Man United 3 Ipswich Town 2: Jaden Philogene’s first two Premier League goals not enough as on-top Blues unable to reply to 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford
Jaden Philogene’s first two Premier League goals were not enough as Ipswich Town were beaten 3-2 by 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Harry Maguire had caused the Blues problems all evening and it was his header that proved to be the winner, the England defender meeting a corner from Bruno Fernandes early in the second half.
It means Town remain five points from safety following a sixth defeat in seven league games with just 11 Premier League matches remaining.
The Blues got off to the perfect start when Philogene pounced on a horror mix-up in the Red Devils’ defence when Patrick Dorgu gifted the former Aston Villa winger with the easiest opportunity he will get all season.
Sam Morsy headed into his own net midway through the half after Jens Cajuste’s foul on Alejandro Garnacho, before a double save from Alex Palmer failed to deny Matthijs de Ligt stabbing home from close range to put the hosts in front.
Dorgu was sent off moments before the Blues equalised after Andre Onana allowed Philogene’s cross to sail all the way through, but Maguire stole the points just two minutes into the second half.
Town return to action in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday at Nottingham Forest, with the next league game following at Crystal Palace five days later.
Disaster for Dorgu
Dorgu was United’s only January signing, so there was some expectation on his shoulders to help Ruben Amorim wriggle out of the mess they find themselves in.
But in the opening few minutes of the game, the Dane’s mix-up with Onana was a laughable one.
Under little pressure, Dorgu appeared to not even look up to spot his goalkeeper off his line which allowed Philogene to have the freedom of Old Trafford to find the net.
Palmer did make one save from Dorgu when the left-back got forward but his evening went from bad to worse shortly before half-time.
The video technology gave referee Darren England the chance to have a second look at a challenge on Omari Hutchinson at a time where United would argue they were on top.
The Town man required treatment and VAR eventually called England over, where he decided that Dorgu’s studs were high on Hutchinson right in front of the dugouts.
After dismissing the seemingly endless number of players making their own minds up on the decision, the red card was shown and the former Lecce man was sent for an early shower.
Missed opportunity
It is remarkable in many ways to say that Town will look back on a trip to Manchester United as a huge missed opportunity but the games are running out to claw back the deficit in the Premier League table.
The Suffolk side could have taken the lead inside the opening minute, but even once they did through Philogene netting their first Old Trafford goal since 1992, they never seized upon their advantage.
United had only scored one first half goal in their previous 17 matches, but struck twice in four minutes to turn the game on its head through the unfortunate Morsy and de Ligt.
When VAR inflicted a numerical disadvantage on the Red Devils and Philogene struck again before the interval, the hosts were considered underdogs in the contest.
But Town did not heed the warning signs from earlier in the game as Fernandes’ corner was headed home by Maguire, giving United a lead to hold onto.
Disappointingly, it was a lead that never looked in danger as the 10-men saw out the remainder to return to winning ways on home soil and relieve some of the pressure on Amorim.
Manchester United (3-4-2-1): Onana; de Ligt, Maguire, Yoro (Lindelof 90); Dorgu, Fernandes (c), Ugarte, Dalot; Garnacho (Mazraoui 45), Zirkzee (Eriksen 90); Hojlund (Casemiro 67). Subs: Graczyk, Harrison, Heaven, Obi.
Booked: Hojlund, Zirkzee, Mazraoui, Yoro.
Sent Off: Dorgu.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Davis (Hirst 80), Greaves, O’Shea, Tuanzebe (Johnson 80); Cajuste (Szmodics 90), Morsy (c) (Taylor 66); Clarke, Hutchinson (Broadhead 66), Philogene; Delap. Subs: Muric, Woolfenden, Townsend, Luongo.
Booked: Morsy, O’Shea, Delap, Johnson.
Referee: Darren England (South Yorkshire).
Attendance: 73,827.
SuffolkNews Man of the Match: Jens Cajuste. Despite playing against 10-men for more than half the game, the Blues struggled to create the chances required to punish Man Utd for their frailties. Cajuste battled hard in midfield and looked better going forwards than we have often seen, but Town lacked ideas for the most part.
