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This riveting affair took in the pantomime of Ipswich Town’s goals, Patrick Dorgu’s early bath for an industrial challenge and a trio of Manchester United set‑piece finishes to deliver three points that lifts Ruben Amorim’s charges to 14th.
Ipswich departed as they arrived – in third-bottom – and the United soap opera now moves on to Fulham’s FA Cup fifth-round visit on Sunday.
In a tumultuous time of further redundancies and free lunches ended for many remaining staff, the head coach’s declaration that United’s players are in the “bubble” of trying to turn fortunes around was borne out on a night that began in incessant rain and ended with a precious win.
Amorim talks about “surviving” this season and regrouping in what will be a first summer in charge. The Portuguese needs to. But a best asset was on show here: a doughty spirit which, even when his side goes a player down, finds a way to prosper.
Less than four minutes were needed for United – actually Dorgu – to shoot themselves in the proverbial. Amorim spoke of sticking to the gameplan and surely nothing in that has United’s new arrival knocking the ball past the on-rushing goalkeeper André Onana to allow Philogene a clear run for a tap-in into an empty net. The calamity derived from Dara O’Shea’s hopeful hoof upfield and immediately the left wing‑back aimed recriminations at his goalkeeper. But this was his fault.
Ipswich, with a solitary point in 2025, were cock-a-hoop, United a picture of dismay, Amorim in full shoulder-slump mode. A reply came via Maguire’s header, lifted at goal from Bruno Fernandes’s corner from the left, which Alex Palmer went flying left to claw out. The next time United’s captain stroked in a dead ball, he fashioned the equaliser.
A 22nd-minute free-kick was arrowed over from the left, up went a melee of home and Ipswich players and at close range the hapless Sam Morsy headed into his own net.
Four minutes later set-piece No 3 from Fernandes had United taking the lead. Once more he flighted in a corner from the left and once more Maguire rose to head. The ball careered about, Palmer saved Diogo Dalot’s shot and Matthijs de Ligt smashed into the roof of the net.
Two goals in four minutes had reversed the emotions for the home faithful and given United what they sorely lack, a swagger which had Leny Yoro, Dorgu, Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho punching the ball about, and Joshua Zirkzee drawing a Morsy booking for an ankle-clip.
For a passage United enjoyed control, a rarity for this Amorim side, and Dorgu’s fierce effort almost earned redemption for the Dane only for Palmer to beat it away. But Dorgu’s night then became a real shocker as he was sent off, Darren England raising the red card after consulting the pitchside monitor. The referee’s decision seemed fair: when the ball was played for Omari Hutchinson, Dorgu’s right foot missed it and, instead, administered a heavy blow to the player’s left shin. After treatment, Hutchinson could continue but the challenge was clearly dangerous play.
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On came Noussair Mazraoui, with Garnacho sacrificed, and United plunged further, as Ipswich levelled. Again, Philogene was the scorer and Onana certainly the villain this time. Philogene swept a hopeful diagonal in from the right, United’s goalkeeper hesitated, De Ligt and Liam Delap did not touch the ball, and in it bounced.
Amorim’s anger was transformed to happier emotions when Maguire’s forehead gave United the lead again, the defender beating Palmer at yet another Fernandes corner, this from the right just after half-time.
The former captain was delighted but the question was simple: how long could his side protect their advantage? They might have stretched it at a clever free-kick dinked along the sideline but Rasmus Højlund chose to pivot rather than cross and he slipped and was dispossessed.
Once more United’s No 9 fed off scraps. Amorim recognises this and how it causes the Dane to lose his cool. An illustration came in the pass he spiralled beyond Zirkzee and straight out, but at least this was a second touch in as many minutes. A third touch should have come when Yoro performed a quasi-Cruyff turn along the left and rolled the ball over but instead of taking aim Højlund dummied and Ipswich escaped.
Casemiro replaced Højlund as Amorim valiantly defended what the 10 men fought for: a first league win in four games. And Mazraoui’s shove of Delap after the latter’s disagreement with Manuel Ugarte was a welcome further sign of togetherness.
