Manchester United hit Ipswich Town for five as the Red Devils opened their Premier League account in some style on Sunday.
It was United’s first home game of the season, but the hosts could not have started in worse fashion. It was the Tractor Boys who took the lead with Luke Shaw struggling to defend out wide.
Bruno Fernandes pulled one back after a mistake from the away side, and both sides went into the break level.
Fans inside Old Trafford were worried about the final outcome after seeing the lethargic display from their side.
Kobbie Mainoo ran the show in the second half
Michael Carrick’s words at half-time worked a treat, as the 20-time English league champions emerged a different team.
Three goals in the opening 20 minutes completely killed off the contest, with the club captain scoring a deserved hat-trick. Bryan Mbeumo finished off the rout in style before Ipswich added a late third.
INEOS may have spent more than £150 million on revamping the midfield, but it is their already existing players who ran the show at the Theatre of Dreams.
The decision to start Kobbie Mainoo instead of Andrey Santos was the perfect call from the head coach, with the Carrington graduate running the show.
Bruno Fernandes in a class of his own
He kept the ball ticking over and rarely lost possession under pressure. With Carlos Baleba yet to recover from injury, United will need the Englishman to keep firing every week.
Carrick deserves credit for allowing the England international the freedom to operate all across the midfield in the second half, instead of restricting him as the deep-lying playmaker.
What can be said about Bruno Fernandes that has not already been spoken about? Carrick played the Portugal international further forward as compared to his positioning against Hull City last week.
That change worked a treat, as the skipper is always at his most dangerous closer to goal. His third goal highlighted what a fox in the box he can be, as he ghosted inside without drawing the attention of the Ipswich backline.
Such an emphatic win should do the squad a world of good ahead of a challenging couple of weeks, with games against Everton and Manchester City coming up as well as a tricky Champions League opener against Sabah FK sandwiched in between.
Feature image Naomi Baker via Getty Images
