Manchester United responded emphatically to their shock 2-0 defeat to Hull City on the opening day, cruising to a 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon to get their Premier League campaign back on track.

United started brightly and created a couple of promising chances in the opening 25 minutes, but despite controlling much of the play, they struggled to seriously test Ipswich's goal.

Against the run of play, it was the visitors who opened the scoring. Leif Davis capitalised on some poor defending from Luke Shaw before calmly finishing past Senne Lammens to give Ipswich a surprise lead. United hit back before the break, however, after Marcelino Núñez slipped on the counter, allowing Matheus Cunha to find Bruno Fernandes with an excellent through ball. The captain made no mistake, firing home to restore parity.

United returned from the interval with renewed intent and were rewarded for their pressure when a deflected Harry Maguire effort found its way into the Ipswich net. Fernandes then doubled the advantage from the penalty spot, putting the hosts firmly in control.

The United captain was far from finished. After a Bryan Mbeumo shot took a deflection, Fernandes reacted quickest, brought the ball under control and produced a composed finish to complete his hat-trick.

With the result effectively secured, Fernandes turned provider once again, sending Mbeumo through on goal. The forward kept his composure, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper to complete a convincing 5-2 victory for United.

Despite starting the better side, Ipswich struck first through a well-finished Leif Davis effort, which, when added to the shock 2-0 opening-day defeat to Hull City, would have certainly been a cause of great concern for the Old Trafford faithful.

Despite this, United got a great slice of luck when a slip from Núñez gifted them an excellent counter-attack, which Bruno Fernandes finished well to level the scores going into half-time.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Fernandes reflected on how important it was to bounce back from the 2-0 Hull defeat, also emphasising how important his goal in the first-half was.

  "It was a massive result for us. We lost three points last week. First game at home, the fans have been waiting for this. It's not to make up for last week, you can't get six points from it. Second half we were very good.

Scoring before half-time is always important if it's to get on top of the game or draw the game. We were in control of the game. In the second half, we were very good.

Scoring goals is the best feeling in football. Doing a half-time at home with our fans is something I'm proud of. I hope I can do much more and help my teammate score goals too."  

Just five days removed from being the first Manchester United player to be named PFA Players' Player of the Year since 2010, Bruno Fernandes reminded everyone why he is still one of the best players in the Premier League.

Signed in January 2020, Fernandes has undoubtedly been the club's best signing since Sir Alex Ferguson left United, scoring 110 and assisting 109 in 329 Manchester United appearances.

Fernandes will turn 32 on the eighth of September, but he has shown no signs of slowing down, as he gears up for a Champions League campaign under Michael Carrick, where he will undoubtedly be the first name on the team sheet once again.

Despite his excellent performances, Fernandes still seems underrated by some fans, as shown by the backlash over the 31-year-old receiving the top PFA award, despite his stellar season for United and his assist record.

While a move was unlikely this summer, there was a £57 million release clause in Fernandes' contract which could have been triggered from clubs abroad in the summer. While he disappointed in last week's defeat, he certainly delivered a leader's performance against Ipswich, and looks set to be in for another excellent season.