Manchester United finally have their first win of the new Premier League season, and once again Bruno Fernandes was at the centre of it.
Manchester United had to work for it. Ipswich made life difficult in the first half and the two sides went into the break level at 1-1. Then everything changed.
Bruno Fernandes took charge after the interval and Manchester United ran away with the game. The captain scored a hat-trick, Bryan Mbeumo added another and Jacob Greaves turned the ball into his own net as United finished 5-2 winners at Old Trafford.
After the disappointment of Hull City last weekend, this was exactly the response Michael Carrick needed.
Bruno Fernandes took over after the break
Michael Carrick was impressed by what he saw from Fernandes, but he also picked out the midfield combination around him.
“Bruno [Fernandes] played well today. You could see the connection through the middle with [Matheus] Cunha, Youri [Tielemans], and Kobbie [Mainoo] – it was particularly good,” Michael Carrick said after the game.
That was a notable difference from what United produced at Hull. Bruno Fernandes had struggled to influence that game, whereas against Ipswich he found spaces and had players around him who could combine with him.
Owen Hargreaves was also full of praise for Bruno Fernandes. He believes Fernandes has an unusual level of consistency.
“He plays virtually every game at the same level. They’re so fortunate to have a player of his calibre. He’s so reliable. It’s actually remarkable. The intensity of the game, the speed of the game, but it doesn’t seem to affect guys like Bruno.”
His influence was impossible to miss in the second half.
“It was massive for us as we knew we lost three points last week,” Fernandes told reporters after the match. “It was all about getting the three points for our fans at home – they have been waiting ages for this.”
Manchester United couldn’t change what happened at Hull, but they could make sure the first home game of the season didn’t end in another disappointment.
“We couldn’t make up for last week today, as you can’t get six points, but we wanted to start on the front foot and be strong. In the second half we were very good.”
Bruno Fernandes keeps producing when United need him
Fernandes’ hat-trick also continued his remarkable record against newly promoted teams.
He now has 17 goal involvements in his last 15 Premier League appearances against promoted opposition, with 12 of those coming across his last nine league games at Old Trafford.
The captain’s own explanation for his performance was refreshingly simple.
“Scoring goals is the best feeling in football. Doing a hat-trick at home with our fans is something amazing and something I’m proud of.”
Bruno Fernandes also made it clear that his goals only matter to him because of what they mean for United.
“The main thing is that I need to score goals to help the team win games. Today I did that and I hope I can do that more and help my team-mates score goals too.”
That is exactly what United got from him.
Hargreaves summed up his second-half display after the final whistle.
“Bruno Fernandes, what a brilliant second half. Man Utd weren’t great in the first half, that slip opened the floodgates, and Bruno Fernandes was the star of the show. I don’t know what Michael Carrick said at half-time but they were dominant in the second half.”
That is the part Carrick will be happiest about. Manchester United didn’t merely hang on after the break. They attacked with far more purpose and eventually overwhelmed Ipswich.
For Fernandes, it was another big night under the Old Trafford lights. After collecting the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award this week, he followed it up with three goals when his team needed him most.
United are finally off the mark. And once again, Bruno Fernandes was the man leading the charge.
