Bruno Fernandes has challenged Manchester United to maintain their attacking hunger after inspiring the club to their first Premier League victory of the season with a commanding 5-2 comeback win over Ipswich Town.
United bounced back strongly from their opening-day defeat to Hull City, with Fernandes producing a stunning hat-trick at Old Trafford to help turn the match around after Ipswich took an early lead.
Leif Davies gave the visitors the advantage, but Fernandes restored parity before the break. United then stepped up their performance in the second half, taking control of the game through an own goal from Jacob Greaves, followed by a Fernandes penalty.
The Portugal international completed his hat-trick shortly afterwards before Bryan Mbeumo added a fifth for the hosts. Chuba Akpom scored a late consolation for Ipswich.
United’s attacking display was particularly impressive, with the team recording 33 shots on goal — their highest total in a Premier League game since registering 38 against Burnley in October 2016.
Fernandes himself attempted eight shots, matching his joint-highest tally in a Premier League match for the club.
His latest performance also continued his impressive record against newly promoted teams. The hat-trick takes his total to 17 goal involvements — eight goals and nine assists — in his last 15 Premier League appearances against newly promoted opposition.
Despite the emphatic scoreline, Fernandes believes United must develop an even greater desire to keep scoring once they take control of matches.
“We were in control of the game and then conceded the goal, lost a bit of control after that, but then got back into the game, scored just before half-time and in the second half we were brilliant. We need to be hungry to score more goals,” he told BBC Sport.
Fernandes also insisted his three-goal performance was a reflection of the team’s collective effort rather than an individual achievement.
“It is a great accolade for myself, but it is together with the team, because I couldn’t do any of that without them helping me,” he said.
The midfielder added that securing a home victory was especially important after what had been a difficult week for the club.
He also stressed the need for United to remain emotionally balanced, regardless of whether they win or lose.
“We have to do it in both ways; when we lose, we can’t get carried away with the negative things,” Fernandes said, admitting that defeats are particularly difficult for him because of his strong desire to win.
United’s impressive home record has also continued in 2026. They have won nine of their 10 Premier League matches at Old Trafford this calendar year, collecting 27 points — more home points than any other team in the league during the period.
The victory also marked the first time since July 2020 that United had scored five goals in a league match after conceding first. They also came from behind to beat Bournemouth 5-2 on that occasion.
After suffering defeat to Hull City on the opening weekend, the emphatic victory over Ipswich provided a much-needed response for Michael Carrick’s side.
Carrick was pleased with the result, describing it simply as “a good win” and “a really good win in the end” in his post-match comments to Sky Sports.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar