Nothing is ever easy at Manchester United these days is it…
Up against a Real Sociedad side who are currently ninth in LaLiga, the Red Devils had the chance to really take control of their Europa League first-leg tie, particularly with their Basque hosts offering little in the way of an attacking threat for much of the opening hour or so.
A strong opening from United did ultimately result in a well-deserved goal from Joshua Zirkzee, yet having missed a succession of chances both prior to and after that second-half strike, the visitors were subsequently made to pay for their wasteful nature.
Almost inevitably in a season that has been without luck or respite, Ruben Amorim’s men were pegged back after Bruno Fernandes was penalised for handball inside the area, with Sociedad skipper Mikel Oyarzabal duly converting to bring his side level.
Had it not been for a handful of Andre Onana saves – and a stunning miss from substitute Orri Oskarsson – United could well have gone into next week’s reverse fixture trailing, yet as it is, the tie is finely poised ahead of that meeting at Old Trafford.
Amorim will then be left to reflect on a night of mixed fortunes, with his side looking dangerous at times, albeit with there having been a familiar feeling in front of goal…
Man Utd's best performers vs Sociedad
Starting with the positives, it proved to be another promising performance from that man Zirkzee, with the 23-year-old – who had missed the decisive spot-kick at the weekend – calmly slotting home for his sixth goal of the season.
While opposition ‘keeper Alex Remiro may be scratching his head at quite why he couldn’t keep out that relatively tame attempt from the Dutchman, the goal did round off a lovely, sweeping move from United, including a clever pull-back from the reinstated Alejandro Garnacho.
Also involved in the game’s opener was former Real Madrid hero, Casemiro, with the Brazilian producing a lovely outside-of-the-boot pass in the build-up to Zirkzee’s strike, having looked at ease on the night up against Spanish opposition once more.
The veteran midfielder notably won eight duels in the centre of the park, as per Sofascore, while also showcasing his passing prowess with a particularly astute dinked first-time ball over the top for Fernandes to pounce on.
A word must also be said for the centre-back trio, too, who were relatively untroubled until the final knockings of the game, with young Leny Yoro looking particularly impressive on the European stage, having notably won 100% of his aerial duels and recorded a stellar 94% pass accuracy rate.
Stat
Player
Most touches
Diogo Dalot (71)
Most accurate passes
Brais Mendez (46)
Most key passes
Takefusa Kubo & Rasmus Hojlund (3)
Most successful dribbles
Ander Barrenetxea (3)
Highest xG
Mikel Oyarzabal (0.79)
Most tackles
Casemiro (5)
Most duels won
Casemiro & Noussair Mazraoui (8)
Dribbled past
Bruno Fernandes (3)
The man alongside him, however, endured a far less comfortable evening it must be said, with Diogo Dalot producing yet another display that will call into question his future at the club under the INEOS regime.
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If the major theme from the night was United’s inability to kill the game off when they were in control, then the finger does also need to be pointed at Dalot for what could prove a costly decision from the first half.
Chalkboard
Indeed, with Rasmus Hojlund racing through the centre of the pitch and seemingly having a clear run at goal, the Portuguese full-back opted not to thread the ball across the box to the struggling striker, instead turning back into a congested penalty area.
Now without the excuse of being forced to operate in an unorthodox left wing-back role, the 25-year-old again illustrated why he may not be a natural fit for Amorim’s set-up, with his attacking quality needing to be called into question after registering just 20 goals and assists in 199 games for the club to date.
More frustratingly is also the former Porto’s knack for squandering possession, as he lost the ball on 21 occasions in total at the Reale Arena, just days after losing the ball 25 times against Fulham.
Such woes – which also saw him win just 50% of his duels – ensured that Dalot was branded with a measly 4/10 match rating by Daily Express journalist Alex Turk, who stated that ‘Amorim’s need for a specialist right-wing-back is so obvious’.
With talk in recent months suggesting that the United boss will look to reunite with Sporting CP starlet Geovany Quenda this summer, it could be an opportune time to cash in on Dalot, particularly as he appears to have “regressed” of late, according to journalist Alex Crook.
A solid servant Dalot has largely been in recent seasons, yet with a squad revamp in order, the full-back may need to be among those shown the door by INEOS.
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