Manchester United needed a big performance — and they got one.
A thrilling win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League last 16, featuring three penalties, a red card and countless talking points, ensured Ruben Amorim’s hopes of ending his first season with a trophy are still alive.
Bruno Fernandes, not for the first time, was the hero with a superb hat-trick while Diogo Dalot’s late fourth added some gloss to the score and ensured United will face Lyon in the last eight.
We break down the big talking points.
Fernandes lights up Old Trafford (again)
Fernandes has consistently delivered when United have needed him to. His exploits from open play are unquestionable, but his record from the penalty spot is fabulous, too.
He was key to creating his first penalty against Real Sociedad, timing his run in behind to perfection to meet Casemiro’s pass over the top before squaring for Rasmus Hojlund, who was impeded by Igor Zubeldia while shooting straight at Alex Remiro. After a brief wait, Fernandes calmly dispatched the spot kick, waiting for Remiro to commit to his left before rolling the ball into the opposite bottom corner.
Fernandes puts his first penalty to Remiro’s right (Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Less than three minutes into the second half, Fernandes received his second chance to score having again been crucial to the initial move. He played a quick one-two with Joshua Zirkzee on the edge of the box before finding Hojlund, who laid the ball off for Zirkzee to shoot. The Netherlands international tested Remiro with a low stinger before Patrick Dorgu got to the ball and clashed with Aritz Elustondo, with referee Benoit Bastien taking his time before pointing to the spot.
Fernandes stepped up again. This time, he varied his approach, ditching his stutter for a direct run, taking a second to look up to see which side Remiro committed to — it was right this time around — before rolling it into the opposite direction again.
Fernandes put his second to the goalkeeper’s left (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Fernandes thought he may have had the chance to score a hat-trick of penalties when Hamari Traore was adjudged to have brought down Dorgu but the referee overturned his decision on VAR, with even Dorgu suggesting it wasn’t a spot kick.
But no matter, as with just a few minutes remaining, he accepted Alejandro Garnacho’s pass and buried into the bottom corner.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Were United fortunate with decisions?
Amorim has seldom spoken about United needing some luck to turn things around. But in bleak moments, teams often need the small waves to turn their way before the entire tide does and United seemed to get that rub of good fortune against Real Sociedad.
The first penalty was undeniable as Zubeldia clearly slid into Hojlund with no intention to win the ball. However, the second was a much more debatable decision given Elustondo placed his arms behind his back and stood still rather than actively trying to tackle Dorgu, who seemed to stumble into him. It was a 50-50 decision given Elustondo still stopped Dorgu from progressing, but similar circumstances have not yielded penalties in the past.
The next key incident came in the 63rd minute when Jon Aramburu was dismissed for dragging Dorgu down near the halfway line to stop the United wing-back from carrying Zirkzee’s through-ball.
Nayef Aguerd, who was recovering from a central position, would have likely struggled to catch up with the rapid Dorgu, given he was slightly behind anyway. Real Sociedad losing a man while chasing the match made controlling proceedings easier for United.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
No goal, but better from Hojlund
December 12 was the last time Hojlund scored in a Manchester United shirt. It was against Viktoria Plzen in a game that saw Amorim give minutes to Marcus Rashford, Tyrell Malacia and Antony. A lot has changed in 20 matches, but Hojlund’s growing reluctance to shoot on goal has been the most worrying for United’s attack.
Take a look at the striker’s shot map for the season (before kick off), and you see the work of a man who knows how to shoot from dangerous areas, but doesn’t do it anywhere near enough.
Hojlund’s dry spell has led to him being hesitant in front of goal. Naturally left footed, he has a tendency to drift to that side of the area when collecting passes, before trying to aim for the far post. It’s a difficult shot to pull off, even in the best of form.
Hojlund’s first half against Real Sociedad saw him again drift left when trying to latch onto passes but his movement inside the penalty area was more proactive than usual, and he was rewarded with vociferous backing from a crowd clearly desperate for him to score.
United’s equaliser came from Hojlund being felled by Zubeldia within the six-yard box as he chased a pass from Fernandes. Then, just after the half-hour, Zirkzee fizzed in a cross for his team-mate but Hojlund’s nudged attempt went a little wide of the far post.
