Ipswich Town 1 Man United 1: Omari Hutchinson scores stunning first-half equaliser as Suffolk side prove a match for Red Devils in Ruben Amorim’s first game
Ipswich Town’s players left new Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim in no doubt that their are no easy games in the Premier League – with his Sporting Lisbon side having won 11 from 11 – as they responded to falling behind to claim a deserved point that could have been more in a 1-1 draw at a rousing Portman Road.
The Portugese head coach saw his side get off to the perfect start with out-of-favour England forward Marcus Rashford given the nod to lead his attack and repaying the decision inside 80 seconds by guiding home a Amad Diallo cross.
But the Blues responded brilliantly by taking the taking to the their illustrious opponents and eventually got the reward they deserved with a sublime curling effort from Omari Hutchinson finding the top corner in the 43rd minute.
The second half swung one way then the other and the result really could have gone either way with Liam Delap’s deft flick and substitute Conor Chaplin both forcing saves out of Onana while Bruno Fernandes sent a free kick whistling past the post in the visitor’s best chance.
A point for Town, following on from their first Premier League win of the season, at Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the international break, moves them up a place to third from bottom but just below safety on goal difference. United ended the day in 12th.
McKenna had made what appeared one injury-enforced change from the line-up at Spurs with Wes Burns starting on the right-hand side with Ben Johnson a surprise absentee from the squad, with Jack Taylor and Ali Al-Hamadi both brought in on the bench.
With the noise cranked up at Portman Road as captain Sam Morsy came out in solidarity with a mascot in ear defenders, United’s players pulled off the perfect move within 80 seconds to attempt to quieten them and impress their new boss.
From a short goal kick the ball was worked over to Amad Diallo, operating at right wing-back as Amorim went with his favoured 3-4-3, skipped past Jens Cajuste and Leif Davis, travelling well before picking out Rashford at the near post to poke the ball past Muric with the keeper and Dara O Shea left all at sea.
After the shock subsided the home fans fired up the noise in encouragement before seeing Eriksen sweep a shot wide from a Diallo pull-back as United threatened to quickly double their advantage.
Town, who had forced an early corner that was easily cleared, registered their first effort at goal in the eighth minute when Burns’ cross was hit first-time in the area by Sammie Szmodics but flew well over the bar.
From another Burns low cross on 10, pulled to the fringe of the area to Szmodics again, the former Blackburn Rovers man got a clean connection that saw Oanana have to get down to his right to parry it out before being cleared.
Alejandro Garnacho was proving a lively customer down the left and he found a bit of room to send an effort curling past the Argentinian far post from inside the area.
A nice move started by Omari Hutchinson’s clever spin out of traffic in midfield set Liam Delap off on the run before he was blocked off outside the area. Hutchinson stepped up to it with his curling effort too close to trouble Onana.
Aside from the early goal, Town were certainly giving as good as they got as the game passed the half-hour mark with Hutchinson seeing a second phase shot at a corner blocked by the foot of Diogo Dalot.
Town had got themselves on the front foot and went desperately close to the equaliser in the 40th minute. A raking pass out of the back from Cameron Burgess sent Davis away who turned well inside the area before laying off beautifully to the on-running Delap whose shot was brilliantly blocked by the outstretched right hand of Onana.
With the crowd roaring them on, Cajuste fired over from the edge of the box as the decibels continued to rise inside Portman Road.
And the roof was about to come off as minutes later as Burns fed the ball inside to Hutchinson and the England Under-21 internatonal got the ball out of his feet to the fringe of th e box before sending a curling effort flying into the top right-hand corner, via a deflection off Noussair Mazraoui’s head. It was no less than the Suffolk side had deserved and was certainly a moment enjoyed by shirt sponsor and shareholder Ed Sheeran.
It was the last notable action of a first half which Town had arguably been the more dominant side, exploiting the spaces United, who were playing with great width, were leaving through the middle, giving AmoriM plenty to ponder.
The Red Devils went close to repeating their early goal trick in the second half with Bruno Fernandes, who had been largely anonymous, slipping in Garnacho down the left side of the area with Muric making a save before Burgess cleared the loose ball.
Up the other end only a close-range save from Onana stopped Delap’s deft flick from Burns’ cross after the former had sent him away from the right from giving the hosts the lead.
It continued to be end-to-end with United breaking from a Town corner before Cajuste executed a great recovery run and tackle in the box to stop Garnancho pulling the trigger in the box shortly before O’Shea made a good block.
Amorin turned to his bench in the 56th minute with Mauel Ugarte and Luke Shaw replacing Jonny Evans and Casemiro.
Town’s first changes followed in the 65th minute with McKenna introducing Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor for Szmodics and Cajuste.
A Morsy free kick to the far post found O’Shea but no one was able to get on the Republic of Ireland international’s downward header across goal.
United brought on two more attacking options as they began to wrestle the upper hand with Rasmus Hoijund and Joshua Zirkzee replacing Eriksen and goalscorer Rashford.
As the game entered its final 20 minutes, Delap’s tenacious work saw him take the ball off Hutchinson’s feet and power through the middle before firing a long-range effort wide.
Town were largely being made to work in their own half though and the door opened for Zirkzee to let fly which he duly did, though got far too under it before Fernandes sent a well positioned free kick whistling just wide of Muric’s right-hand post.
Delap and Burns were withdrawn to a standing ovation in the 81st minute with Al-Hamadi and Conor Chaplin entering the action and Hutchinson moving across to the right.
Garnacho who had had a lively game but not endeared himself with his theatrical rolling around on the pitch, was booed off by the home crowd as Mason Mount became United’s final switch on 87.
Town had a big chance to get themselves ahead seconds later when Clarke did well to control a Chaplin ball across the cross and then lay it off to the double promotion winner, but his right-footed effort sat up at a comfortable height for Onana when he should have found the net.
United were coming under fire as the fourth official signalled four additional minutes but they found a late rally with O’Shea having to come to the rescue to put the ball out for a late corner which Muric confidently plucked out of the air.
Burgess, who had been a man-mountain, went hard into a late challenge before Clarke threw himself into another ahead of the final whistle sounding to great applause from an appreciative home crowd who could not have asked for more from their side.
Back in August 2000 Sir Alex Ferguson’s great United side had come to Portman Road and had their noses bloodied by a newly-promoted outfit under the guidance of George Burley with the parallels evident as a new side left a new generation bursting with pride.
If that game was the launchpad for Burley’s side that went on to stun the Premier League, this performance was confirmation, following the excellent away day in north London, that McKenna’s men are more than capable of mixing it at the top table of English football.
In the other dugout, Amorim was left with plenty of food for thoughts from his first 90 minutes in the world’s most revered league.
Ipswich Town: Muric, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Cajuste, Burns, Hutchinson, Szmodics, Delap (Al-Hamadi .
Unused subs: Walton (gk), H Clarke, Woolfenden, Townsend, Luongo, Taylor, J Clarke, Chaplin, Al-Hamadi.
Booked: None.
Manchester United: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Fernandes (c), Rashford (Hoijlund 68’), Eriksen (Zirkzee 68’), Amad, Garnacho, Casemiro (Ugarte 56’), Dalot, Evans (Shaw 56’).
Unused subs: Bayindir (gk), Malacia, Mainoo, Mount, Antony.
Booked: None.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
VAR official: Jarred Gillett (Australia).
Attendance: 30,017 (3,000 visitors)
SuffolkNews Man of the Match: Omari Hutchinson. For the second game running the England Under-21 international proved to be too hot for defenders to handle but also showed much intelligence in his work off the ball as well as on it.
