Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has identified the biggest takeaway from his side’s 5-2 triumph over Ipswich Town.
Comeback
United came from behind to sink Ipswich and record their first Premier League win of the season, thanks to a sensational Bruno Fernandes hat-trick.
Ipswich went ahead at the half-hour mark through Leif Davis, who rifled home a cross from Abdul Fatawu.
United responded through Fernandes. Matheus Cunha took advantage of a defensive mishap from the visitors to set up Fernandes, who beat the goalkeeper at the near post.
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Jacob Greaves put through his own net to put United ahead for the first time, but only after Harry Maguire had handled the ball before VAR let him off the hook. Fernandes then added a third for United from 12 yards before he completed his hat-trick thanks to a fortuitous bounce that allowed him to score from close range.
Bryan Mbeumo completed the rout to ensure that Chuba Akpom’s late strike was only a consolation prize.
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In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Carrick hailed his side’s character and resilience in bouncing back from the early blow.
Carrick’s verdict
Carrick told Sky, “It was a good win. It was a really good win in the end. We played some really good football.”
“The biggest thing today was the mentality of the boys to overcome setbacks. We’re going to have them and it depends on how you deal with them. I was really pleased with that.”
“It’s easy to look at the result but the mentality and the stubbornness really pleased me.”
“We controlled the game pretty well for the most part. A lot of our play was looking on the way to how we wanted it to look. The boys took it on really well and we were fabulous.”
Carrick said about Fernandes, “He showed his quality today. Bruno did what he’s good at. He’s had a big week winning awards. Three goals and a fantastic performance. There were a lot of positives with and without the ball but it’s the whole mentality dealing with it and trusting each other. Last week didn’t go for us and we accept that. Today was a lot better.”
“We’re not getting carried away. We were down last week but everything wasn’t wrong. We can still get better, we haven’t cracked it. We’ll get ready for the next.”
Asked about rotating his players, Carrick explained, “Part of it was planned going into these first couple of weeks to give players minutes for what’s ahead. Everyone has been on the pitch, barring one or two. We have the squad to do that.”
He added about the transfer window, “I think we’ve done some fantastic business and we’ve done it very well with the money we’ve spent. We’re making the most of the situation that we have.”
“The spirit is good and they want to fight for each other.”
United return to action next Sunday when they go away to Everton.
Featured image by Dan Mullan/Getty Images
