Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw in his first Premier League match in charge, surrendering an early lead against Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
The focus ahead of the game was on the new United manager, and it didn’t take long for the away fans to start chanting his name. Amad Diallo, starting at wing-back, made an immediate impact, racing down the right before setting up Marcus Rashford, who scored just his second Premier League goal of the season to give United an early lead. In the Ipswich dugout, Kieran McKenna was pleased with his side’s response, with Sammie Szmodics testing United keeper André Onana.
The first half saw few chances, but things began to open up towards the end of the half. Diogo Dalot fired a weak shot straight at Ipswich’s Arijanet Muric, while Onana made a crucial save to deny Liam Delap’s close-range strike. However, just before the break, Onana couldn’t prevent Omari Hutchinson from equalising in the 43rd minute. Hutchinson’s curling shot, helped by a deflection off Noussair Mazraoui, found the top corner for his first Premier League goal.
Looking to bounce back from a run of five winless away games, United came out strong after the break. Alejandro Garnacho forced Muric into a save from a tight angle, and soon after, Delap’s clever flick was denied by Onana’s reflexes. At the other end, Jens Cajuste made a vital sliding tackle to stop Garnacho. Amorim made several attacking changes, with Bruno Fernandes sending a free-kick just wide, but Ipswich held firm to earn a well-deserved point.
Substitute Conor Chaplin nearly snatched a late winner for Ipswich, but after their first Premier League victory of the season against Tottenham, Ipswich fans had reason to be pleased with the result. The Tractor Boys are now unbeaten in three league games, climbing to 18th in the standings. Despite being the only Premier League side without a home win this season, they are showing improvement (D4, L2). For United, it was a 20th consecutive match without defeat against a promoted side (W17, D3), but Amorim’s side remains 12th in the league, just three points behind sixth-placed Spurs.
