Bruno Fernandes Leads Manchester United to Comeback Victory Over Ipswich
Bruno Fernandes delivered an outstanding performance, scoring a hat-trick as Manchester United staged a comeback to defeat Ipswich. The match showcased a thrilling display of skill and resilience from the home side.
Here’s how I assessed the players and how you rated them.
Manchester United
Senne Lammens: Displayed strong goalkeeping, confidently dealing with Enciso’s pressure and assisting Shaw with a controlled pass. 8
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Diogo Dalot: Came close to scoring with a curling effort. Defensively effective throughout the game. 7
Harry Maguire: Provided a solid presence in the defense and benefitted from a fortunate deflection that saved his earlier ‘goal’ from being ruled out. 8
Lisandro Martinez: Contributed vital experience on a day when the home team could have faltered. 6
Luke Shaw: Had a challenging match, struggling to keep up with Fatawu’s pace. 5
Kobbie Mainoo: Returned to the starting lineup and impressed with his ball control, though the midfield struggled defensively against Ipswich. 6
Youri Tielemans: Has yet to find his form at Manchester United, going down easily in the penalty area and lacking security defensively. 5
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Bryan Mbeumo: Maintained his wide position effectively, creating threats with crosses and short passes. Came close to scoring before netting late in the match. 6
Bruno Fernandes: The match’s standout player, he scored three goals and displayed remarkable composure, especially with his penalty after facing early-season misses. Came close to a spectacular fourth from midfield. 10
Marcus Rashford: Made his first league start for Manchester United since December 2024, actively engaged and nearly assisted Mbeumo. 7
Matheus Cunha: Played centrally again, switching with Fernandes as the lead forward. Solid performance overall. 7
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Subs:
Leny Yoro (on 72, for Dalot): 6
Noussair Mazraoui (on 72, for Shaw): 6
Benjamin Sesko (79, for Cunha): 6
Patrick Dorgu (79, for Rashford): 6
Andrey Santos (79, for Mainoo): 6
Ipswich
Kjell Scherpen: Made a crucial save to deny Dalot early on and prevented an easy goal for Mbeumo. Had no chance with Fernandes’ equalizer. 8
Dara O’Shea: Delivered a solid defensive effort until Fernandes asserted control over the game. 6
Issa Diop: Conducted a lot of scrambling defense but managed to cope and effectively communicated with the Ipswich backline. 6
Jacob Greaves: Showed composure with the ball, maintaining his position while defending against Cunha’s movements. 6
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Leif Davis: Provided an exceptional pass to set up Maeda, creating a chance, and executed his goal with precision. 8
Marcelino Nunez: Was active in midfield but suffered a costly slip that allowed Manchester United to equalize. 6
Sasa Lukic: Made a strong contribution to Ipswich, effectively disrupting United’s momentum despite receiving a yellow card. 7
Abdul Fatawu: Successfully challenged Shaw to create an opportunity that led to Ipswich’s goal and was effective overall. 7
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Julio Enciso: Pushed the ball past both Shaw and Mbeumo with a promising run but was unable to convert his effort into a goal. 8
Daizan Maeda: Threatened United’s goal early on with a shot from the left side of the area. 7
Emersonn: Utilized his physicality against Maguire and Martinez, engaging in a tough contest. 6
Subs:
Chuba Akpom (on 46, for Emersonn): 6
Darnell Furlong (on, for Maeda 72): 6
Abdoul Ouattara (on for Lukic 73): 5
How did you rate the players?
Bruno Fernades scored a hat-trick and nearly added a brilliant fourth as Manchester United came from behind to beat Ipswich.
Here’s how I rated the players, and how you rated them.
Manchester United
Senne Lammens: Stood firm and came out on top as Enciso charged at him. Out of his area to control and lay off a pass to Shaw at one point. 8
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Diogo Dalot: So close to a rare goal with a curling left-footed effort. Defensively solid. 7
Harry Maguire: Reliable presence at the heart of the home defence, then got lucky with the deflection, otherwise his ‘goal’ might have been ruled out. 8
Lisandro Martinez: Experience vital on a day when the home side might have buckled. 6
Luke Shaw: A difficult day for the England full-back. Struggled to deal with Fatawu. 5
Kobbie Mainoo: Restored to the starting line-up and good as ever on the ball. But United’s midfield struggled to cope with Ipswich running at them. 6
Youri Tielemans: Still to find form in a Man Utd shirt. Went down too easily in the penalty area. Not secure defensively. 5
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Bryan Mbeumo: Held his wide position and threatened with crosses and short passes. Unlucky Rashford’s cross was deflected as he hit the bar from close range. Got his goal at the end. 6
Bruno Fernandes: Hat-trick hero. Sensational performance from the captain. Thunderous equaliser, kept his nerve with the penalty after two pre-season failures and calm third. Almost scored an outrageous fourth from halfway. 10
Marcus Rashford: First league start for Man Utd since December 2024. Got on the ball often enough and ran at the visitors’ defence. Almost created a goal for Mbeumo. 7
Matheus Cunha: Began through the middle again and alternated with Fernandes as the furthest player forward. Decent. 7
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Subs:
Leny Yoro (on 72, for Dalot): 6
Noussair Mazraoui (on 72, for Shaw): 6
Benjamin Sesko (79, for Cunha): 6
Patrick Dorgu (79, for Rashford): 6
Andrey Santos (79, for Mainoo): 6
Ipswich
Kjell Scherpen: Superb save to deny Dalot the opener and crucial touch to deny Mbeumo an easy finish. No chance with the equaliser. 8
Dara O’Shea: Robust defensive display and did well, until Fernandes took control. 6
Issa Diop: Lot of scrambling defence for the former West Ham man but coped OK for the most part and talked the Ipswich rearguard through the game. 6
Jacob Greaves: Composed on the ball and held his position, not getting drawn out when Cunha dropped deep. Probably lacked a bit of class at this level. 6
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Leif Davis: Superb pass inside Dalot to release Maeda created one good chance for the visitors. Precise execution for his goal and might have had another. 8
Marcelino Nunez: Busy, in front of defence, wants to get on ball and slot in between centre-halves. Disastrous slip at just the wrong time let Man Utd in for crucial equaliser. 6
Sasa Lukic: Excellent addition to Ipswich ranks. Had the game nous to halt the home side’s momentum, even at the expense of a yellow card. 7
Abdul Fatawu: Skinned Shaw close to the touchline and then had the awareness to pick out a team-mate as Ipswich took the lead. Booked for a poor tackle on Mbeumo but overall really good. 7
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Julio Ensico: Held off Shaw and Mbeumo on length-of-field run but no reward as effort lacked power. A real threat. 8
Daizan Maeda: Good early raid down the left was early sign of Ipswich intentions. Shot from angle of area threatened home goal. 7
Emersonn: Tried use his size to pin Maguire and Martinez back and relished the physical tussle with the England man. 6
Subs:
Chuba Akpom (on 46, Emersonn): 6
Darnell Furlong (on, for Maeda 72): 6
Abdoul Ouattara (on for Lukic 73): 5
How did you rate the players?
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