26 February 2025
Man Utd 3 Ipswich Town 2
It has been another horror show of a season for Man Utd in the Premier League. However, they had managed to plunge to new depths this campaign as they flirted more with the bottom three than the intended top four. They welcomed Ipswich Town to Old Trafford, hoping to make it back-to-back wins at home to get things back on track in front of their own fans.
The Ruben Amorim era has resembled that of the Third Reich so far, full of pain, suffering and public humiliation for many. Despite that, the Portuguese manager has stuck firmly to his beliefs, another unwanted similarity to a leader from that period. One thing was for sure, if he was going to fail at Old Trafford, he was going to do it his way, not pandering to peer pressure.
Everything started in what is now perceived as true Man Utd shambolic style. A hopeful long ball forward saw a lack of communication between Onana and Dorgu that saw the defender knock it past his own keeper. It gave Philogene probably the easiest goal he will score in his professional career as he rolled it into a completely empty net.
As a result of the clown show unfolding in front of them, suddenly Old Trafford became something of a library until they managed to force their first corner of the game. Fernandes swung it into the back post where Maguire had a free header but Palmer did well to keep it out. Dalot then smashed the loose ball over the crossbar.
Fernandes is the one constant attacking threat in this current Red Devils’ side. As they won a free-kick in a dangerous position, the Portuguese midfielder swung a dangerous ball into the box. Ipswich tried to clear their lines but it just resulted in Morsy heading into the back of his own net, not that the hosts were complaining at all.
The visitors were really beginning to struggle with defending set-pieces. As a corner came into the box Maguire headed towards goal but Palmer saved. Dalot followed up with a shot but the keeper made a great reaction save once again. He could do nothing however as de Ligt tucked the loose ball into the net to give Man Utd the lead for the first time.
It was proving to be a busy first-half for the Tractor Boys’ keeper as Garnacho drove into the box. He went to ground looking for a penalty but the referee was not interested. The ball broke to Dorgu who got a left-footed strike off at goal but Palmer got down well to save. Kieran McKenna’s side were struggling with the attacking threat from the hosts.
As Hutchinson received the ball out on the touchline, Dorgu lunged into a challenge. The Old Trafford crowd applauded the tackle. Ipswich’s winger stayed down and seemed to be in some pain. When the replay was shown, it was evident that the Man Utd defender had caught him high up the shin. VAR reviewed it and sent the referee over to the monitor.
That tends to mean one thing, the Red Devils’ player was in trouble. After reviewing the replays from different angles, the official had no other option than to send off the Man Utd player. With the man advantage, the visitors started to press. Philogene swung a curling cross into the penalty area that beat everyone, including Onana in the hosts’ goal. Delap had slid in but failed to get anything on it.
After the interval, Amorim’s side forced an early corner. Fernandes put another quality ball into the middle as Maguire met it and headed home. Old Trafford erupted as they restored their lead in the game. Even at this stage, it was hard to predict a winner in this game. For every positive attack from the Red Devils, they seemed just as likely to implode defensively.
Despite falling behind, the visitors still had confidence that they could get something out of this game. A teasing ball was drilled across the six yard box but no one was able to get a telling touch. Moments later, a corner found its way to Clarke on the edge of the box. His first-time shot was always curling away from goal with Onana rooted to the spot.
While the fans were pleased to be seeing their team winning out on the pitch, it should be a concern that this was a side in the bottom three playing it around like Real Madrid. The Tractor Boys were utilising the big pitch to make Man Utd chase the ball. They just seemed to be lacking that killer pass to turn their dominance into a goal.
As it was worked out wide to Philogene, the youngster cut inside onto his stronger left-foot. On a hat-trick, he had nothing on his mind other than getting a shot away. Sadly his effort towards the near post was easily saved by Onana. The Ipswich player just did not seem to get a sweet enough connection to cause more problems for the Man Utd keeper.
The Red Devils held on for all three points, much to the relief of the fans. Ipswich were left with a feeling that they had missed out. This was a big chance for them to pick up a much-needed three points. It is that killer instinct they are lacking and could quite well see their stay in the Premier League being a short one. They certainly have their work cut out between now and the end of the season.
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