Hojlund’s backheel sneaks past the post (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
The second half saw Garnacho and others try pull-back attempts for the striker, only for his awkward first touch to see chances fizzle out, and he dragged wide when trying to force the issue late on.
The (mildly) good news is Hojlund is shooting more. He had three shots — all off target — by the 75th minute. This is damning a £75million striker with faint praise, but this is an improvement and he also managed an assist for Dalot late on.
There’s a player in Hojlund. He just needs to keep shooting to find it again.
Carl Anka
Heaven’s steady start
The Athletic regularly preaches caution when using statistics to evaluate centre-backs. We can use data to tell you how many tackles someone makes in a game, but you need a little bit more to you why that defender was so busy or quiet when dealing with attackers.
So, please read the following sentence in a gentle lilt, as if you were sitting down in a pub after a long day at work: “Ayden Heaven looks a decent player, doesn’t he?”
Eyebrows were raised when the 18-year-old was signed in January and given a first-team shirt number. Heaven had impressed during his years at Arsenal’s academy (he first started as midfielder, before being converted into a centre-back) but few expected him to meaningfully contribute to United in 2024-25.
Ayden Heaven was handed a start by Amorim (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Yet here Heaven was, starting United’s most important European match in years and building on his impressive 45 minutes against Arsenal on Sunday.
Amorim spent much of the first half talking both he and Dorgu through their off-ball responsibilities, but the pair’s youthful energy and willingness to run mean any defensive foibles can be battled through.
A break in play in the first half also saw Matthijs de Ligt give Heaven instructions on his weight of pass. If he is to solidify himself at left centre-back for the remainder of the season, his short passes will have to be sharper and ahead of his team-mates in order to maintain the team’s forward momentum.
Yet these are small points regarding a player at the very start of his senior career. The 80th minute saw the teenager collect the ball from Andre Onana and hit a little scoop pass to Zirkzee on the left flank. The Dutchman collected the ball, turned and spun his defender, and begin a run into the final third that got United fans out of their seat.
Decent player? He looks it.
Carl Anka
How hosts were punished early on
Prior to the match, Dalot told UK broadcaster TNT Sports that this match was “like a final”. The early minutes brought that intensity as both teams broke the shackles that seemed to hold them down in last week’s first half in San Sebastian.
But sloppiness is often punished in finals and United suffered for a litany of errors in the build-up to Real Sociedad’s opener. Moments after Garnacho scuffed a cross into Remiro’s arms, Dalot stayed forward to press but could not stop La Real from finding Sheraldo Becker on the wing, which forced Noussair Mazraoui to press higher, too. A clever one-two set Becker free on the left, with Dalot slow to track back.
United recovered possession after Brais Mendez’s pass went straight to Dorgu, but the youngster drove forward and tried to beat three Real Sociedad players, which only resulted in him giving the ball away while also leaving a gaping space on the right side for only Heaven to defend.
Fernandes dropped back to lend support, but Heaven was trapped between helping the Portuguese and retreating centrally. It left him in a weak position to defend Elustondo’s cross, which evaded him and almost reached Mikel Oyarzabal, who was brought down by De Ligt.
Mikel Oyarzabal is brought down by Matthijs de Ligt (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The entire situation was avoidable had United stayed more focused at different stages of the build-up.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
What did Amorim say?
United’s head coach was thrilled with his side’s display and singled out Fernandes for special praise.
“We know that sometimes he is frustrated,” he said. “We know he wants to win so bad so when things are not going well, he is changing position going after the ball. Sometimes he needs to trust his teammate but when we need it, he is always there. He is a perfect captain for our team and we need to help him win titles.
“You can feel the fans, the noise, the confidence from the supporters. It was a really good night. This week was a different week, we deal with problems of the present, we show the future. This game was really good for everybody in the club.”
The Portuguese also admitted the penalty call on Dorgu was a debatable decision but praised his player’s endeavour to win it.
“I am quite proud of him but I cannot say if it is 0-0 or losing I have the same response,” he said. “He did well, he had a great performance. He is learning a lot in that position. He has the physicality.”
What next for Man Utd?
Sunday, March 16: Leicester City (away), Premier League, 7pm UK, 3pm ET
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(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)