It is a reflection of where Manchester United are at this moment in time that they are better suited to playing on the back foot and effectively in the role of the underdog.
Reduced to 10 men late in the first half after Patrick Dorgu was sent off on a Premier League home debut to forget, United were forced to get men behind the ball, defend in a low block and make every set-piece count against relegation-threatened Ipswich.
They did all of those things very well and it earned them only their second home league win in seven matches at Old Trafford.
Plenty of teams have avoided relegation adopting that kind of approach down the years, and while this win should end any lingering fears Ruben Amorim may have had about being sucked towards the drop zone, it was obvious it pained him to admit this is where his team is at.
“That is clear – and that is also hard for me,” the United head coach said when acknowledging that his side are more comfortable defending deep than trying to play proactive football.
“I make that analysis also. We have players like Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt defending the box and are really strong but when they have to cover a lot of space the game changes for them.
“We have to survive but it’s really hard for me to play like that second half but I feel that the defenders are sometimes more comfortable defending in a low block.”
There were parallels here to the way United dug in with 10 men against Arsenal in the FA Cup last month, the main difference being that Ipswich offered precious little in the second period despite their numerical advantage and drew a rebuke from their manager Kieran McKenna.
Similarly in the 2-2 against Liverpool, when the onus was on the opponent to attack and United could sit in and break on the transition, the game seems to suit Amorim’s side better when scales are tilted.
All three of their goals came from set-pieces delivered by Bruno Fernandes – United’s man for all seasons – with Maguire heading in what would prove the winner two minutes after the restart and giving his side an advantage that this time they would not surrender.
They were inauspicious beginnings against Ipswich, though, and when Dorgu gifted them a fourth-minute lead with a dreadful blunder, even Amorim admitted he was thinking “here we go again”.
A week that had begun with the grim news of more redundancies at Old Trafford suddenly looked like taking another turn for the worse as United’s enduring capacity for self-sabotage again threatened to prove their undoing. They did manage to get their noses in front during a four-minute burst midway through the first half from two well-executed set-pieces which Ipswich failed miserably to defend only to press the self-destruct button once more.
Poor Dorgu. He will not want to watch his home league debut back again. It began ingloriously when his intended back-pass sailed past Andre Onana gifting Jaden Philogene his first Premier League goal and ended the same way - sent off for a reckless, studs-up challenge on Omari Hutchinson, the severity of which was initially missed by referee Darren England.
You could hear the crunch on the shin guard from 30 yards away as the Ipswich forward collapsed in visible pain on the ground. Once England was directed to the pitchside monitor by the VAR Craig Pawson, there was only going to be one outcome.
Dorgu’s dismissal forced Amorim to shuffle his pack and the surprise was that Alejandro Garnacho was the one to make way. The Argentina winger did not appear too happy about it and disappeared straight down the tunnel, the latest twist in his uneasy relationship with Amorim.
United, at that point, had a few minutes to hold on to their 2-1 lead but it would prove beyond them. When Philogene picked up the ball on the right following a switch of play, there seemed no immediate danger but he was granted too much time to deliver an inswinging low cross into the danger area. Liam Delap reacted quickly and motioned to go for the ball and missed. Onana seemed thrown by the action and the ball ended up sailing past the hapless United goalkeeper into the far corner. Was it soft? Yes. Should Onana have done better? Almost certainly.
Communication is clearly not one of Onana’s strong suits and there was a dreadful mix-up between him and Dorgu for the first goal. Onana seemed set to collect Sam Morsy’s long punt upfield only for Dorgu to inexplicably attempt to pass it back to his goalkeeper just a few yards away. The ball rolled past Onana and Philogene had the simplest of tap-ins.
Buoyed by raucous home support, United’s response was swift. There had been signs beforehand of Ipswich looking uncomfortable defending set-pieces, with Maguire having a header saved from a Fernandes corner. United sensed it and exploited it, with McKenna dismayed by his side’s lack of strength and physicality. For the equaliser, Fernandes whipped in a menacing cross that Morsy, under pressure from Rasmus Hojlund, inadvertently ended up heading into his own goal. Shortly after, Maguire met another excellent Fernandes corner with a header that Ipswich could not clear. Dalot’s shot on the rebound was saved but Alex Palmer could only push the ball into the path of Matthijs de Ligt to finish from close range.
