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

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

Like his five predecessors across 11 years, Amorim suffered. Under Europa League lights that shone down on the 6,714 partying Bodø/Glimt supporters, 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 André Onana rushed out of his area, slipped, passed the ball to the foe and United were lucky to escape. Seconds after, Alejandro Garnacho spurned a gilded chance to make it 4-2.

The passage neatly sums United up: both this evening and regarding Amorim’s challenge. 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.

What the 39-year-old seems, in these very early days, is a composed operator with a sparkle in the eye and an honesty his players will warm to. This all shone through when he spoke about his players.

“I don’t know the players and we have not worked a lot together,” said Amorim. “We go to the game excited, but at the same time you are nervous because you don’t know how it will go. It was [a] special [reception] because half of the stadium doesn’t know me and I have done nothing for this club yet but the way they support me for the beginning, I felt I am not alone now, I am one of them. I hope not to disappoint them.”

In the feverish United soap opera how the new man’s 3-4-3 might fare is the latest hot subplot. At half-time the jury remained out, as Amorim’s side took the lead, conceded twice, then scored a fine Rasmus Højlund equaliser that had the No 9 juggling Noussair Mazraoui’s dink from right foot to the left, from which he dispatched a cool-eyed volley.

However, 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, 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 Haikin, 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 assert control as they failed to on Sunday? No, was the answer.

When Hakon Evjen and Philip Zinckernagel each scored they needed roughly half the time Omari Hutchinson took to register Ipswich’s leveller: by this metric Amorim’s United were going backwards – fast.

Evjen’s bullet into the top-left corner derived from a hole through United’s middle. In came a pass, Sondre Brunstad Fet collected and teed up the No 26, who finished. Next Tyrell Malacia, in a first United appearance since May 2023, was left puffing as Zinckernagel chased a long ball and beat Onana.

At this juncture, United were as chaotic as throughout Erik ten Hag’s reign. So, when Højlund struck as the interval approached this was welcome.

Diogo Dalot for Malacia was Amorim’s change for a second period featuring, first, Mason Mount crashing the ball off Bodø/Glimt’s frame. Better followed: slick one-touch football propelled Manuel 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 a 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 Bruno 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. United are up to 12th with nine points after five games.