Manchester United 5-2 Ipswich: Fernandes 40, 61 pen, 68, Greaves 56 o.g., Mbeumo 82; Davis 29, Akpom 90+1
When Manchester United went 1-0 down to Ipswich in this game it seemed to some like another inexorable spiral towards doom. But by the end, United had run riot.
Bruno Fernandes, who was crowned PFA Player of the Year in midweek for his exploits last season, scored a hat-trick, including a penalty, as if to calm fans’ anxiety over his misses in pre-season. Bryan Mbeumo also got on the scoresheet with a fine goal at the end.
Michael Carrick’s side had been badly exposed in the 2-0 loss at Hull, but there was far greater intensity from United here. Ipswich nevertheless still gave Carrick a lot to think about in defence, taking the lead through Leif Davis before United turned the game after half-time.
Marcus Rashford was really good here in his first Old Trafford appearance in nearly two years. He was positive on the ball, and there was a particularly memorable moment when Diogo Dalot launched a cross from the right and Rashford stretched and slid to square it across goal. Bryan Mbeumo somehow contrived to miss from three yards, the ball hitting the Cameroonian’s knee and bouncing back off the crossbar.
Ipswich had only 30 per cent of the ball all game but posed United problems on the counter. Julio Enciso went close twice and Senne Lammens had to be agile to deny Daizen Maeda. The visitors eventually found a way through in the 29th minute when Abdul Fatawu beat Luke Shaw on the touchline out on the left and scorched into the box unimpeded. His cross for Davis was finished expertly.
United continued to look vulnerable at the back and Lammens had to tip another Davis effort over before the hosts finally found an equaliser five minutes before the interval.
Marcelino Nunez’s mistake allowed Matheus Cunha to win possession and feed Fernandes, who fired past Scherpen with aplomb and United could go into the break level.
There was more to celebrate within 12 minutes of the restart when Harry Maguire’s low effort deflected off Jacob Greaves and flew into the net. Greaves’s afternoon blackened further when he brought down Cunha inside the area as the latter raced onto Kobbie Mainoo’s pass.
Fernandes converted casually before netting his third just seven minutes later. The ball had ping-ponged around the Ipswich box as Rashford’s effort was blocked, and so was Mainoo’s, before Mbeumo’s attempt was deflected onto the path of Fernandes, who tapped into the corner.
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Mbeumo added the fifth in the 68th minute, lobbing the goalkeeper after Fernandes’ sensational forward pass. The ball bounced on the goalline and then went in off the underside of the crossbar. United were soaring but there was still time for some consolation to Ipswich, after Lisandro Martinez blundered to give the ball away to Enciso, who found Chuba Akpom in the box for a simple tap in.