So how would United fare with 10 men for the entirety of the second half? Better, as it happened. There is something about this United side looking more comfortable in chaos and there was a grit and determination to them after the restart. They regained the lead within two minutes when Maguire powered home a header from another Fernandes corner after Jens Cajuste failed to thwart his run and, in truth, it was an advantage they never looked like surrendering.
Here was a team suddenly fighting for each other, a moment summed up when Liam Delap chased down Manuel Ugarte and hounded him to the ground only for Mazraoui to rush over and barge over the Ipswich striker. A flurry of red shirts then piled over to back up Mazraoui. The United fans lapped it up. This is not how Amorim envisages his United playing long-term but winning – by any means necessary – is a whole lot better than losing.
Amorim: I’ll talk to Garnacho over storming down tunnel
By James Ducker at Old Trafford
Ruben Amorim said he will hold talks with Alejandro Garnacho after the Manchester United winger headed straight down the tunnel after being substituted.
Garnacho was sacrificed at the end of the first half after Patrick Dorgu’s red card forced Amorim to reshuffle the pack. The Argentine opted not to take a seat in the dugout with the rest of the United substitutes and instead made a beeline for the tunnel.
Amorim has endured an uneasy relationship with Garnacho since becoming United manager and dropped the player for the Manchester derby in December – along with Marcus Rashford – after an apparent shown of dissent during a Europa League tie against Viktoria Plzen days earlier.
Garnacho reportedly appeared to turn his back on Amorim and walk away while the Portuguese was trying to give him instructions before bringing him on.
Asked about Garnacho disappearing down the tunnel against Ipswich, Amorim said: “You are making a connection with Rashford, right? I know, I know. What I’m saying is I’m going to talk obviously with Garnacho about that. So I will talk about that if you want in the next press conference.”
Garnacho posted a picture on his Instagram on Wednesday night of him holding his nose, head bowed and walking off. Chelsea and Napoli both made bids for Garnacho last month amid doubts over his future at Old Trafford, with United thought to be open to selling the 20-year-old if an acceptable offer comes in.
Asked why Garnacho headed for the tunnel and if he had permission, Amorim said: “It was cold and wet, maybe?”
Amorim’s decision to withdraw Garnacho caused some surprise at the time but was ultimately vindicated.
“The thinking was we’d play more in the 5-3-1. I know that is a risk because you are taking maybe the only player who has one against one pace, but I felt the team was okay in the controlling of the game, it was almost half time, then you make the substitution. We have to choose someone to go out, we have to think about set pieces also, so it was Garanacho. It was my decision.”
10:10 PM GMT
Rio Ferdinand on TNT
10:07 PM GMT
The thoughts of Kieran McKenna
“We are really annoyed with how it ended up, no doubt about it. We have not defended the set-plays well enough, it was really poor. Unacceptable from our point of view that third goal. It gave energy to the stadium and then we did not manage well in terms of chasing the result. We need to stand up and be counted better. Set-pieces have not been a weakness for us this season but we were not good enough tonight. They handled going down to ten men well and we did not manage that second half well enough. We did not have the qualities to go and break them down.”
10:04 PM GMT
Ruben Amorim speaking to TNT
09:47 PM GMT
Defeat for Kieran McKenna’s side
Ipswich remain in 18th place, five points from safety. They could drop into 19th if Leicester get at least a point against West Ham tomorrow night.
09:42 PM GMT
Tonight’s games
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal FT
Manchester United 3-2 Ipswich FT
Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City FT
Brentford 1-1 Everton FT
Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle (70’)
09:38 PM GMT
View from the Manchester United camp
09:32 PM GMT
FT stats
Possession: Manchester United 44%-56% Ipswich
Shots: 10-12
Shots on target: 6-3
Corners: 5-6
Touches in opposition box: 23-19
09:29 PM GMT
Full time
There is the final whistle and Manchester United beat Ipswich 3-2, despite playing the whole of the second half down to 10 men.
