Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick as the Red Devils came from a goal behind to beat the Blues 5-2 at Old Trafford. Leif Davis gave Town a deserved lead on 29 but a Marcelino Nunez slip led to Fernandes netting an equaliser five minutes before the break. A controversial Jacob Greaves own goal gave the home side the lead on 56, before the United skipper converted a penalty five minutes later and then completed his hat-trick on 68. Bryan Mbeumo made it 5-1 on 82, prior to Chuba Akpom pulling one back in injury time.

Town named the same team which beat Sunderland 2-1 at Portman Road last weekend with new signing Exequiel Palacios on the bench.

Kjell Scherpen continued in goal behind a back four of, from the right, skipper Dara O’Shea, Issa Diop, Jacob Greaves, who was making his 50th start for the club, and Davis.

Nunez once again partnered Sasa Lukic in central midfield with Abdul Fatawi wide on the right, Daizen Maeda on the left and Julio Enciso the number 10. Emersonn was the out-and-out striker.

World Cup winner Palacios, who signed from Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, replaced Cameron Humphreys among the subs. Florentino Luis was again missing due to his calf issue.

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick made four changes from the team which lost 2-0 at Hull City last week with Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez coming into the defence for Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven, who dropped to the bench.

Kobbie Mainoo returned to the midfield for Andrey Santos, who was also among the subs, while Marcus Rashford started a Premier League game at Old Trafford for the Red Devils for the first time since December 2024, replacing Patrick Dorgu, who was sent off in the corresponding fixture two years ago and was also named on the bench.

After a quiet start from both teams, United struck the first shot in the sixth minute, Rahsford’s effort from just outside the area looped up into Scherpen’s arms.

A minute later, Rashford brought the ball into the right of the area looking to draw an ill-judged challenge before Matheus Cunha, who made his name in English football at Wolves playing under Town boss Gary O’Neil, shot well over.

Town created their first danger in the eighth minute, Maeda doing well to take the ball round the outside of a couple of defenders on the left to the byline, but his low cross was too close to home keeper Senne Lammens.

Scherpen was forced into his first serious save of the game in the 13th minute, the Dutchman superbly tipping Diogo Dalot’s curling shot from the left of the area over the bar.

From the United corner, it was Town who came close to scoring. Emersonn smashed the flag-kick clear and Julio Enciso chased towards goal with Luke Shaw and Mbeumo left in his wake. The Paraguayan burst into the area but his low effort to Lammens’s left was saved by the keeper.

The home side quickly counter-attacked, Cunha sending over a low ball from the left, which Scherpen was able to palm away from Rashford at the far post while diving at a stretch. United skipper Fernandes’s subsequent effort was deflected behind by Maeda.

As the game moved to the 20-minute mark, Rashford hit a 30-yard free-kick deep into the stand behind the goal.

Town were next to threaten with the match having been surprisingly open. Davis played a great ball inside Dalot for Maeda, who broke into the left of the area and hit a shot across Lammens, which the Belgium international did well to save to his left.

Fernandes wasted another United free-kick in a dangerous position on 26, shooting straight into the wall, Maeda having fouled Cunha.

In the 28th minute, Mbeumo crossed deep from the right and Rashford just reached it beyond the far post but could only send the ball straight up in the air. O’Shea, who had been tracking him, ended up clattering into the advertising hoarding behind the goal but was fine to carry on.

And a minute later, the Blues went in front. Fatawu did Shaw for pace round the outside on the right before cutting in and clipping a cross to Davis unmarked at the back of the box from where the full-back struck a half-volley into the roof of the net to send the travelling fans at the other end wild.

Within seconds of the restart, the left-back wasn’t far from repeating the trick. Fatawu again crossed from the right, Enciso was unable to jump high enough and it found Davis this time closer in, but on this occasion his effort wasn’t so well struck and Lammens was able to turn over the bar.

After a spell of Town pressure and a blocked Lukic shot, the Serbian international was shown the first yellow card of his Blues career for a foul on Youri Tielemans. On 38, Fatawu joined his teammate in the book for a foul on Mbeumo.

As the game approached the 40-minute mark, United levelled in unfortunate circumstances for Town.

The Blues, who had been on top since going in front, had possession around the home side’s box after a long throw had been cleared. Davis played inside to Nunez, who slipped, gifting the ball to Cunha, who broke forward with Lukic the only Town player back. The Brazilian international cut to Fernandes breaking into the area to his left and the Portuguese international beat Scherpen.

The equaliser settled the home side and they went looking for a second in the remaining minutes of the half, Dalot striding forward in the final scheduled minute of the half before hitting a low shot which scuffed off a defender and wide. Scherpen punched clear the corner.

In the first of two minutes of added-on time, Lisandro Martinez blazed well over from distance.

That was the last incident of an action-packed half with the Blues at least worthy of being on terms and unlucky to have been pegged back.

After a very quiet early period, United struck a few speculative efforts, while Town created the better openings for Maeda and Enciso.

Fatawu brilliantly created Davis’s goal, that the full-back took clinically, and carved out another opening which might have led to a second.

Manchester United hadn’t looked like getting back into the game until Nunez’s slip led to their goal. The Red Devils regained their composure from there and Town were probably glad that half-time came when it did.

