Ipswich embarrassed as United's circus act wins

An actual relegation battle was, in reality, never likely to occur, especially now Ipswich Town provided a timely reminder there are at least three teams even worse than Manchester United this season.

- PETE HALL

AT OLD TRAFFORD

Any other side than one of the top-flight’s woefully substandard promoted teams would have piled more misery on Ruben Amorim and his self-harming circus act at Old Trafford, but somehow they were allowed to roll on into another haphazard week without further damage to the points tally.

Three goals created by their overworked ringmaster Bruno Fernandes steered Amorim’s omnishambles clear of the bottom three, opening up a cushion that should stave off the only nadir left for them.

Once again, however, how they got there against an even worse Ipswich was far from pretty.

Amorim continued his reprimand of United’s first-half horror show at Goodison Park in his programme notes, insisting that he had seen no sign the players had even been training together that week in the opening 45 minutes on Saturday.

Perhaps some of those made redundant in the latest round of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s penny pinching were coaches as, somehow, United again turned the gun on themselves early on in the game.