09:29 PM GMT
90+6 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
A late yellow card for Johnson, with the ball still deep in the Ipswich half. The visitors cannot afford the ball to be there.
09:28 PM GMT
90+5 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Dalot is fouled by Johnson deep inside the Ipswich half and Manchester United will be able to run down more time.
09:26 PM GMT
90+4 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
We are past the four-minute mark in added time but a huge amount of time was wasted and spent whilst Manchester United made their double change so we are likely to go to six minutes in added time.
09:24 PM GMT
90+2 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Manchester United are making a double change as Eriksen and Lindelof replace Zirkzee and Yoro.
09:22 PM GMT
90+1 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
A late Ipswich change as Szmodics replaces Cajuste.
09:21 PM GMT
90 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
There will be four added minutes at the end of this match.
09:21 PM GMT
89 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Yoro is booked for deliberately dribbling a ball back onto the pitch when the ball had gone out in order to waste time.
09:19 PM GMT
87 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Philogene cuts in from the right and shoots from the edge of the box but Onana gets down to his left to make the save.
09:17 PM GMT
86 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Manchester United set-pieces are continuing to cause Ipswich all sorts of problems and Greaves hooks one over his bar for another Manchester United corner. Fernandes’ latest delivery though is caught by Palmer.
09:17 PM GMT
85 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Tensions boil over as Delap and Ugarte scrap, which causes a mass brawl. Delap is shown a yellow for causing the brawl and then Mazraoui is also booked for shoving over Delap in the melee.
09:15 PM GMT
83 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Ipswich win a corner on the left and time is running out for them to find an equaliser. They take it short and Clarke wins another corner off Fernandes. Johnson’s corner is flicked on at the near post and Ipswich have a third corner in succession but the third is headed wide by Hirst.
09:12 PM GMT
80 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Ugarte fouls Philogene, giving Ipswich a free-kick inside the Manchester United half.
Before the free-kick Ipswich are making a double change as Davis and Tuanzebe are replaced by Hirst and Johnson.
09:09 PM GMT
78 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Fernandes is found in space down the left by Casemiro and drives into the Ipswich box. He plays the ball across the box but cannot find his only teammate in the box, Mazraoui.
09:05 PM GMT
74 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Davis sends in a cross from the left but it is just slightly too high for Broadhead inside the box.
09:04 PM GMT
73 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Clarke’s cross from the left-hand side of the box takes a deflection off de Ligt and goes behind for a corner. Ipswich take it quickly and Philogene lays it off to Taylor on the edge of the box. He cuts across the shot too much though and his effort goes wide of the far post.
09:02 PM GMT
70 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
De Ligt was taking a bit of a risk there. He hits a slightly risky back pass which Onana in the end clears away but it could have been a slightly more accommodating pass.
08:58 PM GMT
67 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Ruben Amorim is making a change as Casemiro replaces Hojlund.
08:57 PM GMT
66 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Double Ipswich change as Taylor and Broadhead are replacing Morsy and Hutchinson.
08:56 PM GMT
65 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Cajuste flashes a dangerous ball across the six-yard box from the left-hand side of the penalty area but Delap is not there to take advantage. Philogene tries to keep the ball in play at the back post but cannot do so.
08:55 PM GMT
63 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Considering how badly Ipswich have defended set-pieces tonight, Manchester United decide to send a free-kick forward from halfway. Fernandes finds the head of Maguire, who heads on but none of his teammate are on hand to get on the end of that header.
08:53 PM GMT
61 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Zirkzee is booked for kicking the ball away after Ipswich had been awarded a free-kick.
08:51 PM GMT
59 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Yoro turns past Hutchinson near the byline and sends a ball across the Ipswich box. It comes to Hojlund but, instead of shooting, he lets it through his legs to no-one. Why did he not shoot?
