First match under Amorim: Man Utd vs. Ipswich

After his lackluster Manchester United team was held 1-1 by struggling Ipswich in his first match in command on Sunday, Ruben Amorim was shown the magnitude of his task. The Portuguese, the latest man tasked with bringing the club to English football’s elite, advised “patient” before kickoff. Marcus Rashford scored from Amad Diallo’s cross after barely settling in at Portman Road, shocking the home crowd.

Ipswich, who started in the relegation zone, rallied and equalized before halftime through Omari Hutchinson. Despite chances at both ends, neither team scored in the second period, leaving both managers unhappy. United are 12th in the Premier League, six points behind Arsenal in fourth, while Ipswich are remain in the relegation zone.

Before kickoff, two Manchester United fans raised a homemade sign reading “Good luck Ruben Amorim, Make our team great again.” After replacing Erik ten Hag, the former Sporting Lisbon manager made three changes to United’s interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy’s final lineup before the international break. As expected, he switched to three at the back with Rashford as the sole central striker ahead of captain Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho.

Within two minutes, Diallo hustled down the right, shrugged off Leif Davis and Jens Cajuste, and crossed for Rashford to score from close range. In a black coat and dark trousers, Amorim sat motionless as United’s players celebrated in the corner.

Christian Eriksen shot wide from outside the box in the seventh minute after Diallo’s sharper play. Ipswich responded effectively, creating chances and looking more dangerous as the half progressed. In the 40th minute, Andre Onana saved a close-range shot from Liam Delap with a strong right hand before Cajuste shot over the bar. Hutchinson’s shot brushed off Noussair Mazraoui and beyond Onana to give Ipswich the equalizer before halftime.

In the stands, 30,000 people cheered Ed Sheeran. Garnacho had a chance to put United ahead early in the second half, but Arijanet Muric saved to his left. Onana blocked a close-range Delap flick with his foot before Cajuste timed a challenge to stop a Garnacho ball to Rashford after a quick rush. Amorim substituted Luke Shaw and Manuel Ugarte for Jonny Evans and Casemiro 10 minutes after the restart, but United struggled against a squad with one Premier League win all season.

He added Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee as forwards to his attack. Fernandes’ central free-kick missed the post, and Onana saved from Conor Chaplin, but neither side had enough to win. After Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 after winning a 20th English title, Amorim became United’s sixth permanent manager. His 39 years make him United’s youngest manager since Wilf McGuinness succeeded Matt Busby in 1969.