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Thirty-nine minutes into Manchester United's first home fixture of the new Premier League campaign, it appeared history might repeat itself for Michael Carrick's side.
The Red Devils kicked off the season last weekend with a 2–0 loss on the road against Hull City. On Sunday, another newly promoted side, Ipswich Town, grabbed the lead at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes had United level by the break, after which the match transformed entirely. Four further unanswered goals—three of them coming within just 12 second-half minutes—put them 5–1 ahead, before Ipswich pulled one back late on. The final score read 5–2. For much of the contest, United played at full throttle as heavy rain poured down.
Fernandes completed a hat-trick while Bryan Mbeumo opened his account for the season. And despite a rulebook 'loophole' allowing the crucial second goal to stand following an accidental handball by Harry Maguire, there is a feeling that United truly came alive on this occasion.
A trip to Everton next weekend will serve as a significant test of that.
First-Half Creativity Mysteriously Lacking
At the interval, Ipswich had outperformed United in xG (0.74 vs. 0.98), registered more shots on target (4 vs. 6) and fashioned more big chances (1 vs. 3).
Given the players on the pitch, those statistics were unexpected. A front three of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Marcus Rashford, supplied by a midfield of Kobbie Mainoo, Youri Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes, looks formidable on paper by any Premier League measure.
Ipswich didn't come to Old Trafford intent on sitting in a deep defensive block—if anything, Gary O'Neil's side took the fight to United. So it wasn't simply a matter of space being unavailable. That was evident in Fernandes's first-half goal, when a single Ipswich error suddenly gifted the Red Devils a three-on-one counter-attack.
So the fact United created so little, relying on a mistake to draw level, was somewhat puzzling. Naturally, all of that changed, and the second-half xG of 3.82 tells its own story.
Who Else But Fernandes Leads FIightback
Fresh from claiming last season's PFA Players' Player of the Year award—completing a clean sweep alongside the equivalent FWA and Premier League honours—Fernandes demonstrated precisely why he remains the finest player in the top flight at this moment.
The United skipper spearheaded the comeback that began late in the first half and gathered remarkable momentum once both sides returned from the interval.
He dispatched the equalizer with tremendous conviction, striking the ball cleanly on his weaker left foot while under pressure from a defender. He showed no hesitation when stepping up to convert from the penalty spot for the decisive third, and rounded off his hat-trick with the fourth. The latter showcased his positional awareness, intelligence and anticipation to arrive in exactly the right spot when Mbeumo's effort was blocked on its way to goal.
He also registered his first assist of the campaign, teeing up Mbeumo for the fifth. At the peak of United's frantic early second-half intensity, he nearly replicated David Beckham's iconic halfway-line goal from 30 years ago, only narrowly failing to find the target.
No Doubt About Rashford
Ongoing transfer rumours will continue to circulate until the summer window closes, but it is now fairly evident that Rashford is fully reintegrated into the Manchester United setup.
Rashford came on as a substitute against Hull and made a positive impact in the closing stages, even without directly affecting the scoreline. Here, he started from the off, and the indications are that Carrick plans to deploy him consistently. Ultimately, the 28-year-old remains the club's best left winger, and his return has effectively removed the immediate need to venture into the transfer market.
Rashford was joint-highest for touches in the opposition penalty area (7) throughout the match and would have registered an assist had Mbeumo not somehow managed to divert a volleyed cross onto the crossbar from almost directly beneath it—one of those peculiar chances that are harder to miss than score.
Left Back for Thought
This was game two of seven in a hectic four-week spell to open the new season. United's next five fixtures will span three competitions, including the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Left back remains the one position identified as a clear priority heading into the summer that has yet to be filled. Luke Shaw, who featured in all 38 Premier League matches last season, now has limited natural cover since Patrick Dorgu is regularly being deployed as a winger. With so many more games now on the calendar, that situation is unsustainable.
At some stage, Shaw—who has a lengthy injury history—will require rest. The club must decide whether to pursue someone for short-term cover and depth, or ultimately find a long-term successor to the 31-year-old. Reported interest in Newcastle United's Lewis Hall clearly pointed toward the latter, though pursuing the former route is not without merit either.
United encountered one such option in this match: Leif Davis, who would not serve as a regular starter but rather as an occasional rotation option against lesser opposition. The Ipswich left back scored his side's goal, showing a willingness to get forward. He delivers quality crosses and is noted for his set-piece delivery, as well as his pace—recording the highest top speed of any player on the pitch in this fixture.