Manchester United were dealt a surprise defeat in their UEFA Europa League group opener against Real Sociedad on Thursday night.
Manchester United were beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford, and manager Erik ten Hag will be thoroughly disappointed with the performance of his side after their recent resurgence.
The Premier League giants came into this contest on the back of four consecutive victories, and they were expected to pick up their fifth win in a row. Manchester United were undoubtedly the favourites here.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad will be delighted with their efforts here, and Thursday’s win at Old Trafford will give them a massive confidence boost. The Spanish outfit managed to contain the Manchester United attack throughout the game, and they got on the scoresheet through a penalty from Brais Mendez in the 56th minute.
While the penalty call was dubious, Real Sociedad showed impressive defensive organisation to grind out the result, and they have now put Manchester United back under a lot of pressure. Here at The Hard Tackle, we look at how the Manchester United players fared in the Europa League clash last night.
Football needs to get some kind of video review system in if that's given as a handball pic.twitter.com/Yo7teRD2kR
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) September 8, 2022
David de Gea: 6/10
The Spanish goalkeeper was barely tested throughout the game and was unlucky not to save the penalty despite guessing the direction of the shot correctly.
Diogo Dalot: 5/10
The Portuguese full-back started as his usual reliable self. Dalot left a lot of gaps behind while going forward, but fortunately, Real Sociedad were not clinical enough to exploit the defensive lapses.
Victor Lindelof: 5/10
The Swedish defender was handed a start in this game, and he began well. However, he struggled when ten Hag decided to use him as the right back instead.
Harry Maguire: 6/10
The Manchester United captain is often criticised for his error-prone displays but the former Leicester City star did not put a foot wrong after being handed his first start in a while. Maguire was reliable at the back, and he will be hoping to start more games for Manchester United in the coming weeks.
Tyrell Malacia: 5.5/10
The young left-back was solid defensively, but he struggled going forward. Failed to provide his team with the attacking outlet they needed in the game.
Fred: 4/10
The Brazilian midfielder had a disappointing outing against Real Sociedad and failed to have any sort of impact on the game. Fred tried to venture into an advanced position in a bid to help out in the attacking phase of play, but the Brazilian lacked creativity and vision.
Christian Eriksen: 8/10
The Denmark international continues to impress since moving to Old Trafford with his creativity and incisive passing in the final third. Apart from his quality and composure in the middle of the park, he is a useful asset when it comes to set pieces as well.
Casemiro: 5/10
The former Real Madrid player had a poor outing as he failed to break up the play and recycle possession on a consistent basis. Scott McTominay will fancy his chances of starting ahead of Casemiro if the Brazilian continues to perform at this level.
Antony: 5/10
Having scored on his Manchester United debut against Arsenal, the Brazilian was expected to make a big impact against Real Sociedad on Thursday night. However, Antony was largely anonymous except for a couple of eye-catching moves.
Anthony Elanga: 5/10
The Manchester United winger failed to stretch the opposition defence with his flair and pace. Elanga struggled just as much as his other attacking teammates on the night.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 5/10
The Portuguese superstar has not been a regular starter for Manchester United decision, and he did little to help his cause by producing a mediocre display against Real Sociedad. Ronaldo has flagged offside multiple times and was lacking his usual sharpness when it comes to movement and linkup play.
Man Utd have a 0% win percentage with Cristiano Ronaldo & Harry Maguire starting this season. pic.twitter.com/lZ8NpJD1fZ
— Maguire GOAT (@MaguireSkills) September 9, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Lisandro Martinez: 5/10
The Argentine defender has been quite impressive since joining Manchester United this summer and he was doing well since coming on. However, he ended up producing a handball inside the box and gave away the penalty that won the game for Real Sociedad, although it was a highly dubious call.
Bruno Fernandes: 6/10
The Portuguese midfielder was brought on to change the game in Manchester United’s favour, and he did create a couple of chances after coming on. However, his teammates failed to make the most of those opportunities.
Jadon Sancho: 5/10
Sancho was largely anonymous after coming on around the 71st-minute mark.
Alejandro Garnacho: 5/10
Garnacho failed to provide the spark in the final third, for which he was brought on.
Charlie McNeill: N/A
The youngster was handed his Manchester United debut, but he was brought on too late to make any meaningful impact.
