and Ugarte in the midfield.
There was a moment late in the match when Liam Delap fouled Ugarte three times and his teammates ran to his defence and showed the unity they will need to dig themselves out of the hole they currently find themselves in.
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
