MANCHESTER, England – Bruno Fernandes is normally Manchester United’s creator-in-chief, the player threading passes through impossible gaps and supplying chances for others.

Against Ipswich Town on Sunday, however, the captain decided to finish the job himself.

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Fernandes scored a hat-trick to inspire a 5-2 ​thrashing that gave Michael Carrick’s side their first Premier League win of the season after an embarrassing opening-day ‌defeat by promoted Hull City, reminding everyone that while he may be one of the league’s elite playmakers, he remains capable of taking games over as a goalscorer too.

“He means a lot,” Carrick said. “He’s been here for a good number of years now. He’s experienced a whole load of different emotions and different ​things.

“He’s got a lot of experience now to pass on to others and show them the way a little bit ​and lead by example and help them in different moments, and times like today, when you’re looking ⁠towards certain players to give us that little bit of something else — he did that today particularly well.”

The Portugal international’s first goal, ​in the 40th minute, hauled United back into the game after Leif Davis had put Ipswich on the scoreboard.

The 31-year-old struck twice more, including ​once from the penalty spot, to complete only his second Premier League hat-trick, his first having also come in United’s opening home match of a season against Leeds United five years ago.

He very nearly added a fourth with a shot from close to the halfway line that glanced just over the bar. ​He then produced a superb through ball for Bryan Mbeumo to score United’s fifth goal with a lob.

FLOURISHED UNDER CARRICK

Sunday’s display was ​a continuation of his excellent form from last season, when he flourished under Carrick after Ruben Amorim was sacked in January, thriving with the freedom ‌to roam ⁠between the lines and dictate matches.

Fernandes, a big reason for United’s eventual third-place finish, collected an impressive haul of individual honours, including the Premier League Player of the Season award, while also breaking the league record for assists in a campaign.

Arguing with referees one minute and running back to cover for a teammate the next, his impact extends beyond goals and assists. He combines creativity with his work off ​the ball, pressing aggressively, dropping deep ​to collect possession and demanding ⁠high standards from teammates.

He has grown into the captaincy, evolved into United’s emotional heartbeat, and made himself indispensable to Carrick’s side.

“He offers us a lot. What else can I say?” Carrick said, smiling. “Said quite ​a lot about him already, and I’ve only been here six or seven months. Hopefully, there’s a ​lot to come.”

Some ⁠of Sunday’s biggest cheers not involving the skipper came for a couple of Marcus Rashford near-misses in the forward’s first start in more than 600 days after he fell out of favour under Amorim, and then had loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona.

“Whatever’s gone on… it’s always ⁠about what ​you do next and what your intentions are,” Carrick said. “He’s been fantastic since ​he came back, it was great to see him on the pitch today for us.”

But this was Fernandes’ day. The league’s assist king swapped provider for predator, rescuing United ​when they needed him most and underlining once again why Carrick’s side still revolves around their captain.

England secured a dominant 194-run victory over Pakistan on Day 4 of the second Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Chasing a formidable target of 389, the visitors were bundled out for 194 in 50.5 overs despite a valiant 97 from middle-order batter Saud Shakeel.

Pakistan’s fourth-innings pursuit got off to a disastrous start. Pacer Ollie Robinson delivered an explosive opening spell, trapping opener Azan Awais leg-before for 6 before removing Abdullah Shafique for a duck in the fifth over. Jofra Archer deepened the visitors’ trouble shortly after, dismissing skipper Babar Azam for just 6 to reduce Pakistan to 14/3 inside eight overs.

With opener Imam-ul-Haq ruled out from batting due to injury, Pakistan faced an uphill battle. Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel mounted a temporary recovery, combining for a steady 97-run fourth-wicket stand.

Shakeel brought up his 11th Test half-century with aggressive stroke play, but Robinson returned to break the dynamic partnership, dismissing Masood for 26. Robinson struck again almost immediately, trapping Mohammad Rizwan LBW for 1 to leave Pakistan reeling at 115/5.

Despite tumbling wickets at the other end, Shakeel continued his solitary crusade, hitting 13 boundaries and two sixes in a brisk 122-ball knock. He found brief support from lower-order batter Ali Usman (16), who helped add 31 runs for the sixth wicket before falling to Archer.

