A ten-man Manchester United defeated Ipswich Town 3-2 in what was an intense Old Trafford encounter on Wednesday night.
Harry Maguire emerged as Man United’s unlikely hero on the night, hammering home a header to secure three points in an impressive comeback.
With the visitors sitting in the relegation zone, United would no doubt have been determined to claim what should be a surefire three points at home.
Just four minutes in, disaster struck. Patrick Dorgu attempted to pass the ball back to Andre Onana, who came out of his goal for an unknown reason. As a result, Dorgu’s backpass breezed past the United goalkeeper, with Jaden Philogene-Bidace easily picking up the loose ball and burying it into an empty net. A nightmare start for United.
10 minutes in, United tried to get back into the match, with a Bruno Fernanes corner finding Harry Maguire, whose solid header was well saved by the Ipswich keeper.
United kept up the pressure in the minutes that followed, pressing Ipswich in their final third. Still, the final product was lacking.
22 minutes in, United levelled the scoreline. After Alejandro Garnacho was brought down on the left wing, Fernandes thumped in a free-kick that Ipswich captain Sam Morsy headed into his own net.
Just four minutes later, United ripped into the visitors again. Fernandes whipped in a corner, with Maguire’s header being blocked by the defence. Diogo Dalot took a shot off the rebound, which the goalkeeper saved, only for Matthijs de Ligt to pounce on the loose ball to hammer it in from close range. 2-1 to United.
35 minutes in, Garnacho fell inside the box, bringing on a chorus of calls for a penalty. The referee was well-positioned to see that there wasn’t much in the tackle, dismissing United’s calls.
Five minutes before the break, Dorgu appeared to catch Omari Hutchinson with his studs. The referee initially awarded a foul with no booking, only for VAR to intervene and take a closer look. The referee made his way to the touchline to inspect the foul for himself.
Unbelievably, the referee sent Dorgu off with a red card. It was a bizarre decision, given that Dorgu appeared to have lunged for the ball, only for his studs to be slightly exposed.
Still, manager Ruben Amorim had to make do with the situation. Aware of the gap at the back, he replaced Garnacho with full-back Noussair Mazraoui.
With four minutes of added time, thanks to the controversy, Ipswich made the most of their man advantage.
Philogene-Bidace sent a cross into the box, with striker Liam Delap chasing after the ball. While De Ligt failed to keep up with his mark, it made little difference as Philogene-Bidace’s cross snuck into the back of the net past Onana, who was none the wiser. 2-2.
Moments before the half-time whistle, Rasmus Hojlund and Dara O’Shea were booked as they got into a scuffle. The whistle blew at the right time, just as tempers were starting to flare up.
Despite being a man down, United would have no doubt gone into the break hoping to restore their lead in the second half against inferior opponents.
United got the second half off to a dream start. Fernandes swung in a corner kick, which Maguire headed home to restore his side’s lead. Old Trafford erupted with jubilation, with fans surely extra ecstatic that their team could score so quickly after the restart despite being down to ten men.
After Ipswich were awarded a soft free-kick in the middle of the park, Joshua Zirkzee kicked the ball away, earning himself a yellow card.
Past the 65-minute mark, Amorim decided to make another change. Hojlund was replaced by Casemiro.
72 minutes in, Ipswich were imposing on United’s final third, with Jack Taylor striking a strong shot at goal that breezed wide. Still, Onana appeared to be on track to making a save if necessary.
13 minutes from time, Fernandes burst forward with the ball on the left flank. While short on teammates up front, Mazraoui sprinted into the centre of the box, only for Fernandes’ pass to be a fraction too hard for the full-back to control.
Ipswich won three corners in quick succession, yet United’s defence remained rock solid, quelling the danger with ease.
Six minutes from time, it all started kicking off when Liam Delap shoved Manuel Ugarte repeatedly. Mazraoui came to his teammate’s defence, knocking Delap off his feet in retaliation. Both Mazraoui and Delap were booked for their scuffle.
Four minutes of added time were announced, and the United defence remained resolute, with Casemiro performing an impressive slide tackle to cut out a late counter-attack.
With two minutes remaining of added time, Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof came on for Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro. It was a brief cameo, however, with United doing well to see the game out.
It was an impressive show of character from United, who managed to pull off a win despite the odds being stacked against them following a questionable sending-off. Amorim would no doubt be proud of his players’ passion and grit.
Starting XI: Onana, De Ligt, Maguire, Fernandes, Hojlund, Zirkzee, Dorgu, Yoro, Garnacho, Dalot, Ugarte
Subs: Mazraoui, Casemiro, Eriksen, Lindelof
Featured image Gareth Copley via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
