Fulham captain Tom Cairney stunned by ‘awful’ Man United calamity v Ipswich
Man United left Fulham skipper Tom Cairney with his head in his hands with an “awful” mess created by a pair of the home players.
Andre Onana was brought in from Inter Milan in the summer of 2023, but the Man United keeper has failed to convince at Old Trafford, leading to concern for the Red Devil’s coaching staff.
Man United fans wanted to see Onana sold following a mistake against Brighton on 19 Janaury, as the 20-times champions of England suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Seagulls.
Patrick Dorgu joined in January from Lecce, and was the only player added to Ruben Amorim‘s squad.
The two United players go themselves into a mess against Ipswich (26 February), after Dorgu aimed a pass towards his keeper, inadvertently playing in Jadon Philogene to give the Tractor Boys the lead.
United then fought back, with an own goal from Sam Morsy, and a scrappy finish from Matthijs de Ligt giving the club a 2-1 lead.
Ipswich then levelled, once again through Philogene, before Harry Maguire gave the Red Devils the win in the 47th minute.
However, Dorgu was then sent off for a studs-up challenge on Omari Hutchinson and Philogene scored a second direct from a cross in the final minutes before the break.
Man United mix-up has Fulham captain Tom Cairney in shock
A gasp from Fulham captain, Cairney, filled the Sky Sports Soccer Special studio on 26 Febiruary, as Ipswich took an unexpected lead against United.
Host Julian Warren translated the moment for the audience by saying (7.35pm): “He’s got his head in his hands, there are tens of thousands of Man United fans with their heads in their hands as well, they can’t believe what they’ve just seen.”
| 24/25 Premier League stats | Onana |
| Appearances | 26 |
| Clean sheets | 7 |
| Goals conceeded | 37 |
| Penalties faced (saved) | 4 (1) |
| Errors leading to goal | 3 |
Cairney then said: “Oohhh. It’s just a long ball from Sam Morsy. It’s what you do early on in a game to turn them round, put a little bit of pressure on, and I just think there’s no communication. I think it’s Onana and Dorgu.
“Yeah, Patrick Dorgu, long ball in behind, an awkward one where it hasn’t really gone in the box, it’s just outside the box. He’s tried to tap it back to the keeper but the keeper’s next to him and it’s a tap in for Philogene, he cannot miss.
“Oh it’s an awful start for Manchester United.”
Man United desperate for some good luck to kickstart life under Ruben Amorim
Football Insider Verdict
When it rains, it pours, and there is a torrential downpour of misery and mistakes at Old Trafford.
These things happen, Dorgu is a new addition to the team, and Onana made a mistake, albeit quite inexplicable for a keeper of his calibre.
However, what is hard to understand, is just why these sort of incidents seem to happen so frequently to United players.
Amorim has been under fire for United’s poor performances, and the Portuguese manager will be delighted to see his team hang on to their slender lead against Ipswich, if for no other reason, than to instil a little bit of confidence in his down-trodden players.