Shakeel’s brave bid for a fifth Test century came to a heartbreaking end when Josh Tongue dismissed him three runs short of the milestone.

Tongue quickly wrapped up the tail, removing Khurram Shahzad for 9 and final batter Mohammad Ali for 8, sealing a comprehensive victory for the hosts. Robinson finished as the standout bowler for England with four wickets, supported effectively by Tongue and Archer.

Abbas Five-For Directs Early Day 4 Resistance

Earlier in the day, England resumed their second innings at 177/7 following a heavily rain-curtailed Day 3. Pakistan paceman Mohammad Abbas led a disciplined morning attack to restrict the hosts to 208 in 54.2 overs, completing his eighth career five-wicket haul with figures of 5/57.

Dan Lawrence top-scored for England in the second innings with a fluent 54, while Harry Brook (34), Emilio Gay (31), and Joe Root (24) contributed vital runs. Despite Abbas’ five-for and two wickets apiece from Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali, England’s massive 180-run first-innings cushion proved decisive.

Having previously rolled Pakistan out for just 110 in their first effort, the hosts successfully defended their 388-run cushion to wrap up the series ahead of the final Test.

Having suffered defeat again in yet another tournament, star batter Babar Azam says the entire side faltered, putting down latest defeat to tactical errors and batting collapses, which according to Babar could have easily been avoided given the circumstances of the match.

Babar gave reporters his perspective following yet another disastrous showing by Pakistan. It is fair to assume he was referring to times, as and when the playing conditions and match favors your way, you have to have an immediate positive reaction to exploit the conditions at your disposal.

Having spoken on the loss, Babar pointed the need for course correction due to upcoming matches and spoke on the necessity to execute basic strategies and bat disciplined through powerplays and death overs when necessary and come out and prove that when asked upon, that all and more necessary things are put right.

Pakistani skipper made sure that he gave particular importance to capitalize whenever conditions were in favor saying “When conditions are in your favor, you have to immediately capitalize”.

“We couldn’t hold on for longer, and we know that on such big stages it is important to avoid mistakes and every such mistake costs you the whole match”.

He made particular reference at the fact that none of the top-order were able to take their opportunities or develop match-winning partnerships leaving the batting middle-order exposed.

Babar pointed to moments in which conditions clearly worked in Pakistan’s favor, during some of the key overs in their innings, but failure to execute with appropriate intent and adaptability cost them big, failing to accumulate imposing total. They conceded opportunities early in the match that should never have slipped giving opponents the edge.

Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) extended preview, released on Netflix, has drawn widespread praise for its gameplay and visuals. However, many fans have expressed disappointment with the game’s new user interface. 

Thirteen years after the last release, the redesigned UI and minimap have become a major point of criticism in the 26-minute showcase.

After the preview was released, fans quickly took to social media to share their thoughts on the new design. The weapon wheel, which blurs the background and shows weapons in large rectangular boxes, received the most criticism. 

Many pointed out that the minimap uses curved edges, whereas the weapon wheel uses sharp rectangles, creating a noticeable inconsistency.

Across different platforms, many users described the interface as underwhelming and not fitting with the rest of the game. 

Well-known community reporters joined the criticism, prompting calls for Rockstar Games to reconsider the design before the scheduled November 19 release. Some fans even joked that too much criticism could lead to another delay.

In driving and combat scenes, the updated interface shows Jason and Lucia’s inventory and status. Weapons and items can be switched using the center overlay. 

The top-left corner displays health, stamina, and focus bars, while cash and wanted levels appear in the top-right. Medical supplies are tracked in the bottom-left.

The minimap is located in the bottom-left corner and features curved edges. Rockstar has made the map dynamic, so it disappears and reappears based on whether the characters are driving or being chased by police. 

Players will have several customization options, including switching between two-dimensional and three-dimensional views, keeping the map visible, or turning it off in favor of a simple overhead compass, much like the system in Red Dead Redemption 2.

The full GTA 6 extended preview is available now on Netflix, YouTube, and the official Rockstar Games website, giving players a chance to see the new interface firsthand.