Manchester United ended a three-game losing streak at Old Trafford as they clinched all three points thanks to a 3-2 win over Ipswich Town on Wednesday.
The victory was made even more special by the fact that all three of United’s goals came from set-pieces, an aspect they have been notoriously bad at all season.
It was the visitors who took the lead and Patrick Dorgu was shown a straight red card in the 43rd minute but the 10 men of United still triumphed on the night.
Both goals came from Andre Onana howlers while the red card was harsh but it was always coming after the Red Devils’ reprieve against Everton last weekend.
Improvements for all to see
But with the scores tied at 2-2 heading into the break and with the Tractor Boys having a man advantage, not too many would have thought the 20-time English league champions could pull it off given their poor form this campaign.
But it was Harry Maguire who scored the winner while his centre-back partner Matthijs de Ligt netted the team’s second on the night.
And after the game the Dutchman was asked about the win and he admitted that there were improvements after a tough couple of weeks.
“I think it was a hard fought win,” De Ligt told MUTV (via MEN). “As you said, the second half with ten men, fighting, even scoring, it was a really good achievement.
“In general, I think we made some improvements compared to the last game.”
“It was a good game from us in the second half. I think in the first half we didn’t even play that bad, we just conceded two silly goals. Obviously, this can always happen in football.”
Amorim had finally got time to train with the team in the last two weeks and finally, it seems like the players are reaping the benefits and hopefully, we get to see more in the coming games.
Pundits have been having a pop at Ruben Amorim and the players for not understanding what each other want and hopefully, this win can be a turning point in the campaign.
Confidence high heading into FA Cup clash
Despite Dorgu’s three-game suspension, Leny Yoro’s form was a major positive as well as was the solid second-half showing despite playing with a man disadvantage.
The former Ajax star admitted that the win has given the team a major shot in the arm ahead of their FA Cup clash against Fulham on Sunday.
“Really important. This was a really important game for us. We know what situation we are in.
“If at half-time you are down to ten men and it’s 2-2, obviously it is going to be a really difficult second half, so I think it’s a really important win for us and hopefully we can continue against Fulham.”
The FA Cup represents a great chance for the team to secure silverware after what has been a terrible league campaign and hopefully the team displays the same fire at the weekend as they did under the lights tonight.
Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
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
