Ipswich Town’s early Premier League struggles seemed to raise the question of just how tough things could get, having gone winless in their first 10 matches. However, four points from their most recent two games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have eased the tension around the club.
After marking their return to the top flight for the first time in 22 years, the Blues showed they can hold their own at this level. A thrilling 2-1 victory over Spurs before the international break was followed by a hard-earned 1-1 draw at home against Manchester United on Sunday.
The United fixture marked the debut of Ruben Amorim as manager, but the so-called “new manager bounce” failed to materialize at Portman Road. Despite a strong start by the visitors, Ipswich made life difficult for Amorim’s team, holding firm after United took the lead just 81 seconds into the match with a goal from Marcus Rashford.
Ipswich, however, refused to back down, and their persistence paid off before halftime when Omari Hutchinson equalized. The 1-1 draw was a fair result in a tightly contested match.
“We could have won for sure,” said Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna. “We finished the first half with real momentum. On the balance of play, we probably deserved to be at least level, but maybe even ahead.”
“The second half was competitive, and although we had some big chances, we also had to defend a lot. United had decent control, but we were disciplined in defense. There are plenty of positives to take from this performance, and we’ll keep building.”
Despite still being the only Premier League team without a home win this season, Ipswich are showing signs of improvement. With upcoming matches against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth next month at Portman Road, the long-awaited home victory seems imminent.
“We have some really talented young players who are improving every week, and we also have senior players stepping up and getting stronger as they adapt to the Premier League,” McKenna added.
Having worked at both the Tottenham and United academies, and as assistant to Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, McKenna is no stranger to high-level football. He will take great satisfaction from the team’s recent results, though he knows more consistency will be necessary for Ipswich to avoid relegation.
Sunday’s hard-fought draw leaves Ipswich in 18th place with nine points from 12 games, still three points adrift of 14th-placed West Ham, who face Newcastle United on Monday. Next up for Ipswich is a trip to Nottingham Forest next Saturday, as they continue their battle to stay in the Premier League.
