Bruno Fernandes produced a captain’s performance, scoring a brilliant hat-trick as Manchester United came from behind to defeat Ipswich Town 5-2 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Portuguese midfielder, who was recently named the PFA Men’s Player of the Year, led United’s remarkable recovery after the visitors stunned the home supporters with an early lead.
Ipswich started brightly and went ahead in the 29th minute through Leif Davis, who fired home a superb half-volley after impressive work on the wing by Abdul Fatawu.
The visitors looked comfortable for much of the first half and could have extended their advantage, with Julio Enciso also causing problems for the Manchester United defence.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically five minutes before the break.
A slip by Marcelino Nunez during an Ipswich corner allowed Manchester United to launch a swift counter-attack, with Matheus Cunha setting up Fernandes to level the score in the 40th minute.
The sides went into the break tied at 1-1, but United returned for the second half with greater urgency and quickly took control of the contest.
Harry Maguire’s effort in the 56th minute was deflected into the Ipswich net by Jacob Greaves, handing Manchester United the lead through an own goal.
Greaves endured an even more difficult spell moments later when he brought down Cunha inside the penalty area. Fernandes stepped up and calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 61st minute.
The Manchester United captain completed his hat-trick seven minutes later, reacting quickest after efforts from Kobbie Mainoo and Bryan Mbeumo were blocked.
Fernandes was not finished, as he later turned provider for Mbeumo, sending the forward through on goal. Mbeumo’s effort struck the crossbar before bouncing over the line to make it 5-1 in the 82nd minute.
Ipswich managed a late consolation goal in stoppage time when Julio Enciso set up Chuba Akpom to reduce the deficit.
The victory marked a major response from Michael Carrick’s side following their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Hull City last weekend.
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Fernandes’ latest hat-trick was his third for Manchester United and took his tally to 113 goals in 330 appearances for the club.
United dominated the match in the end, registering 33 shots — their highest total in a Premier League game since October 2016.
For Ipswich, the defeat was a painful end to what had initially appeared to be a promising afternoon. Gary O’Neil’s side impressed in the opening stages and held their own until Fernandes’ equaliser changed the complexion of the game.
The result sees Manchester United return to winning ways in emphatic fashion, with Fernandes once again proving decisive as the Red Devils turned a difficult start into a convincing five-goal victory.