08:49 PM GMT
57 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Philogene finds Delap inside the box and he has another shot deflected behind by Maguire for a corner for the visitors. Hojlund and O’Shea were going at each other in the first half, both receiving a yellow card, and they are still getting into scraps.
Davis sends in the corner but Maguire heads away.
08:45 PM GMT
53 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
From a free-kick just inside the Ipswich half, Fernandes finds Hojlund running down the left-hand channel and he should send the ball across the area but tries to cut back and ends up losing it before conceding a free-kick. Hojlund has been a peripheral figure tonight and may become even more so with Manchester United down to 10 men.
08:42 PM GMT
50 mins: Manchester United 3 Ipswich 2
Delap’s shot on the edge of the Manchester United box deflects off Maguire and goes behind for a corner. Davis sends in an inswinger but Yoro powerfully heads away. Davis has another crossing opportunity out on the right but there is way too much on the delivery and it goes behind for a goal-kick.
08:39 PM GMT
GOAL! Maguire heads Manchester United back in front
Another set-piece goal for the home side tonight. Fernandes sends in an outswinger, which Maguire meets around 10 yards out. He guides his header into the ground and into the far corner. Another goal conceded from a set-piece tonight for Ipswich.
08:38 PM GMT
46 mins: Manchester United 2 Ipswich 2
Fernandes switches play out to the right to find Mazraoui, who crosses towards the far post trying to find some teammates but Tuanzebe wins the header, which goes behind for a Manchester United corner...
08:36 PM GMT
Second half
We are back under way at Old Trafford.
08:35 PM GMT
TNT’s Rio Ferdinand on the Patrick Dorgu red card
“It is actually a bad touch from Omari Hutchinson in the first place and Patrick Dorgu is quick to challenge but it is reckless. It is a straight leg challenge and I do not think there can be any complaints.”
To read more about Patrick Dorgu’s nightmare first half, click here.
08:31 PM GMT
Latest scores
Brentford 1-0 Everton HT
Manchester United 2-2 Ipswich HT
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal HT
Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City HT
08:25 PM GMT
HT stats
Possession: Manchester United 61%-39% Ipswich
Shots: 7-4
Shots on target: 5-2
Corners: 3-0
Touches in opposition box: 12-4
08:21 PM GMT
Half time
That is it for the first half and it is all square at 2-2 at the break. A reminder that Manchester United will play the rest of the game down to 10 men after Dorgu’s red card not long before half time.
08:20 PM GMT
45+4 mins: Manchester United 2 Ipswich 2
Hojlund and O’Shea are involved in an altercation as the latter goes down holding his face after an aerial contest. Both players are booked for getting in the altercation.
08:18 PM GMT
GOAL! Ipswich level after another Manchester United error
Just before the break Ipswich are on level terms. Philogene sends in a cross from the right, trying to pick out Delap. It runs all the way through and Onana does not deal with it, allowing the ball to nestle in the far corner.
08:17 PM GMT
45 mins: Manchester United 2 Ipswich 1
Ruben Amorim has made an immediate change, bringing on Mazraoui for Garnacho.
Four added minutes at the end of this first half.
Dorgu is off and that completes a miserable 43 minutes for United’s January signing. Studs up challenge catches Hutchinson full on the left shin. You could hear the crunch from 30 yards away in the press box. Darren England sent to the pitchside monitor and opts to show Dorgu a red. Garnacho is now off with Mazraoui on.
08:14 PM GMT
RED CARD!
Darren England has changed his decision and shows Dorgu a red card. Manchester United will play just over a half of football with 10 men. I think Dorgu knew what was coming and it did not look great.
08:13 PM GMT
VAR REVIEW!
Darren England has been sent to the screen and a red card is likely to follow.
08:12 PM GMT
41 mins: Manchester United 2 Ipswich 1
Hutchinson is down after a challenge from Dorgu and it is a nasty challenge. Every time you see the replay you do wince, especially in slow motion. VAR is taking a look...