Town made a change at the break, Akpom replacing Emersonn, who had suffered a knock to the knee

Five minutes after the restart, the lively Enciso turned away from his man midway inside the United half before taking the ball forward and shooting over.

The home side should have taken the lead in the 52nd minute and will wonder how they didn’t. Dalot crossed deep from the right, Rashford sent it back across goal and Mbeumo slammed it against the underside of the bar with his knee from inches out. It looked an incredible miss, but replays showed Scherpen got a slight touch on the cross, diverting the path of the ball as it reached the striker.

Town subsequently found themselves under the cosh from the resultant corner, repeatedly failing to clear their lines.

The Blues eventually managed to get the ball up the other end, Fatawu winning a corner, but the Ghanaian hit the first defender with his corner.

And in the 56th minute, the home side went in front. Harry Maguire handled the ball as he charged it down on the edge of the area and took it on before hitting a low shot which clipped Greaves and went inside the post.

A VAR check followed but with the handball bizarrely disregarded as the goal had gone down as an own goal. Had Maguire’s shot been going directly inside the post without Greaves’s inadvertent intervention, it’s almost certain the goal wouldn’t have stood.

Greaves’s afternoon got worse almost immediately. Cunha was played in on goal and the former Hull City man slid in and brought him down inside the area. Referee Craig Pawson pointed straight to the spot and booked Greaves.

Fernandes took the penalty kick and confidently beat Scherpen, who had stood off to one side as the United skipper made his approach, to make it 3-1.

Town swapped Nunez for debutant Palacios, but with United now very much with their tails up.

On 64, Dalot’s deep cross from the right reached Rashford beyond the far post, the England international slamming a volley which Scherpen batted wide.

It was almost all United and in the 68th minute Fernandes completed his hat-trick. The ball pin-balled around the Town area, Mbeumo’s shot striking Davis and falling for Fernandes, who once again found a way past Scherpen.

Fernandes went looking for his fourth and United’s fifth, attempting to beat Scherpen from the centre circle, however, his effort was just over the bar and the 6ft 9in tall keeper might well have got it in any case.

Town made their first changes in the 73rd minute, Maeda and Lukic making way for Darnell Furlong and Abdoul Ouattara. United switched Dalot and Shaw for Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro.

The Red Devils continued to push for further goals, Rashford twisting and turning to work himself space before his shot is blocked, then Cunha’s subsequent strike was saved by Scherpen.

The heavens opened as the game moved into its final 10 minutes, the home side swapping Rashford, Mainoo and Cunha for Andrey Santos, Dorgu and Benjamin Sesko.

United made it 5-1 in the 82nd minute. Mbeumo chased a ball down the middle, Scherpen rushed off his line and the former Brentford man looped it over the keeper. It struck the bar and bounced down and over the line as Greaves sought to clear, the defender only able to slam into the roof of the net.

With the game continuing in thunder and lightning, and water cascading off the front of the roof of the Stretford End onto fans below, Town swapped Fatawu for Kasey McAteer.

As the PA announced eight additional minutes, Enciso chipped into Lammens’s arms from the edge of the area.

But from the restart, the Blues pulled a goal back. Enciso robbed Martinez wide on the Town right, brought it inside and cut across to Akpom, who turned his first Premier League goal into the net from a matter of feet.

Mbeumo was booked for a foul on Enciso in the fifth minute of injury time, the free-kick coming to nothing. Dorgu then broke down the left for the home side but failed to find a teammate with his cross.

On 97, Dorgu shot into the side-netting from wide on the left with referee Pawson bringing things to a close soon afterwards.

Very much a ‘welcome to the Premier League’ afternoon for the Blues following last week’s opening day win against Sunderland.

Town were good in the first half and deserved to go in front and at that point were in the ascendent and ought to have made it tell against a United side which looked very nervy.

The unlucky equaliser changed the game, giving the home team confidence and belief and once they had gone in front via the controversial own goal and then netted the third so soon afterwards, it was a case of Town keeping the scoreline down.

Akpom’s late consolation will benefit the striker, who missed a number of chances in the Carabao Cup tie against Leicester on Tuesday.

A heavy defeat, perhaps not the last this season, but the first 40 minutes gave the impression that Town can compete at this level, however, the game badly got away from them in the second half.

The Blues will hope to learn lessons from today’s match ahead of another tough fixture when Liverpool visit Portman Road on Friday.

Manchester United: Lammens, Dalot (Mazraoui 73), Maguire, Martinez, Shaw (Yoro 74), Mainoo (Santos 80), Tielemans, Mbeumo, Fernandes (c), Rashford (Dorgu 80), Cunha (Sesko 80). Unused: Darlow, Heaven, Zirkzee, Lacey.

Town: Scherpen, O’Shea (c), Diop, Greaves, Davis, Nunez (Palacios 62), Lukic (Ouattara 73), Fatawu (McAteer 83), Enciso, Maeda (Furlong 73), Emersonn (Akpom 46). Unused: Walton, Kipre, Walle Egeli, McAteer, Clarke. Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire). Assistants: Lee Betts and Mat Wilkes. Fourth official Andy Madley. VAR: Jarred Gillett. Assistant: Tim Wood. Att: 74,148.

Photo: Reuters