Ipswich Town: Defender Dara O'Shea reflects on Manchester United draw

The Blues fell behind early on as Marcus Rashford tapped in Amad Diallo’s cross, but they responded well and equalised before the break as Omari Hutchinson’s curled effort beat Andre Onana and fizzed into the top corner.

From there, Town had the better chances to seal the win, but they were unable to find a second goal to do so, although they continue to show their improvement in the Premier League.

“It’s disappointing not to get the win when we felt it was there for us today, but it was also a good point to build on that win against Spurs,” O’Shea said after the match.

“All-in-all, it was a positive day for us.

“Their goal was a bit of a shock to us. It was a break in play. We can definitely deal with it better, but how we reacted after that was really promising and shows what we’re about.

The centre-back put in a strong display against some of the best attackers in the division (Image: PA)

“We didn’t let it dictate the game because it was so early on, which is big for us.

“In the first half, especially early on, we didn’t implement ourselves as much as we could’ve. We can definitely run a lot more. The second half was a bit of a graft too.”

Asked about Hutchinson’s stunning strike, the Republic of Ireland international said: “I was right behind it, to be fair! It was nice to witness that, but you see it so often on the training pitch. You’re just waiting for it to go in.

“Any time he shapes up on the left foot, you’re almost expecting that from him.

“Credit to Omari. He literally trains like he plays, so what the fans see of him, that’s how he trains. That’s a credit to him, and that’s why he’ll go to the very, very top.

“He has that mentality. He really want to improve as a player. He’s young and he’s got a good head on his shoulders.

“If he keeps going and keeps putting the performances in like he has today, he’s got a great career ahead of him.”

O'Shea praised Omari Hutchinson following his goal against the Red Devils (Image: Ross Halls)

Town perhaps would’ve expected an onslaught in the second half. Man United boasted a number of talented attacking players on the bench, which new boss Ruben Amorim introduced quite early on.

However, they did little to really test goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, with Ipswich arguably having the better chances to earn the victory.

“I thought it was quite comfortable in the second half, albeit there was a bit of pressure,” O’Shea admitted. “I didn’t think they had any clear-cut chances that we were surprised by.

“I thought we dealt with it well. Their ‘keeper made two excellent saves from Liam [Delap], and on another day, they would’ve gone in and the game would’ve been a bit different.

“That’s football.”

There were certainly some surprises for Ipswich on the day. Amorim had hinted that he’d adopt a 3-4-3 formation in his first game in charge, but the lineup looked to be built around a back four when the team news was published.

In the end, the Red Devils switched between the two systems, which their opponents were able to deal with.

“A point in the Premier League is always a good point no matter who you’re playing, especially against United with a new manager who we didn’t know a whole lot about,” O’Shea argued. “We didn’t know what they were going to be like today.

The Blues had to predict how Ruben Amorim's side would line up in his maiden game at Portman Road (Image: PA)

“Obviously they played a different way to how they have played previously with their new manager, but the gaffer did really well this week. He got our tactics spot on and almost new what they were going to do in a way. Credit to him and to the boys for carrying it out.

“It was quite man-to-man on the pitch, so you had to win your individual battles. That’s what it was going to take today. There was a lot of effort put in by the boys.

“Before the game, we put a big emphasis on that. Against Spurs, we ran all over them. Today we had to do the same.

“I think that’s part of our DNA and that’s going to be part of how we’re successful this season.”

On a personal note, O’Shea put in a really strong performance. He wasn’t intimidated by the magnitude of the game and handled the likes of Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes really well.

Although he was keen to play it down, he stressed that it’s particularly important to show your strengths against the top teams in the division in order to feel confident throughout the campaign.

“I’ve played in the Premier League before and it’s not something that fazes me,” he explained.

“I relish playing against the big teams and the big players because you get to see where you’re at, show them how good you are and prove to yourself how good you are too. That’s the main thing.”