08:10 PM GMT
39 mins: Manchester United 2 Ipswich 1
Garnacho has acres of space and time as he approaches the Ipswich box and should get his shot away but he waits too long, which allows Tuanzebe to slide in to take the ball off him. Garnacho took far too long and it was a good chance hat had opened up for him.
08:08 PM GMT
36 mins: Manchester United 2 Ipswich 1
Garnacho goes down wanting a penalty after a collision with Tuanzebe but referee Darren England does not agree. That is never a penalty. The ball falls to Dorgu, who strikes powerfully from the left-hand side of the box but Palmer gets down to make the save.
08:06 PM GMT
34 mins: Manchester United 2 Ipswich 1
It has been pretty end to end, more reminiscent of a basketball game, but things have settled down a little.
The first yellow card of the night is given to Ipswich captain Morsy after a foul on Zirkzee. He protested the decision but referee Darren England felt the yellow card was just.
07:57 PM GMT
GOAL! De Ligt puts Manchester United ahead
The hosts were 1-0 down a few minutes ago but are now 2-1 up. Fernandes sends in a corner from the left, which finds Maguire. His header is saved by Palmer and the ball comes back out to Dalot, whose shot is also saved by Palmer, but he can only parry it out as far as de Ligt, who slots home to put Manchester United ahead.
Quickfire response from United. Fernandes’ delivery from set pieces has been central to it. Ipswich haven’t looked comfortable dealing with Maguire’s aerial presence.
07:56 PM GMT
24 mins: Manchester United 1 Ipswich 1
At one end, Delap goes down under a challenge from Maguire wanting a penalty but a foul is not going to be given there. Manchester United then counter but the ball forward is overhit.
07:53 PM GMT
GOAL! Manchester United level through Morsy own goal
Fernandes fizzes in the ball and the ball comes off Morsy’s head, flying into his own net. 1-1.
07:53 PM GMT
21 mins: Manchester United 0 Ipswich 1
Garnacho wins the hosts a free-kick out on the left after a foul from Cajuste, giving them a good opportunity to send it into the Ipswich box...
07:51 PM GMT
19 mins: Manchester United 0 Ipswich 1
Maguire finds Ugarte out on the right and the latter sends the ball into the box, finding Zirkzee, but the Dutchman does not get great contact on it and the chance is gone.
07:46 PM GMT
15 mins: Manchester United 0 Ipswich 1
That is a gift for Manchester United as Ipswich belt the ball at a teammate and the ball rolls out for a corner.
Fernandes takes it short and then Garnacho ends up crossing but he cannot beat the first man.
07:45 PM GMT
14 mins: Manchester United 0 Ipswich 1
“Kieran McKenna, he left cos you’re s***” sing the Ipswich fans about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s former first team coach at Manchester United.
07:44 PM GMT
12 mins: Manchester United 0 Ipswich 1
Dalot gives the ball away and Delap is sprinting at the Manchester United defence. Maguire stands up well though and intercepts.
07:41 PM GMT
9 mins: Manchester United 0 Ipswich 1
Garnacho wins a corner off Philogene, who did well to track back covering for his teammate Tuanzebe who was not in his normal position of right-back. The delivery is sent to the far post, where Maguire gets some space. He is a fair way off but forces Palmer into a good save to his left. Dalot then attempts to hook the ball back across but it goes out of play.
07:37 PM GMT
6 mins: Manchester United 0 Ipswich 1
Ipswich have a free-kick in a dangerous position out on the left but Manchester United head the ball away from danger. The visitors will be frustrated that they did not take more advantage of that chance.
07:35 PM GMT
GOAL! Philogene gives Ipswich the lead after horrific error at the back
Ipswich take the lead at Old Trafford and it is terrible from Manchester United to say the least. The ball is played in behind the Manchester United defence but Dorgu has it covered. For some reason Onana comes rushing out of his goal and Dorgu’s pass back goes past Onana. It leaves Philogene with a simple tap-in and that is an absolute gift.
