Bruno Fernandes struck three times as Manchester United recovered from an early setback to defeat Ipswich 5-2 at Old Trafford and secure their first victory of the season.
It was a worrying start for Michael Carrick’s side, with Julio Enciso and Daizen Maeda both testing Senne Lammens before Abdul Fatawu beat Luke Shaw and set up Leif Davis, who calmly fired the opening goal into the United net.
The atmosphere inside Old Trafford became tense, particularly after United’s opening-day defeat to Hull. However, the hosts were handed a way back into the contest when Marcelino Nunez lost his footing. Matheus Cunha pounced on the mistake, winning possession before finding Fernandes, who powered a left-footed finish into the net.
United nearly completed the comeback early after the interval when Bryan Mbeumo hit the crossbar from close range. Their second goal arrived shortly afterwards, although it was surrounded by controversy after Harry Maguire appeared to handle the ball.
The goal would have been ruled out had Maguire’s effort gone directly into the net, but Jacob Greaves’ deflection meant it was allowed to stand.
United then seized full control of the match when Greaves’ difficult afternoon got worse. The defender fouled Cunha as the Brazilian raced through on goal, giving Fernandes the opportunity from the spot. Despite having missed two penalties during pre-season, the captain made no mistake this time.
Fernandes completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute, effectively putting the result beyond doubt.
The United skipper was still not finished. A clever pass found Mbeumo behind the Ipswich defence, and the forward calmly lifted the ball over the goalkeeper to make it 5-1.
Ipswich managed to score a late consolation through substitute Chuba Akpom in stoppage time, but the goal had little impact on the outcome.
The final whistle brought a strong sense of optimism around Old Trafford, with academy products Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford both returning to the starting XI, while Rashford made his first start since 2024.
It was far from a flawless performance, but United’s attacking quality was impossible to ignore.