The Europa League is the only prize remaining for Manchester United to chase this season and their prospects of reaching the final in Bilbao on May 21 are still alive after a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their round of 16 tie.
There were few chances for either side in a scrappy opening period, Andre Onana ending the half without having to make a single save. United’s best moment was a brief flurry of chances in the 37th minute when first Bruno Fernandes and then Joshua Zirkzee (twice) came close to giving Ruben Amorim’s side the lead.
United stepped it up after half-time and opened the scoring with a well-worked goal from Zirkzee just before the hour mark. But hopes of a slender advantage to take back to Manchester for the second leg were dashed when VAR spotted a Bruno Fernandes handball, enabling Real Sociedad to equalise from the penalty spot. The home side then had further chances to score but were denied by some fine saves from Onana.
The Athletic’s Anantaajith Raghuraman breaks down the key talking points from the game.
A good result for United or a missed opportunity?
United will have mixed feelings about this result. In the first half, they were willing to relinquish control for a deep defensive line, with Real Sociedad playing in front of them. The 38 per cent possession United recorded in the first half is the second-lowest figure they have recorded across competitions so far under Amorim. But the lack of pressing and 5-4-1 shape out of possession also meant they conceded no clear-cut opportunities, which some would argue is a sensible approach in the post-away goals era.
Zirkzee’s goal came after United played more positively in the second half, while the goal they conceded involved more than a touch of misfortune. On the balance of things, a 1-1 draw away from home is a decent result, especially given Onana had to make numerous saves in the final 15 minutes. But United would have benefited from holding on for the win for psychological reasons.
Next week’s second leg will likely see similarly tight margins and while United would normally be confident of a win at home, their recent form at Old Trafford is an obvious cause for concern.
A well-worked Zirkzee goal
The first half was an accurate depiction of where these two teams are currently at. Combined, they have scored just 56 league goals in 53 matches. But with United repeatedly trying to go over the top towards their forwards, their best chances came when the wing-backs made overlapping runs or in transition, where Real Sociedad lacked Martin Zubimendi, who missed out with illness.
It was no surprise that Zirkzee’s goal was a product of both of those factors coming together. In the second half, Diogo Dalot began inverting into midfield more often, allowing Alejandro Garnacho to stay wider on the right, while Casemiro displayed a bit more flair with his distribution.
In the 57th minute, Casemiro played an audacious outside-of-the-boot pass to the inverting Dalot, who carried it forward with no La Real player challenging him. Dalot laid it off for Garnacho, who could cut it back to Zirkzee on the edge of the area. Crucially, Rasmus Hojlund blocked off a defender to give Zirkzee a clear path to goal and his first-time shot beat Alex Remiro in goal.
The cutback goal is one United have conceded multiple times under both Amorim and Erik ten Hag, so it made a pleasant change to be beneficiaries of a similar move this time, with the players operating well as a unit to create a deserved opener.
Was it a penalty?
Real Sociedad were handed a way back into the match in the 67th minute from an extremely innocuous situation.
Takefusa Kubo’s corner was cleared by a combination of Fernandes and Matthijs de Ligt before Garnacho was fouled while going after the ball up the pitch. Referee Ivan Kruzliak was informed that VAR were checking for a penalty, though there was little immediate clarity on what it was for given no Real Sociedad player had appealed.
After a quick conversation, Kruzliak signalled that he would be taking a look at the incident for himself, an ominous sign for United. The replay showed that as Nayef Aguerd attacked the ball in the box, Fernandes competed with him in the air and the ball ricocheted off his arm, which was close to his face as he jumped up to contest the header.
As the arm was in an unnatural position, La Real were awarded a penalty and Oyarzabal sent Onana the wrong way to score with the hosts’ first shot on target.
Could Fernandes have done anything differently? Many will argue — as Robbie Savage did on TNT’s coverage in the UK — that the hand being that high was unavoidable given Fernandes was jumping.
However, by the letter of the law, particularly in European competitions, it is a penalty, even if the inconsistencies within the law are another story altogether.
What did Ruben Amorim say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for United?
Sunday, March 9: Arsenal (Home), Premier League, 4.30pm UK, 11.30am ET
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(Top photo: Getty Images)
