· 2 min readIn this Man United vs Ipswich match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
The second round of the Premier League had one very simple objective for Manchester United: win. After losing to Hull City on the opening day, there was no room for another result against a newly promoted team. Ipswich, on the other hand, were coming off a win against Sunderland and arrived with confidence.
The start was even. Lammens had work to do, especially from a good chance for Maena. It was a game going from end to end, although United were gradually seeing more of the ball. The team still had the same problem, though: a lack of creativity and too many balls into the box without a reference like Sesko, who was on the bench.
In the 29th minute, Ipswich punished them. Fatawu left Shaw behind with his pace, reached the byline and crossed into the box. Nobody managed to clear it and Davis appeared to shoot and put Ipswich ahead at Old Trafford. A goal that once again exposed United’s defensive problems, especially Shaw in the one-on-one.
United took a while to react and even lost possession after the goal, relying more and more on long balls. In the 40th minute, however, the help they needed arrived: Marcelino Núñez slipped on his own just after the halfway line, Cunha took advantage and found Bruno Fernandes, who shot to make it 1-1.
At half-time, United had 60% possession, but Ipswich had 0.98 xG compared to 0.73 for their opponents. In other words, the result was still far from secure.
In the second half, everything changed. Mbeumo had an incredible chance, completely alone practically on top of the goal, but hit the crossbar. The miss could have been costly, but United were finally starting to grow into the game.
In the 57th minute, the comeback came. United worked their way around the box, Maguire won the duel and, after a chaotic sequence, the ball hit Jacob Greaves and went in. VAR reviewed the incident and confirmed the goal. Shortly afterwards, Mainoo sent Cunha through, Greaves once again found himself in the wrong position and conceded a penalty. Bruno Fernandes made no mistake in the 61st minute. 3-1.
And Bruno was far from finished. In the 68th minute, after blocked shots from Mainoo and Mbeumo, the ball fell to the captain, who had space where there shouldn’t have been any and placed it into the corner. Hat-trick. United finally looked like a completely different team from the first half. 4-1.
Rashford also had a good game without scoring or assisting, while Ipswich simply disappeared. In the 82nd minute, Mbeumo received the ball from Bruno, tried to lift it over Scherpen and, after hitting the crossbar, the deflection eventually carried the ball into the net. 5-1.
Deep into stoppage time, Lisandro Martínez lost the ball, Enciso recovered it and set up Chuba Akpom for 5-2. A small moment of inattention in a game that had already been decided, with the rain making the slow pace of the final minutes even more obvious.
Post-match
United won, and that was mandatory, but it wasn’t a completely comfortable victory. The first half once again showed serious problems, while the second was a much more convincing response. Bruno Fernandes decided the game with three goals and an assist, but United still need much more consistency.
