Ipswich 1 Man Utd 1: Amorim gets reality check in first match as he realises size of job after being dominated by hosts
IT took just 81 seconds for Ruben Amorim to sprinkle a little stardust on Manchester United.
And it took 90-odd minutes for the new old Trafford boss to realise the scale of his task as he attempts to deal with Erik ten Hag’s legacy of plodding mediocrity.
Marcus Rashford got United off to a flyer with an early strike[/caption]
Omari Hutchinson netted Ipswich’s equaliser as the points were shared[/caption]
Amorim has changed United’s shape to a 3-4-3 – but he cannot yet alter their lack of elite quality after failing to win a league match for the first time this season.
The Portuguese, who won all 11 of his games at former side Sporting Lisbon, employed Amad Diallo at wing-back and saw him create a second-minute opener for Marcus Rashford, a surprise selection at centre-forward.
But for the vast majority of this match, United were second-best to a newly-promoted Ipswich team which displayed superior desire and no little quality as they earned a point through Omari Hutchinson’s thunderous equaliser.
Amorim can console himself that Sir Alex Ferguson lost at Oxford United in the first match of his epic reign – although he knows he is operating in less patient times.
The new manager reckons he requires two years to prove himself. He is certainly not exaggerating.
United needed a couple of top-drawer saves from Andre Onana to avoid and they remain in the bottom half of the Premier League, a mighty long way from where they need to be.
Amorim had almost four weeks to ponder how to fit his lopsided, under-achieving squad into his 3-4-3 formation and the result – his first United teamsheet – was one few would have predicted.
Rashford was at centre-forward, the ageing duo of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen as a not-so-dynamic duo in central midfield and Diallo at right wing-back.
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There was no place for Manuel Ugarte or Rasmus Hojlund while several long-term injuries had cleared up with Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Kobbie Mainoo on the bench.
A new manager often has a medicinal effect on those on the treatment table.
The tonic United needed most was an early goal – especially one with Amorim’s fingerprints all over it – and that is exactly what they got.
Diallo motored down the right, a Ferrari to the tractor of Jens Cajuste, and centred the near post for Rashford to poke past Aro Muric, who showed little positive intent.
It was only Rashford’s second Premier League goal of the season and some justification for Amorim’s decision to play him through the middle – ditto Diallo’s inclusion at wing-back.
If anybody expected United to simply sweep Ipswich aside, then they hadn’t been watching much of Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich.
Rashford needed just 81 seconds to open the scoring[/caption]
It was only his second goal of the campaign[/caption]
What came next was an authentic ‘welcome to the Premier League’ for Amorim – a league in which no team rolls over and where referees are still capable of letting games flow.
After a wretched fortnight for the refs, Anthony Taylor was excellent here – refusing to blow up for every half-foul and refusing to dish out yellows every time he awarded a free-kick.
As a result the game flowed and Ipswich got at their Tinseltown visitors.
Sammie Szmodics had a shot pushed away by Andre Onana, Hutchinson sent a free-kick straight at the United keeper and, just before the Ipswich equaliser, the Cameroonian stuck out a hand to make a blinding point-blank stop from Liam Delap.
Omari Hutchinson levelled things up with a wonder strike[/caption]
The winger’s goal saw Ipswich go in level at half-time[/caption]
The leveller arrived when Hutchinson cut inside from the right and unleashed a howitzer which deflected off Noussair Mazraoui into the top corner for the former Chelsea man’s first Premier League goal.
Delap, who personifies Town’s competitiveness was soon shoving Mazraoui into a corner flag off the ball to howls of appreciation from the home support.
United, though, almost scored sooner into the second half than they had in the first when a Bruno Fernandes shot was half-saved by Muric and hacked clear by Cameron Burgess.
Delap was soon threatening again, wriggling free of a trio of United players, feeding Wes Burns, then getting on the end of his cross, only to be denied by the boot of Onana.
Neither side could find a winning goal, with United struggling to contain Ipswich at times[/caption]
Amorim will be hoping for better fortunes in his next match[/caption]
United squandered a two-on-one when Alejandro Garnacho delayed his pass to Rashford and Cajuste thwarted the attack.
Amorim had seen enough by then – withdrawing the struggling Casemiro and veteran Jonny Evans in favour of Ugarte and Shaw, for his first United appearance in nine months.
Next, Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee entered the fray, in place of Rashford and Eriksen.
But McKenna’s men were still the more menacing.
When Zirkzee spooned a shot into Row Zed it felt like true testimony to Ten Hag’s hapless recruitment policy.
Fernandes whistled a free-kick just wide but Conor Chaplin forced a late save from Onana as the hosts continued to look the more likely scorers.
