Højlund sinks Bodø/Glimt to give Amorim first Manchester United win

Ruben Amorim received a raptuous welcome from the Old Trafford congregation, then oversaw a helter-skelter victory in his first home as Manchester United’s sixth No 1 of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Like the five predecessors of the past 11 years, Amorim suffered. Under Europa League lights that shone down on the 6,714 partying Bodø/Glimt support, this was a standard welcome to the Theatre of Thrills and Spills as his new team just about made it through to the win.

As the contest closed Andre Onana rushed out of his area, slipped, passed the ball to the opponent, and United were lucky to escape. Seconds after, Garancho spurned a gilded chance to make it 4-2.

The passage neatly sums United up: both regarding this evening and the challenge Amorim has accepted. Three points was a pleasing start before his own crowd but his tenure is sure to have copious bumps and bruises and who knows what else.

In the feverish United soap opera how Amorim’s 3-4-3 might fare is the latest hot subplot.

At half-time the jury remained out, as his team took the lead, conceded twice, then scored a fine Højlund equaliser that had the No 9 juggling Noussair Mazraoui’s dink from right foot to the left from which he dispatched a searing volley.

But, what preceded this was the same United tale of being unable to hold an advantage and being too easy to knife through.

Bodø/Glimt arrived as Norway’s champions, held a players-coaching staff huddle by their bench that was a first to this observer, then conceded 46 seconds in. Antony’s opening contribution was to flop over on the right touchline yet while hapless the throw-in he conceded led to Garnacho’s opener.

Jostein Gundersen stroked possession to Nikita Haik, the goalkeeper dawdled fatally, Højlund harried, fell over, headed the ball forward, and the left wingman tapped into the empty goal.

Quicker than Marcus Rashford’s finish at Ipswich (that took two minutes), could United avert the fade that came after this on Sunday? No, was the answer.

Amorim’s analysis of that 1-1 draw cited how “we lost the ball too much” so when Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte did exactly this the 39-year-old twisted away in disgust.

Mount soon offered an unwanted repeat and suddenly those in yellow whirred upfield and if Philip Zinckernagel did not stumble on shooting André Onana’s goal may have been breached.

Rasmus Højlund slides in the winner. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

When Hakon Evjen and Zinckernagel did this they required circa half the time Omari Hutchinson took to register Ipswich’s leveller meaning by this metric Amorim’s United were going backwards – fast.

Each goal was too simple. Evjen’s bullet into the top-left corner derived from a hole through United’s middle. In came a pass to this zone, Sondre Brunstad Fet collected, teed up the No 26, and he finished.

Next Tyrell Malacia, in a first United appearance since May 2023, was left a statue as Zinckernagel chased down a long ball and beat Onana. If, moments later, Evjen had not skied, United would stare at a 3-1 deficit.

They were as chaotic as throughout Erik ten Hag’s reign. Matthijs de Ligt coughing the ball up to Jens Petter Hauge who gunned forward towards their area symptomatic of the disarray.

So, when Højlund struck as the interval approached this was welcome, but Amorim needed to chat smart at the break to try and shore his men up.

Diogo Dalot for Malacia was the Portuguese’s change for a second period featuring, first, Mount crashing the ball off Bodø/Glimt’s frame. Better followed: slick one-touch football propelled Ugarte in on the right and his cross was finished by Højlund in classic predator fashion.

The Dane appeared offside but United did not care. Amorim’s poker-face remained, as did his penchant for a technical area pace. United, who often defended in a four, should have pulled clear via Garnacho but he waited an age to pull the trigger.

Now, a triple change from Amorim: Luke Shaw, Amad Diallo and Rashford entered for Lisandro Martínez, Antony and Mount. Then, a little later substitute number five was Casemiro for De Ligt.

The Brazilian took the Dutchman’s middle centre-back berth. The visitors were turned when Shaw found Højlund and the ball was sprayed right in a move that culminated in Diallo (twice) and Fernandes seeing efforts repelled.

Rashford, marauding, missed from an angle on the right. Amorim would be relieved at the final whistle if the lead remained. It did - barely - after Onana beat away a late Patrick Berg free-kick.