Premier League: Bruno Fernandes hat-trick lights up Old Trafford as Man Utd thrash Ipswich Town

Manchester United thrashed Ipswich Town 5-2 at Old Trafford on Sunday to get their Premier League campaign up and running.

Bruno Fernandes helped himself to a hat-trick, with Bryan Mbeumo and an Ipswich own goal adding to the damage, while Leif Davis and Chuba Akpom replied for Gary O'Neil’s visitors.

The result gives Michael Carrick’s Red Devils a timely boost after their opening-weekend defeat to Hull City, but it’s back to the drawing board for promoted Ipswich, who beat Sunderland last time out.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Robert Bore reviews a rainy clash in Manchester.

Carrick rings the changes

Round two of the season and I was still reeling from the remnants of week one, surveying the opening day embers and trying to make sense of the ashes.

I was like a tasseographer, or tea leaf reader to the uneducated, trying to interpret the patterns left in the bottom of a cold cup of pissy TyPhoo.

To be fair, you needed only to have used your eyes. As I wrote a week ago, United were pants.

An assessment seemingly echoed by United boss Carrick, who could have been forgiven for throwing his own cup of char across the dressing room at the MKM Stadium, Fergie-style, before ringing the changes for the visit of the top-flight returnees.

In came Lisandro Martínez, Diogo Dalot (saying nothing just yet), Kobbie Mainoo, and Marcus Rashford – the prodigal son – making his first United start since December 2024.

Ipswich had three points in the bag already after dumping Sunderland last week and were unchanged, starting with their 6ft9 giant goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen in goal, ducking under the bar no doubt as they looked to ram raid Old Trafford.

It couldn’t happen again, could it?

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Scrappy start in Manchester

Needless to say, it was a scrappy start.

The first real chance came from my mate Dalot, who turned inside on the right edge of the box and curled a beauty towards the far corner, but Scherpen did superbly to tip over the bar.

Ipswich broke after the resulting corner as Julio Enciso stuck the afterburners on, racing from his own half like Moses parting the Red Sea – well, Luke Shaw and Bryan Mbeumo.

He raced towards the Stretford End at pace and got his shot off just before the thunder of feet behind him caught up, but Senne Lammens saved with his legs.

United went back up the other end and Rashford almost slid one home from Matheus Cunha’s cross but was inches from a connection.

The game had sparked into life.

Dalot reverted to type after 23 minutes, getting caught out of position only slightly but enough for Daizen Maeda to get in behind, and his strike across goal was pushed to safety by Lammens.

Ipswich were definitely a threat. 

At the other end, Maeda conceded a free-kick 22 yards from goal, just left of the ‘D’.

Bruno Fernandes stepped up but couldn’t beat the wall.

United were probing well but looked susceptible on the counter.

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Ipswich, hosts trade blows

Then it happened.

Shaw was done on his flank as Abdul Fatawu decided to run at him, out-pacing the United full-back before cutting a cross back across the box where Leif Davis was able to keep the ball down and convert.

The visitors were ahead.

Davis almost did it again at the far post moments later as Fatawu this time stood Shaw up and crossed – it was an easier chance than the one he converted even if Lammens had to paw out.

A couple of hours into the new campaign and there was trouble at the mill!

Fatawu earned himself a yellow after a foul on Mbeumo, but as we edged towards half-time an equaliser looked unlikely until Marcelino Núñez slipped on the wet turf and Cunha pounced.

He played his captain in behind the remaining defender and despite going a little wide, the Portuguese smashed home at Scherpen’s near post.

Clinical for the hosts, albeit unfortunate for Town.

Youri Tielemans went looking for a penalty, which would have been softer than a chocolate soufflé had it been given, while Dalot got giddy and flashed one wide, albeit with a deflection.

Martínez fired over from range as the half entered added time and it had been a breathless and entertaining game.

United at the double

The game resumed as it had ended, United dominating possession and Ipswich looking to play off scraps, the lively Enciso launching one over the top inside the first five minutes.

United almost went ahead when Rashford somehow got onto Dalot’s deep cross to the far post and managed to hook the ball back across to Mbeumo, who connected with the ball but could only hit the frame of the goal from a yard or so out.

Eventually United did go ahead, although it was not without controversy.

Harry Maguire looked to have handled as he wrestled for the ball on the edge of the box, taking a touch before shooting goalward.

Ipswich appealed as the ball nestled in the far corner but as the shot was off target, VAR deemed it an accidental handball as it had gone in off Ipswich’s Jacob Greaves.

The Tractor Boys were still grumbling when Mainoo dribbled into space before slipping a pass through to Cunha, who surged into the box before being taken down by Greaves.

Bruno did the rest from the penalty spot and United had breathing space.

A wet victory secured

Rashford almost made it four, volleying Dalot’s deep cross unopposed at the far post, but the keeper saved well but Bruno did make it four with 68 minutes gone.

Right place, right time. 

Mainoo’s shot was blocked, spurting out to Mbeumo who chanced his arm as well, but this time the deflection fell neatly for Fernandes, whose quick feet were too much for the keeper who was helpless as he tucked home for the match ball.

My fantasy team, with the skipper as my skipper, was enjoying watching the points rack up and he almost had another from the halfway line after Ipswich got themselves into a muddle from kick-off, but the audacious effort landed on top of the net.

Rashford tried to dance his way through before Cunha was denied by Scherpen and United were in complete control and looked much more like the side that ended last season.

Carrick rang the changes as the rain poured down and the Old Trafford roof leaked like an incontinent pensioner.

The deluge on Ipswich’s goal also continued and United had a fifth with eight minutes left.

Fernandes was the creator with a sublime pass over the top as Mbeumo raced through the broken Ipswich line, lobbing the ball over the onrushing Scherpen, and as it came back off the woodwork the spin saw it bounce over the line as a forlorn Greaves gave chase.

Eight minutes of added time were shown on the board and before the first one had gone Ipswich had a second, Martínez losing the ball to Enciso on a rare blip for the Argentinean on the day and sub Chuba Akpom profited with a tap-in.

The rain came down even harder. And it was big fat rain as well.

Patrick Dorgu forced a corner with another near-post tester before the ref decided to end it all. 

Glimpse into the future

It was perhaps a glimpse into what is to come this campaign.

United had 32 shots but also allowed almost double figures against.

And this side is maybe not good enough to go full-on attrition mode.

I don’t need stale PG Tips to tell me that.

But in Bruno Fernandes, they have a bona fide genius, and Rashford looked impressive and somewhat unlucky not to cap his return home with at least one goal. 

With Carlos Baleba still to come in and strengthen box-to-box, maybe an additional left-back is the final piece.

I’ll drink to that.

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