Manchester United had to settle for a point at Ipswich in Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge despite striker Marcus Rashford providing the perfect start with his 81-second opener.
Omari Hutchinson levelled for Ipswich before the break, with United keeper Andre Onana twice denying Liam Delap with stunning saves.
It was a disappointing outcome for Amorim as his side struggled to contain Ipswich at times and found the home defence in defiant mood when it did seem an opportunity would come.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes flashed a late free-kick wide but Ipswich fully deserved their point and without Onana would have had more.
Amorim’s bold wing-back choice Amad Diallo provided the low cross that Rashford converted for his fifth goal of the season. It was the England forward’s first goal in the Premier League since September and ended his eight-game barren streak in all competitions.
Ipswich grew into the game though and created by far the better chances, only to find Onana in outstanding form.
Star fan and minority shareholder Ed Sheeran did have something to celebrate though as Hutchison’s curling shot flicked off Noussair Mazraoui’s head and over Onana for his first goal since joining Ipswich permanently in a £20m summer move.
The result means United remain in the bottom half of the Premier League after 12 games,
while Ipswich are in the relegation zone, behind Wolves on goal difference after their win at Fulham.
Rashford also scored a quick goal in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first game, netting three minutes in at Cardiff after the Norwegian had replaced Jose Mourinho in December 2018.
This effort was even quicker and must have been satisfying for Amorim given he had trusted Amad with the right wing-back berth in his new formation and picked Rashford ahead of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in the key central striking berth.
The visitors did have other opportunities. Alejandro Garnacho curled an effort narrowly wide and Diogo Dalot darted into the penalty area to meet Casemiro’s angled pass.
Unlike in the West Ham defeat that triggered Ten Hag’s dismissal, when he blazed over from a similar position with the goal at his mercy, this time Dalot kept his shot on target. But it lacked the power to test Arijanet Muric.
But it was not a smooth United performance by any means and Onana had arguably been the visitors’ key man even before Ipswich equalised.
The Cameroon international’s first save to deny Delap was stunning. Leif Davis waited until just the right moment before playing the pass to Delap, who only had the United goalkeeper to beat.
Onana didn’t just stop the shot. He also had enough power to push the ball away to safety rather than present Ipswich with a rebound.
His second-half save was just as important as Delap got to Wes Burns’ low cross first and flicked the ball towards goal with the back of his foot from barely two yards. Onana’s reactions were up to the task.
In attack, United were lightweight. Garnacho sprinted into the penalty area but looked as though he was trying to play a square pass to Rashford before Jens Cajuste slid in to rob the Argentine.
Amorim tried to shake things up with a series of second-half substitutions but other than Fernandes’ free-kick, his side did not threaten.
The noise at the final whistle and the reaction to the lap of honour from the home players that followed was the response of fans who had every reason to be delighted with their side’s performance.
Take away the first 90 seconds and Ipswich could claim to be the better side.
They were the ones who carried the greater threat and had the better chances. They also worked tirelessly when the game hit a flat spot in the middle of the second half, denying United a second wind Amorim must have hoped his changes would trigger.
Their determination was epitomised by Dara O’Shea, who threw himself in the way of a Fernandes shot, which probably would not have tested Muric anyway.
Together with Delap, Hutchison was a repeated threat to the visitors’ goal, exploiting familiar gaps in front of the United defence.
Two weeks ago, Ipswich won at Tottenham. With this result and performance following it, manager Kieran McKenna has every reason to believe his side can aim higher than mere safety this season, despite their present position.
