Manchester United secured a 3-2 victory against Ipswich, despite seeing Patrick Dorgu sent off, thanks to more Harry Maguire heroics to secure their first Premier League win in a month.
Dorgu was shown a straight red card for his challenge on Omari Hutchinson just before the break, in the same half that the 20-year-old had already gifted Ipswich their opener but it was the header from Maguire that rescued United in their time of need.
An early mix-up with Andre Onana saw the defender poke the ball past his goalkeeper for Jaden Philogene to tap home (4) but his error was rectified after an own-goal from Sam Morsy (22) and Matthijs de Ligt’s effort four minutes later (26) fired United ahead.
However, the nightmare was far from over for Dorgu. The defender arrived late and recklessly on Hutchinson and following a swift VAR review, was shown a straight red card for the tackle. His side would then concede a second to Philogene when his cross, intended for Liam Delap, nestled in the far corner (45+2).
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Man Utd defender Patrick Dorgu had a night to forget as he gifted Ipswich the opener and was sent off in the first half for a reckless challenge on Omari Hutchinson.
With the odds then stacked against them and Amorim’s men struggling to create any clear-cut chances from open play yet again, Maguire stepped up, as he did in the FA Cup against Leicester, to drag his team to victory and away from further criticism (47).
The win does little for United in terms of their league position, with the three points only carrying them above Everton and into 14th, but could give a struggling unit some well-needed confidence ahead of crucial games against Fulham in the FA Cup and Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
Meanwhile, Ipswich squandered a golden opportunity to stake a major claim for survival – with the gap to Wolves in 17th still sitting at five points – after failing to make the most of their advantage at Old Trafford.
Amorim: Fans want to see us fight – and we did
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim:
“The support was amazing. I have felt that from day one. They just want to see a team fight till the end, we did that today.
“All the things in the game were against us and it was a good win for us. We have to improve in every aspect. We lack the characteristics in our squad to play differently. We need to have more possession but I felt we were more calm.
“Especially, we need to score more goals. We managed to fight all the situations during the game and deserved three points.”
Jaden Philogene celebrates after scoring an early goal for Ipswich at Old Trafford
Maguire: We made it difficult for ourselves again
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire speaking to TNT Sports:
“Really important [win] and we have found ourselves in a difficult position coming into the game. We have to change our home form around.
Harry Maguire celebrates after giving Manchester United a 3-2 lead against Ipswich
“We gave them a goal, poor mistake on our behalf but then we took control. To lose a man again, I think it’s three in the last two months or so, we made it difficult.”
Where would Man Utd be without Fernandes?
Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones:
Where would Manchester United be without Bruno Fernandes?
He is the shining light through the grey skies at Old Trafford. There is a lot of dross in this United squad but one constant remains in that Fernandes is a world-class talent with a world-class mentality.
When things aren’t going United’s way, he is the one that wants the ball and gets them playing. When United can’t create quality chances from open play, he pings in deliveries that change the game.
Following on from dragging his team back into the game at Everton, he provided a game-changing moment on three occasions in this bizarre game, making Ipswich panic to the extreme as United completely battered them from set-piece situations. All three United goals stemmed from his sumptuous deliveries.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes speaking to Manuel Ugarte during the win against Ipswich
Of the 0.72 worth of total expected goals United created, 0.58 of that came from corners and free-kicks, supplied by the magic of Fernandes’ right foot. He isn’t perfect but right now, he’s United’s go-to guy.
McKenna: Poor game management from us
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna:
“No doubt about it. Very frustrating outcome and we are very annoyed with the goals we have conceded. Went from a good start to a difficult position. We’ve managed and played the second half poorly.
Jaden Philogene’s cross beat Andre Onana as Ipswich equalised at Old Trafford
“Big priority after half-time was to not concede and tonight we were not able to deal with their physicality and strength in the penalty box.
“We didn’t do it within a minute of the restart. In the second half, they showed their quality. They were stronger on both ends of the pitch.”
