Manchester United return to action after the international break with a match away at Ipswich Town.
Prior to this past weekend, newly promoted Ipswich Town were yet to win a single Premier League game all season.
Statistics like these are always enough to make Manchester United fans feel nervous ahead of an upcoming fixture, worried the opponents’ luck will typically turn against the Red Devils.
Fortunately another hapless team have become Ipswich Town’s first victims this season, with Tottenham Hotspur falling to a 2-1 home defeat against the Tractor Boys.
It was an embarrassing loss for Tottenham, who had beaten Manchester City and Aston Villa in their two previous games.
Kieran McKenna scores away win
Ipswich Town are managed by impressive young manager Kieran McKenna, who was previously on Manchester United’s coaching staff, working under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He has stuck to his guns at Ipswich despite his difficult start to the season, and got his reward with a 2-1 away win over Tottenham.
McKenna has now managed something Erik ten Hag failed to do during his two full seasons, and then some, at Manchester United before his sacking.
McKenna’s win away at Spurs was an away victory for Ipswich against a ‘top six’ team.
Erik ten Hag failed accomplish this with United, never once registering a victory away at traditional top six rivals Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, or Liverpool.
It is fair to point out Ten Hag did manage to get United to win 2-1 away at Aston Villa, who did actually finish fourth in the Premier League last season.
Yet that should not undercut the point that Ten Hag’s away record against top sides was not good enough overall. His last visit to Tottenham was a 2-0 defeat.
McKenna is showing how it can be done, with far more limited resources.
Manchester United task more difficult
While it’s good news that incoming head coach Ruben Amorim can not suffer the embarrassment of becoming the first Premier League team to lose to Ipswich Town, Manchester United are still at risk of defeat.
Ipswich’s confidence will be significantly boosted by their victory away at Tottenham, making them feel they belong in the Premier League.
It’s now trickier to face them, than had Tottenham hammered them 5-0.
Ruben Amorim’s side face Ipswich at Portman Road on Sunday November 24, his first match as Manchester United boss.
Ipswich have just proved they will be no pushover.
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