If ever a moment summed up United’s wretched season, it’s that goal. Where do you start with that? Onana is there to collect Morsy punts upfield and Dorgu attempts to play it back to him from a couple of yards away and sends the ball past his goalkeeper, gifting Jaden Philogene the easiest goal he will ever score.
07:32 PM GMT
1 min: Manchester United 0 Ipswich 0
Ipswich have the first chance of the night inside the opening minute. Delap is the man to have it but drags his effort wide of the far post.
07:31 PM GMT
Kick-off
We are under way at a very wet and soggy Old Trafford.
Ipswich haven’t won at Old Trafford since 1984. Do that tonight and they will give their hopes of avoiding relegation a significant shot in the arm. United, surely, won’t be dropping out of the league this season but a win would go a long way to ending any lingering doubts. Here’s a stat for you: United haven’t managed a goal from open play in the first half of their last 17 games in all competitions. Bruno Fernandes managed a first half penalty in a 3-1 defeat to Brighton but otherwise you’ve got to go back to Rasmus Hojlund scoring in the 18th minute of a 3-2 defeat against Nottingham Forest in early December for their last open play first half goal.
07:26 PM GMT
Kick-off fast approaching
Both sides have emerged from the tunnel and we are just moments away from kick-off at Old Trafford.
07:22 PM GMT
Reminder of the teams
Manchester United: Onana, De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro, Dorgu, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dalot, Garnacho, Zirkzee, Hojlund.
Substitutes: Graczyk, Harrison, Eriksen, Mazraoui, Casemiro, Heaven, Lindelof, Obi.
Ipswich: Palmer, Davis, Tuanzebe, Greaves, O’Shea, Cajuste, Morsy, Clarke, Hutchinson, Philogene, Delap.
Substitutes: Muric, Broadhead, Hirst, Johnson, Szmodics, Taylor, Luongo, Townsend, Woolfenden.
07:17 PM GMT
Meanwhile at Anfield
League leaders Liverpool are hosting Newcastle, with an 11-point lead at the top over Arsenal, who travel to Nottingham Forest tonight. That game at Anfield kicks off at 8.15pm and you can follow that game with our dedicated live blog.
07:13 PM GMT
Ruben Amorim talking to TNT
07:06 PM GMT
Rio Ferdinand on TNT Sports
07:01 PM GMT
Pre-match thoughts of Leif Davis
06:55 PM GMT
Return to Old Trafford for McKenna
06:48 PM GMT
Last night’s results
Brighton 2-1 Bournemouth
Crystal Palace 4-1 Aston Villa
Wolves 1-2 Fulham
Chelsea 4-0 Southampton
06:43 PM GMT
Ten Hag says Gen-Z footballers cannot take criticism in first interview since Man Utd sacking
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has claimed modern footballers struggle to cope with criticism. Ten Hag was sacked by United in October after a two-and-a-half-year reign at Old Trafford during which time he won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
The Dutchman fell out with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho during his tenure at the club while former defender Raphael Varane claimed in a recent interview that he had a “very tense” relationship with the manager. Ten Hag was sometimes accused of adopting too much of a schoolmasterly approach with players at United.
But in his first interview since leaving Old Trafford, the 55-year-old claimed modern-day players do not like to be told they are not performing and need to be handled differently from players from past generations.
For more on this story, click here.
06:37 PM GMT
Full team news
Manchester United make two changes from their 2-2 draw at Everton last weekend. Alejandro Garnacho and Leny Yoro come into the starting line-up in place of Casemiro and Noussair Mazraoui.
Manchester United: Onana, De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro, Dorgu, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dalot, Garnacho, Zirkzee, Hojlund.
Substitutes: Graczyk, Harrison, Eriksen, Mazraoui, Casemiro, Heaven, Lindelof, Obi.
Ipswich make two changes from their 4-1 defeat to Tottenham last weekend. Club captain Sam Morsy starts, coming in for Kalvin Phillips, who misses out tonight. Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe starts, replacing Ben Godfrey in defence.
Ipswich: Palmer, Davis, Tuanzebe, Greaves, O’Shea, Cajuste, Morsy, Clarke, Hutchinson, Philogene, Delap.
