‘Ruben Amorim had been in dreamland – however by the ultimate whistle it had turn out to be a nightmare’

It took just 80 seconds for Ruben Amorim to find himself in dreamland.

But come the final whistle the new Manchester United manager had been transported into some sort of nightmare. And when he wakes up this morning, he will realise just how big a mess Erik ten Hag has left him to clean up in the red half of Manchester.

Marcus Rashford scored the quickest goal of his career to hand Amorim the perfect start. But that was as good as it got for a United team who had a plan, but just didn’t have the talent to execute it.

READ MORE: Man Utd fans notice small Ruben Amorim action ‘that only one other manager does’

READ MORE: What Ruben Amorim got right and wrong as Man Utd suffer shock draw at Ipswich

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Omari Hutchinson equalised with a stunning strike before half time, and Ipswich should have gone on to win. But this was still a sobering night for Amorim, whose opening smile inside the first two minutes had become a worried frown at the end.

In fairness to Amorim, United must feel like the perfect fit for him. When he became boss of Sporting Lisbon, he took charge of a toxic club lacking identity and significant silverware in the trophy cabinet. Sound familiar?

And while the pressures on him to succeed in Manchester are on a different level to what he faced back in Lisbon, the challenges remain the same. And the first one was to make a winning start against a side in the relegation zone, who only secured their first top flight triumph in 22 years the previous week.

Amorim’s first side involved three changes, with included Jonny Evans returning in a back three, and Manuel Ugarte and Rasmus Hojlund being axed.

Rashford was the central striker in a front three. And it took Rashford just 80 seconds to fire United ahead and give Amorim the opening he could never have imagined.

Amad Diallo burst down the right wing and showed jet heels to Jens Cajuste, before picking out Rashford, who met it ahead of Arijanet Muric with a simple finish. Christian Eriksen almost doubled the lead in what was a sensational start from the visitors.

But Ipswich were willing to trade blows with United, and almost hit back when Sam Szmodics demanded a sharp save from Andre Onana.

Hutchinson then smashed a free kick straight at Onana, before having a shot blocked following a goalmouth scramble. It was pulsating stuff.

But Ipswich were the better team and should have equalised when wonderful work from Leif Davis teed up a golden chance for the dangerous Liam Delap. Somehow Onana denied him with a stunning save.

But there was nothing Onana could do to keep out Hutchinson’s sensational equaliser on the stroke of half time. It was no more than Ipswich deserved.

Delap was lucky to avoid a red card after smashing his elbow into the face of Evans. And he should have put Ipswich ahead seven minutes into the second half, but blew another great chance when his flick from close range was blocked by Onana.

Amorim had seen enough and made changes, sending on Luke Shaw and Manuel Ugarte to add fresher legs to a United team treading in treacle. And things then got so desperate Amorim threw on Joshua Zirkzee who blazed a shot high into the stand.

Substitute Conor Chaplin could have won it for Ipswich in the final minutes. But it didn’t take a winning goal to make Amorim leave the ground with a look on his face yelled, ‘what have I done?’