Ipswich Town 1-1 Manchester United: Hutchinson denies Amorim winning start

Ruben Amorim was denied victory in his first game in charge of Manchester United as they played out a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on Sunday.

The visitors made a dream start to Amorim’s tenure when Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in only the second minute at Portman Road.

But Omari Hutchinson’s deflected equaliser sent Ipswich deservedly into the break on level pegging, as the Tractor Boys responded well to the early setback.

United were grateful to Andre Onana for a couple of big saves in a game in which they struggled to test Arijanet Muric in the Ipswich goal after their flying start.

Rashford, chosen as a central striker, nipped to the near post to meet Amad Diallo’s centre in a sublime start for the Red Devils.

Onana brilliantly kept out Liam Delap from eight yards but could do nothing to prevent Hutchinson’s bending 20-yard effort finding the top-left corner via a deflection off the head of Noussair Mazraoui.

Muric smartly prevented Alejandro Garnacho restoring United’s lead immediately after the restart, while at the other end Onana again thwarted Delap, who thought he had scored with an ingenious flick.

Bruno Fernandes bent a free-kick wide and Conor Chaplin poked straight at Onana late on, as both sides had to settle for a point.

It ends level at Portman Road.#MUFC || #IPSMUN

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 24, 2024

Data Debrief: Amorim matches Moyes, joy of six for Rashford

It could hardly have been a better start for Amorim, who joins David Moyes as the only manager to see his side score within the opening two minutes of his first Premier League game (Moyes having done so with Everton in March 2002).

However, it marked only the third time United have scored inside two minutes of a Premier League match and not won, with a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in October 1995 and a 6-1 hammering by Tottenham in October 2020 the other occasions.

Rashford was the man to get Amorim off to a flier and he has now scored under six different United managers, having registered for Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag, more than any other player for the club.

Ipswich, meanwhile, now have four goals scored from outside the penalty area in the Premier League this term – a tally only bettered by Manchester City (seven) and Nottingham Forest (five).