Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Ipswich: Fernandes Responds to Critics the Only Way He Knows

Bruno Fernandes rammed the criticism which had come his way over the past week down the throats of his bizarrely numerous naysayers with a beguiling display in Manchester United’s 5–2 thrashing of Ipswich Town on Sunday.

United’s captain had his leadership qualities questioned in the aftermath of a dismal defeat to Hull City last weekend. The rest of the Red Devils underwhelmed just as much as the skipper, yet, as has become custom in recent years, it was Fernandes who received the brunt of the backlash.

Michael Carrick defended his captain before United’s first league clash at Old Trafford, but the skipper delivered an even more compelling case with three goals and an assist.

An oddly nostalgic United lineup deservedly fell behind inside the opening half-hour before the Fernandes show began. The 31-year-old outran everyone on the pitch to cap a concussive counter attack and restore parity before the interval. A fortuitous own goal from Jacob Greaves nudged United in front while Fernandes’s 61st minute penalty rubber-stamped all three points.

There was a sense of swagger from Fernandes after his opener, orchestrating everything around him, be it his teammates, the fans or the biblical downpour which opened up in the second half. Fernandes seemed to be playing his own game across the final quarter, prodding his third of the afternoon into the bottom corner shortly before he set up Bryan Mbeumo’s late padder with a sumptuous ball over the top.

For all the positivity Fernandes’s masterpiece rightly inspires, United needed him to be this good.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Luke Shaw (right) chasing shadows. — Luke Shaw (right) did not have a fun afternoon. | Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

When Erik ten Hag sat down to name the starting XI for his first home game of the 2022–23 Premier League season, the defense he chose was Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez and Luke Shaw.

When Carrick sat down to name the starting for his first home game of the 2026–27 season, the defense he chose was Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez and Luke Shaw.

Consistency can be a good thing, but it’s not as though Ten Hag oversaw a revered backline. After four years, which have brought as many finishes outside the top six as trophies (two of each), United would perhaps have expected to enjoy some sort of defensive evolution.

Shaw certainly looked as though the years had not been too kind to him on a chastening afternoon. Even the left back’s attempts to foul Abdul Fatawu couldn’t stop the Ipswich winger from nutmegging him and teeing up Leif Davis’s wonderfully taken opener. Shaw was also blown past by Julio Enciso during a first half which, on the balance of chances, was tilted toward the visitors.

Ipswich nabbed a second late on as Martínez was caught trying to dribble down a dead end and Maguire was left straddled in the six yard box. Former United defender Gary Neville damningly called this quarter United’s first-choice back four, a statement as true as it must be concerning.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Ipswich (4-2-3-1)

Manchester United redeemed themselves after last week’s shocker. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Senne Lammens—7.5: Kept the score down with excellent anticipation and reflexes but could do little with an effort from point-blank range.

RB: Diogo Dalot—7.5: Offered a lot of energy without much efficiency, bounding up and down the right wing as he managed to achieve the paradox of looking like he was very busy without actually achieving anything.

CB: Harry Maguire—6.9: He won’t get the credit for Greaves’s own goal, which is for the best—as had he fired his shot on target, it wouldn’t have stood.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—5.6: Punched the ball between the lines with a sense of much-needed venom. Got a little too confident in possession by the end.

LB: Luke Shaw—7.4: Resoundingly humiliated for Ipswich’s opener, Shaw managed to recover some dignity thereafter.

CM: Youri Tielemans—8.4: Looked a little more comfortable than his disastrous debut, although that is an exceedingly low bar.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo—8.1: Brought a layer of craft and composure to United’s midfield which wasn’t quite stretched as much by Ipswich.

RW: Bryan Mbeumo—8.6: Missed a glut of far easier chances than the impish feat of lobbing a 6'9" goalkeeper.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—9.8: What more does he have to do to get a perfect 10? Save a penalty as well?

LW: Marcus Rashford—8.0: Restored to the starting XI for the first time in an age, Rashford was desperately unfortunate not to record a goal or an assist, with Kjell Scherpen’s excellent goalkeeping and Mbeumo’s woeful finishing to blame.

ST: Matheus Cunha—8.2: More of an anti-striker than a false nine. Everything that a center forward should be able to do—running the channels, holding the ball up—evaded Cunha, who thrived at the creative side of the game, with his perfectly weighted pass for Fernandes the ultimate example. It’s almost as though he shouldn’t play up front.

SUB: Noussair Mazraoui (73’ for Shaw)—6.1

SUB: Leny Yoro (74’ for Dalot)—6.3

SUB: Andrey Santos (80’ for Mainoo)—6.3

SUB: Benjamin Šeško (80’ Cunha)—6.4

SUB: Patrick Dorgu (80’ for Rashford)—6.7

Subs not used: Karl Darlow (GK), Ayden Heaven, Shea Lacey, Joshua Zirkzee.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Youri Tielemans, Bruno Fernandes — Youri Tielemans (left) put in a better display this time around. | Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Bruno Fernandes isn’t going anywhere. The freshly crowned PFA Player of the Year had a quiet opening to the new season, prompting wild talk that he should be moved on. A third hat-trick for United quashed that spurious speculation but it did underscore how much of a bellwether he is for this club: If Fernandes is firing, so are United. By the same logic, stop Fernandes and the Red Devils are blunted.
Youri Tielemans is finding his feet. After getting bullied by Hull City, the summer recruit equipped himself much better against this set of recently Championship opposition. It remains to be seen how he will perform against a team with more than a whisper of top-flight pedigree.
Carrick’s first substitution was telling. Shaw and Dalot were replaced at fullback, more as a way of preservation rather than a reflection of their underwhelming displays. Leny Yoro and Noussair Mazraoui were the unconvincing duo called upon from the bench, heavily hinting that a new fullback could be one last priority this summer.

The Numbers That Explain Man Utd’s Comeback Win

It was a game of two halves on Sunday. United conceded three big chances to Ipswich across those opening 45 minutes while creating just one of their own. After the interval, the script had been completely flipped.
Ipswich let themselves become ragged, allowing United to rack up a staggering haul of 33 shots, more than the Red Devils managed in any game across the entirety of last season.
United also clocked up a swollen 44 touches in the opposition box.

Statistic	Man Utd	Ipswich
Possession	60%	40%
Expected Goals (xG)	4.55	2.01
Total Shots	33	9
Shots on Target	11	5
Big Chances	7	4
Pass Accuracy	89%	88%
Fouls Committed	7	12
Corners	8	4

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