Fernandes Hat Trick Powers Manchester United Past Ipswich in 5 - 2 Win
On Sunday, Bruno Fernandes scored a clinical hat trick to save Manchester United from suffering two defeats in a row, driving his team to a 5-2 come-from-behind win against Ipswich at Old Trafford, with the reigning Premier League player of the year scoring three goals and setting up a fourth to earn the important three points for manager Michael Carrick. At the start of the match there was a lot of tension. United had recently suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hull, a team which had been promoted through the Championship playoffs. After that loss Carrick called on his players to remain calm. However, his players had some difficulty in achieving that composure. Ipswich, like United another club that had been promoted and was highly expected to be relegated, broke through United's defence to score a surprise goal in the 29th minute. Fernandes immediately secured control and broke the visitors down. He started the United comeback in the 40th minute and, concluding a quick counterattack, sent in a powerful left-footed shot to bring the score level just before the interval. United carried that momentum over into the second half and took the lead as a result of a controversial incident. Harry Maguire handled the ball during the build-up before striking a powerful shot at the goal; the ball bounced off Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves and went past the line, counting as an own goal. The match officials permitted the goal to be awarded since Maguire had not scored directly from his first attempt.  Fernandes then increased his lead in a ruthless manner. In the 61th minute he went to the penalty spot and scored to make the score 3-1. A few minutes later he finished his hat trick by calmly slipping in a well-directed shot past the goalkeeper. The United captain then took on the role of provider. Fernandes played a pass to Bryan Mbeumo, who moved towards the edge of the penalty area and skillfully lobbed the Ipswich goalkeeper to score United's fifth goal of the day. Ipswich managed to score a late consolation goal in the final moments of stoppage time. The away team pressed high and took away Argentina's defender Lisandro Martinez near his own goal before turning the final opportunity of the game into a goal. The outcome brings at once a sense of relief to Carrick and his players. If United had lost points to two teams that were promoted in one after the other, this would have attracted heavy examination in Manchester. Since they have now won their first match, however, and their outstanding central midfielder is performing at his best, the team can move on to the rest of their early-season fixtures.
