Harry Maguire says handball was accidental as Manchester United beat Ipswich Town 5-2

Harry Maguire says the handball that preceded Manchester United’s second goal against Ipswich Town was accidental and should not have led to the effort being disallowed.

The defender scored in the 56th minute as Manchester United secured their first Premier League victory of the season with a 5-2 win over Ipswich Town in the second round of the competition.

Play was paused while the officials reviewed the goal because the ball appeared to strike Maguire’s hand before he finished from inside the penalty area. However, the goal was awarded after it was judged to have been heading wide before changing direction when it struck the foot of Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves.

Maguire said he had not watched the incident again but believed the decision was correct under the current interpretation of the handball rule.

“I haven’t watched the goal again, so I can’t comment on it fully. I know it was close. The handball wasn’t deliberate. I shot the ball away from goal and I think that’s why the goal was given. It’s a new rule. We deserved to win, and we also deserved some luck,” he told Sky Sports.

Manchester United had fallen behind earlier in the match, but Bruno Fernandes inspired their response by scoring a hat-trick. Bryan Mbeumo also found the net for the hosts, while Greaves was listed among the scorers for Ipswich.

The result gave Manchester United their first three points of the league campaign after they lost their opening match against Hull City. Ipswich remain on three points, having won their first-round fixture against Sunderland.

Maguire felt United had made a positive start before conceding, and said the setback had affected the team’s performance during the match.

“We started the game really well. The goal set us back a lot. When you lose at this club, there is a lot of noise and you feel like you are in a crisis again. We spoke about that at half-time, and we proved that we were capable of achieving more,” he said.

Fernandes’ contribution ensured Manchester United recovered from last week’s disappointing result and claimed their first league win of the season. The Portugal international’s three goals formed the centrepiece of a convincing attacking display, with United ultimately scoring five times.

Maguire said the squad had been focused on preparing for their match against Hull throughout pre-season and was relieved that the team had now taken maximum points.

“Last week was disappointing. We had prepared throughout pre-season for the match against Hull. Fortunately, we managed to get the three points. The season is long and we will be ready for the next match,” he added.