Ruben Amorim's first game as Manchester United manager began with a bang but ended with a whimper as his side laboured to a 1-1 draw at Premier League strugglers Ipswich on Sunday.
With just 86 seconds gone at Portman Road, it looked as though he had conjured some Portuguese magic as Marcus Rashford put United ahead following a thrilling move.
But Kieran McKenna's relegation battlers showed plenty of fight and bite and grabbed a deserved equaliser just before half-time when Omari Hutchinson hit a stinging shot that skimmed off the head of Noussair Mazraoui and beyond the diving Andre Onana.
As the game wore on, United's familiar failings crept in to remind Amorim of the size of the task he faces.
After the match, Amorim said: "It is a tough league. I think my players were thinking too much. We lost some balls without pressure. But they really, really tried and they want this.
"I think the decision-making is a concern. We are doing some things not in the right moment, that is something we have to address. Everyone talks about the 3-4-3. That is not the concern, the system is the system but the understanding of the game, I think we have to improve a lot."
The former Sporting Lisbon boss had stuck with the trusty 3-4-3 formation that brought him so much success at his previous club.
He made three changes to the line-up that won United’s last game under interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy – a 3-0 home victory against Leicester City – as he reshuffled his pack.
In came Christian Eriksen, Alejandro Garnacho and Jonny Evans. The Northern Irish defender formed Amorim's signature back three with Matthijs de Ligt and Mazraoui.
Rashford switched to the striker’s role in a front three with Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes, while Amad Diallo was given an unfamiliar assignment at right wing-back.
The tinkering seemed to have paid off almost straight from the kick-off. Diallo made a brilliant burst down the right before crossing into the box where a charging Rashford produced a neat finish to send the visiting fans into dreamland.
But if Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag at the beginning of the month, was under any illusion that life in the Premier League would be quite that easy, he was soon disabused.
Amorim won two league titles with Sporting, the first of which was their first in nearly two decades.
When he departed the club after signing a two-and-a-half-year deal at Old Trafford, they were top of the Primeira Liga after winning 11 out of 11 this season and had pulled off a sensational 4-1 thrashing of United's arch-rivals Manchester City in the Champions League.
But he inherited a United side lying 13th in the table after their worst start to a Premier League season, with four defeats from 12 matches.
And as their dream start at Portman Road fizzled out, he will be in no doubt about the scale of the job facing him.
Time and again United squandered promising positions with poor decision-making and wasteful final balls.
And Amorim was thankful to his goalkeeper Onana for pulling off a string of world-class saves - including somehow keeping out a close-range effort from Liam Delap - against Premier League new boys Ipswich, who started the game one place above the drop zone.
But McKenna's men had picked up four points from their previous two games and showed plenty of spirit and organisation against United.
Ipswich captain Sam Morsy told Sky Sports afterwards: "We showed a mix of things and we are disappointed not to get the win. Their keeper has made some great saves. Omari Hutchinson has got that quality, loads of those go in in training. He will score loads this season.
"We have good momentum and are getting better and better. The big thing is we keep improving and that is the culture of the football club."
For all the £600 million-plus that Ten Hag spent on his squad, United still don't look like a team.
Despite the undoubted talent of players like Fernandes, Garnacho and Rashford, building a side that can challenge for the biggest honours will be a huge ask even for a brilliant young coach like Amorim.
FA Cups and League Cups are not enough for a club of United's stature, as Ten Hag discovered to his cost. Producing a team that can take a meaningful tilt at the Premier League or Champions League titles is what is expected of Amorim.
It is, of course, very early days but it still seems a distant prospect as things stand.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MANDOOB
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
RESULT
Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 4
Milan: Kessie (14'), Cutrone (25', 43'), Calhanoglu (85')
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
