"We just conceded two silly goals" - Matthijs de Ligt makes honest assessment of Manchester United's performace in win over Ipswich

Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt believes they have shown improvement in their 3-2 win over Ipswich Town on Wednesday, February 26. Before this game, the Red Devils played out a 2-2 draw against Everton on Saturday, February 22.

The Manchester outfit certainly displayed character in their latest outing, having reached the half-time break with the scoreline 2-2 and a man down. Defender Patrick Dorgu was shown a red card in the 43rd minute.

However, the Red Devils came out strong in the second half, with Harry Maguire bagging the team's winner in the 47th minute. Speaking about his team's display, De Ligt said (via Manchester Evening News):

"I think it was a hard fought win. As you said, the second half with ten men, fighting, even scoring, it was a really good achievement."

"It was a good game from us in the second half. I think in the first half we didn't even play that bad, we just conceded two silly goals. Obviously, this can always happen in football. In general, I think we made some improvements compared to the last game," he continued.

He added:

"Really important. This was a really important game for us. We know what situation we are in. If at half-time you are down to ten men and it's 2-2, obviously it is going to be a really difficult second half, so I think it's a really important win for us and hopefully we can continue against Fulham."

Up next for Manchester United is their fifth-round FA Cup clash against Fulham on Sunday, March 02.

---

Paul Merson believes Manchester United need to make tactical tweak

Paul Merson

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has had a tough time since joining the Red Devils in November last year. He's won just five of his 16 Premier League matches since taking over.

Pundit Paul Merson believes that the Red Devils' structure, which sees Amorim employ a three-at-the-back system could be the issue. Speaking on Sky Sports, he said (via TeamTalk):

“Ruben Amorim is the problem at Manchester United. The three at the back isn’t working the way he’d planned. So, change it."

“He’s not helping the players, he’s helping himself by just keeping it the way he’s been used to playing all his managerial career or most of it," Merson added.

At the moment, Manchester United are placed 14th in the Premier League standings. They are still alive in the UEFA Europa League, having qualified for the round-of-16 stage of the competition.