Fernandes hat trick inspires United’s comeback win
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Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes celebrates after scoring his side’s third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Ipswich Town in Manchester, England, Sunday, August 30, 2026.
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Tynielle Chambers-Barnett (third right), Group Business Development Manager, Cari-Med Group, Kirk FP Division engages with (from left) Keith Wellington, President, Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association, Omar 'Rambo' Wedderburn, coach, St Elizabeth Technical High School, Andrei Roper, Marketing and Communications Strategist, Restaurants of Jamaica Limited, Kemar Ricketts, coach, Calabar High School; and Jacob Christian, grandson of Glen Ford Christian of Cari-Med. Group, during the launch of the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association football competitions at CVM TV last Thursday.
AP:
Trailing — again — to a promoted team, Manchester United were facing further embarrassment early in this season’s English Premier League.
Then Bruno Fernandes intervened.
With a clinically taken hat trick, the Portugal playmaker inspired United’s comeback in a 5-2 win over Ipswich at Old Trafford yesterday.
It was a relieving win for United, which opened its league campaign last weekend with a stunning 2-0 loss at Hull — a team that was promoted via the Championship playoffs and was widely tipped to be the favourites for relegation.
After that setback, United manager Michael Carrick appealed for calm — but saw his team fall behind yesterday to Ipswich, another big candidate for relegation, in the 29th minute.
Fernandes, the player of the year in the Premier League last season, equalised with a thunderous left-foot shot at the end of a counterattack in the 40th, converted from the penalty spot for his second goal in the 61st to make it 3-1, and completed his hat trick seven minutes later by calmly slotting home a finish. Five years ago, Fernandes also scored a hat trick for United in his first home appearance of the season, against Leeds on that occasion.
“Scoring goals is the best feeling in football,” he said. “Doing a hat trick at home with our fans is something I’m proud of. I hope I can do much more.”
Between Fernandes’ goals, there was time for an own-goal following a shot by Harry Maguire, who handled the ball in the build-up. A foul wasn’t awarded because it wasn’t adjudged a deliberate handball by Maguire and also he didn’t score directly from his shot, with the ball instead deflecting in off Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves.
Bryan Mbeumo completed the scoring for United, running onto a pass from Fernandes and lobbing the goalkeeper from the edge of the area.
Ipswich grabbed a stoppage-time consolation after Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez was dispossessed near his own goal.
“It’s just a week in football, isn’t it? The ups-and-downs,” Carrick said. “If you want to be a big team and a successful team, every team gets beaten and you’ve got to deal with setbacks ... we showed mini-setback going a goal behind but we showed stubbornness, belief and togetherness, and that was pleasing for me.”
Cole Palmer showed more signs of a return to his top form by completing the scoring for Chelsea in their wild 4-3 win over Brighton.
The playmaker was a revelation in the 2023-24 season — his first at Chelsea — when scoring 22 league goals but he has struggled with injuries and a loss of form since, culminating in Palmer missing out on a place in England’s World Cup squad this summer.