Ipswich Town Captain Dara O'Shea Reflects on Manchester United Defeat

Ipswich Town captain Dara O'Shea cut a frustrated figure after their 5-2 defeat at Manchester United, describing the Old Trafford thriller as "very much" a game of two halves.

Ipswich went in at the break believing they had a real foothold in the contest.

"We came in at half-time in a good place," O'Shea told BBC Radio Suffolk. "We were disappointed with conceding a goal, but it's a mistake and these things happen.

"We felt like we were the better team and that we were more dangerous."

That belief evaporated after the interval. United turned the screw, Ipswich’s resistance cracked, and the match ran away from them.

"Second half is a different story," O'Shea admitted. "We were extremely unlucky with the second goal. I don't really understand the ruling, or how it counts, but that's football."

The defender’s irritation with the decision-making technology was clear. The second goal, he felt, summed up a wider pattern.

"We've been in these situations before. VAR hasn't been our friend before and it might be the same again.

"We've got to crack on with it and react better in those moments.

"There will be moments where things don't go our way, so it's a lesson and we've got to learn."

Ipswich leave Manchester stung by the scoreline and the decisions, but their captain has already turned it into a demand: learn fast, or be left behind.