As the rain poured down at Old Trafford, the narratives already looked to be, quite literally, flooding in. A leaky Manchester United – down to ten men and level at the break – appeared destined for yet another dismal day in the Premier League. The headline writers were at the ready.
On a night in which rivals Liverpool moved one step closer to the title, the Red Devils trudged off at half-time fearing a new nadir in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, amid the danger of slipping further into the mire.
And yet…
It may not have been vintage – this team certainly isn’t – but it was difficult not to be emboldened by the manner of the second-half display, in particular, with the hosts fighting tooth and nail to cling onto the lead, following Harry Maguire’s brilliant bullet header just after the restart.
This was no Champions League knockout stage showdown, nor a league title shootout, yet the atmosphere suggested otherwise. At a time when the club and its team couldn’t appear more broken, a sense of unity crept in for 90 minutes in Manchester. The United faithful, and the tired bodies on the pitch, rallied together.
And so, with an FA Cup fifth-round tie to come this weekend, followed by the next step in the Red Devils’ Europa League adventure in midweek, could there be life in the old dog yet? Could this grim season still have time to spark into life?
If there is to be a positive finale to 2024/25, decisions may well need to be made for the upcoming games – not least on how to replace the suspended Patrick Dorgu.
Patrick Dorgu's chaotic first-half showing
Anyone not tuning in to witness Wednesday night’s clash may assume that United’s January arrival merely endured a car crash of an evening at the Theatre of Dreams, having gifted the away side the opener in the early exchanges, prior to seeing red on the stroke of half-time for a crunching high challenge on Omari Hutchinson.
Of course, those two moments of madness from the young Dane certainly made life far more difficult for Ruben Amorim’s men, but it does not tell the full story of the 20-year-old’s display.
Indeed, for much of the time in between Ipswich’s first goal and his dismissal, Dorgu – as he was against Everton last time out – was a real bright spark down the left flank, notably powering an effort at goalkeeper Alex Palmer after pouncing on a loose ball inside the area.
The former Lecce man’s power and speed were also on full display as he surged down the wing at one stage, only to be hauled down by the aforementioned Hutchinson, with it perhaps an act of retribution that saw the promising left-footer lunge in on the Tractor Boys’ number 20 soon after.
Those two mistakes should prove a learning curve for United’s new man, in what will hopefully be a long and fruitful career at the club. As for his far more senior colleague Andre Onana, however, this should well be the beginning of the end…
Andre Onana's dismal display in numbers vs Ipswich
Onana – signed from Inter Milan on a £47.2m deal back in the summer of 2023 – will no doubt be thankful that Amorim’s options in the goalkeeping department are limited at present, with both Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton currently sidelined with injury.
Player
Injury
Return date
Lisandro Martinez
Knee
2026
Amad
Ankle/Foot
Out for season
Luke Shaw
Calf/Shin/Heel
N/A
Kobbie Mainoo
Knock
N/A
Toby Collyer
Other
N/A
Mason Mount
Thigh
N/A
Altay Bayindir
Other
N/A
Jonny Evans
Lower Back
N/A
That said, on the evidence of Wednesday night’s showing, few supporters would likely object to the United boss handing a chance to one of his academy reserves instead ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Fulham, with Elyh Harrison and Hubert Graczyk both named on the bench once again against Kieran McKenna’s men.
For too long has Onana – who has made three errors leading to a goal in the Premier League this season – been a cause for concern at Old Trafford, with the 28-year-old again doing himself no favours against the division’s 18th-placed side.
For Jaden Philogene’s opener, the Cameroonian bizarrely raced out of his goal even though Dorgu appeared to have the situation under control, with both men no doubt at fault for the costly lack of communication.
As for Ipswich’s second of the night, the one-time Ajax man was again left red-faced as Philogene’s whipped cross evaded everyone to find the back of the net, with the United stopper having been duped by Liam Delap’s attempt to get on the end of it.
Pointing the finger at Onana for those key moments may appear somewhat harsh, but his all-round performance was also far from good enough, as he enjoyed a pass accuracy of just 35% from his 29 touches, having completed just four of his 20 attempted long balls.
As reporter Gaz Drinkwater stated, it is coming to a point now where the experienced figure simply “needs to go”, with the summer window looming, having too often let the side down over the last 18 months or so.
And so, while Dorgu’s display will be the major headline from that chaotic first half, Onana was, it could be argued, quietly even worse between the sticks. How long can such performances be tolerated?
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