Manchester United scraped past Ipswich with a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday, but the win wasn’t without controversy.
After the match, club captain Bruno Fernandes hinted that there are concerns among the players regarding manager Ruben Amorim’s tactical approach.
Dorgu’s Nightmare Debut and Red Card Drama
The night was off to a rough start for Manchester United, particularly for Patrick Dorgu, who had an eventful and unfortunate debut.
After joining the club in January, Dorgu’s first half took a disastrous turn.
A mix-up between him and goalkeeper Andre Onana led to an early goal for Ipswich just four minutes into the match.
Things only got worse for Dorgu shortly before halftime when he was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Omari Hutchinson, reducing United to 10 men.
United’s Resilience Despite Setbacks
Despite being a man down, Manchester United managed to rally.
The team fought back with resilience, initially equalizing through an own goal by Ipswich’s Sam Morsy, before Matthijs de Ligt’s close-range strike gave them the lead.
However, Ipswich was quick to respond, with Jaden Philogene scoring the equalizer just before halftime, leveling the game at 2-2.
The second half saw Harry Maguire rise to the occasion.
The England defender scored a vital header from a set-piece, assisted by Fernandes, and helped Manchester United regain the lead.
Maguire’s leadership at the back helped them hang on to the advantage and secure the three points in this thrilling five-goal encounter.
Bruno Fernandes Reflects on United’s Struggles
After the game, Bruno Fernandes shared his thoughts on the performance and the team’s ongoing struggles.
Despite the victory, Fernandes admitted that the team is still grappling with inconsistency and some of the tactics employed by manager Ruben Amorim.
Fernandes, along with Maguire, has been at United for a while and knows that sticking with the training and strategies is important, but he acknowledged that the team isn’t always able to execute what’s being asked of them on the pitch.
He noted, “You could feel in moments it’s not working, but for some reason, the manager wants us to do that.”
Fernandes Acknowledges United’s Offensive Struggles
In his post-match comments, Fernandes expressed that the team has been “suffering” and admitted that they are not playing their best football.
He revealed that the lack of aggression in the attacking third is something the team is still working to improve.
“We’re missing that little bit of aggressiveness going forward,” Fernandes said.
“When we beat the opposition between the lines and turn, we need to be more aggressive. But we’re going to get that with time.
Players are getting more confident, so hopefully in the next games, we will score more and more.”
Maguire Highlights Home Form as United’s Biggest Concern
Although the win was crucial, Harry Maguire emphasized that United must improve their form at Old Trafford, where they have struggled this season.
“We’ve found ourselves in a difficult position this year, and coming in, we knew it would be a big game for us.
We have to change our home form around,” Maguire explained.
Maguire also admitted that United’s early mistake in gifting Ipswich a goal was frustrating, but he was pleased with how the team responded, particularly in the second half.
“I felt as though we played really well, some of our best football of the season, especially in that first half.
So to lose a man again made it difficult, but we knew the second half would be tough,” he said.
Looking Ahead: The Need for Improvement
Manchester United may have secured a narrow victory, but it was clear that the team still has much work to do, both tactically and in terms of consistency.
With the win taking them up to 14th place in the Premier League, Fernandes and Maguire will be hoping their side can build on this hard-fought success and improve their form, particularly at home.