Substitutes: Muric, Broadhead, Hirst, Johnson, Szmodics, Taylor, Luongo, Townsend, Woolfenden.
06:32 PM GMT
Amorim: Not running like ‘mad dogs’
Ruben Amorim said in December that Manchester United needed to “run like mad dogs” but that was anything but the case in the first half against Everton when the manager claimed his side “didn’t exist”. United recovered from being 2-0 down at the interval to draw 2-2 but Amorim said the team were having trouble replicating their training standards in matches. “They improved all the data that we have but we can do much better,” he said. “I think the confidence sometimes is like… they trained very well but in the game I feel they are not so confident and then the game is so hard for them in certain moments and they want to do it but cannot do it. Like we proved in the last game, we have to play more like the second half than the first half.”
Rasmus Hojlund, for example, has not scored in 16 matches and Amorim believes this is a team problem more than anything. “I think it’s clear, we as a team aren’t helping Rasmus,” he said. “We don’t create a lot of chances. We have a lack of threat and you can feel it in the games. Sometimes we are in the final third but you don’t feel like we are a very dangerous team and you feel it also when we’re defending low and sometimes the opponent is not afraid of transitions.”
For more from our northern football correspondent James Ducker’s story, click here.
06:28 PM GMT
How things stand at the foot of the table
06:23 PM GMT
Get your fix
06:15 PM GMT
Ipswich team news
06:15 PM GMT
Manchester United team news
06:13 PM GMT
Tonight’s fixtures
Brentford vs Everton 7.30pm
Manchester United vs Ipswich 7.30pm
Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal 7.30pm
Tottenham vs Manchester City 7.30pm
Liverpool vs Newcastle 8.15pm
06:07 PM GMT
Match preview
15th-place Manchester United host 18th-place Ipswich at Old Trafford on this Wednesday night of Premier League action. Manchester United come into tonight’s match after a dramatic topsy turvy match at Everton last weekend. Ruben Amorim’s side came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Goodison Park last Saturday, which ended in dramatic circumstances as Everton were given a penalty in added time at the end of the game only for it to be overturned. Off the field, Manchester United announced plans on Monday to make up to 200 more redundancies in addition to the 250 job cuts last summer as part of a brutal cost-cutting process under minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos. Amorim has said that Manchester United’s staff are “paying the price” for a catalogue of failures at the top of the club and admitted they cannot afford any more transfer blunders.
“It is easy for me to be here and say all the pretty stuff. We have to improve recruitment, I think that is crucial, and we need to improve the team. We need to perform better and we need to be in Europe and not in our position this season. They [the staff] are paying the price for our lack of success and I cannot say anything now that is going to convince the fans and all the staff that we’re going to do it.
“We have an idea but we need to be a better team and recruit better and not make a lot of mistakes in that department. We have to address all the problems in the club but one important piece of this moment is to understand how we get to this situation and it has a lot to do with the lack of success of the football team because we are the engine of any football club. We as a club have to understand what we did wrong to get to this situation so we need to think about solutions at this moment.”
Ipswich lost 4-1 at home against Tottenham last weekend, which leaves them in 18th place, five points behind Wolves in 17th but with the chance to close the gap tonight to Wolves, who lost last night to Fulham, to just two points. Their manager Kieran McKenna, who was on the coaching staff at Manchester United from 2016-2021, is keen to see his side put that heavy defeat to Tottenham behind them.
“We are not going to be singing and dancing after losing home games, but we came out on the wrong side of a harsh scoreline. It was disappointing the way the game ended up, but we have taken a lot of positives from it. Now we have a big game to focus on on Wednesday. There is a great energy around the training ground today, everyone is really excited. It is the standout one on the calendar for sure.”
Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge of Manchester United came in the reverse fixture at Portman Road back in November. Marcus Rashford, who is now on loan at Aston Villa, scored inside two minutes before Omari Hutchinson earned Ipswich a point.
Team news to follow shortly.
