Former Arsenal academy winger Omari Hutchinson scored the first goal of his Premier League career on Sunday, netting an equaliser against Manchester United.
Two years and four months after leaving Arsenal for Chelsea, Omari Hutchinson netted the first Premier League goal of his career on Sunday.
Now playing for Ipswich Town, Hutchinson was making his 12th appearance of the season, playing against Manchester United at Portman Road.
With new United boss Ruben Amorim taking charge of his first game, the team had taken an early lead through Marcus Rashford. But as they closed in on the half-time break, they were pegged back by former Arsenal academy youngster Hutchinson.
Receiving the ball on the edge of the box, Hutchinson turned and tried to curl a shot towards the far top corner of Andre Onana’s net. The ball took a deflection off Noussair Mazraoui, but it still found its intended destination for 1-1.
It would be unfair to say Ipswich then “held on” for a draw. In fact, the hosts had the better of the second-half chances, and were perhaps unlucky not to take all three points from the contest.
It’s certainly been a positive spell for the team, after they secured their first win back in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur before the international break. But they remain in the relegation zone on goal difference.
Hutchinson spent around seven years at Arsenal during his youth career, but he joined Chelsea in 2022, citing “the pathway” they had for him.
The player said he dreamed of “making it at Chelsea, winning major competitions with them”, adding that “the ultimate aim is the Champions League”.
But it didn’t work out with the Blues, at least not directly, as he only got 49 minutes of football in his first season before being sent out on loan the next summer.
With Chelsea signing winger after winger ahead of him, the pathway he was promised ended up blocked.
Instead, Hutchinson’s eventual role as a Premier League starter resulted from that loan move to Ipswich, who were promoted and opted to sign him permanently.
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster journey, but Sunday’s appearance was Hutchinson’s 11th Premier League start. He may already be eyeing up next month’s return to the Emirates Stadium on December 27th.