The reporter reported coldly 1-1, although the process was still unsatisfactory, at least the Red Devils did not leave the Anoeta Stadium with a defeat. As coach Amorim said after the game: "The future could be better or worse. This is the fourth time in Manchester United's history that they have visited San Sebastian, winning both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Europa Leagues, with the former winning 4-0 in the first leg of the 1/16 final. However, this time it was the same as the first away game against Real Sociedad in 2013/14, but it was the Champions League and now it is the Europa League.

The Daily Mail defined the game as "a desperate season for Manchester United", with a draw leaving the Red Devils with a glimmer of hope in their quest for the season's remaining trophies. Zirkze's 57th-minute goal saved the day, having missed a penalty just four days earlier that had led to United being knocked out of the FA Cup penalty shoot-out by Fulham. Zirkze, who was remorseful at the time, burst into tears, but he did not expect to seize the opportunity to redeem himself soon.

Of course, United were unlucky on the night of the Basque Country, with Garnacho, Dogu and Zirkze squandering chances on a number of occasions. In the end, United were punished for being too generous: in the 67th minute, Kenei Kubo took a corner kick, Real Sociedad centre-back Agde headed the ball into the hands of B Fei, and the referee watched the video and awarded a penalty. Real Sociedad have failed to score in 12 of their 26 La Liga games this season, having previously scored just one of their last four games in all competitions, thanks to Oyarzabal's goal from the penalty spot. The Real Sociedad captain scored in last year's European Championship final to deprive the Three Lions of the title, and this time the Red Devils failed to take three points.

What was embarrassing was not United's failure to make it three wins in a row away from Real Sociedad, but the course of the game. On the 19th minute of the first half, Diogo Dalot failed to pass the ball to Hojlen in time, causing the latter to miss a must-score opportunity in a perfect position, causing the two to quarrel. Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, who was the guest commentator for the game, angrily denounced Dalot's failure to pass the ball as a "crime": "You are a right-back and you have to provide timely assists to the striker. It would be a crime for any right-back in world football not to realise it. ”

The high-priced Hojlen has had 18 games and a 21-hour goal drought. In last season's Champions League away to Copenhagen, Hojlen had a similar public argument with Diogo Dalot, bringing Manchester United's infighting to the public. Red Devils boss Amorim has no intention of making a 'crisis PR' for such infighting, as there are worse situations waiting to be resolved. Manchester United's defence has improved, with goalkeeper Onana and centre-back Joro both scoring highly. But Diogo Dalot, the main assister on the offensive end, is always unable to deliver assists at the right time; Fernandes conceded an unnecessary penalty and Garnacho's shot was even more miserable.

The Red Devils have failed to score in the first half in 20 consecutive games, and it was unfortunate that Fernandes Fernandes and Zirkze failed to find the back of the net in the 37th minute. Zirkze's second-half goal was only the second goal for the Dutch centre-forward in 17 games. Had it not been for goalkeeper Onana's late saves from Goales and Okarsson's inevitable shots, United would have returned to England with a disappointing defeat. The second leg at Old Trafford may be even more worrying, with the Reds winning just four home games against relegation zone Leicester City and Ipswich Town, and then losing to Crystal Palace and Fulham in the bottom half.

Scholes called on Amorim to give the youngsters more opportunities amid a collective slump in the forward line. In addition to dealing with the poor condition and low morale of the players in the dressing room, Amorim also has to deal with family issues. His wife, Maria, is completely unable to adapt to Manchester's cold, humid and rainy climate, which may be a big reason for Amorim to leave United in the future.

Of the three Premier League giants who played in the Europa League and UEFA Europa League last night, only Chelsea beat underdogs Copenhagen 2-1 away. Tottenham lost 1-0 away to Eredivisie rivals AZ Alkmaar, and Son Heung-min handed over eight zero statistics such as goals, assists, shots on target, chances created and key passes, which was as disappointing as the team's performance. When goalkeeper Vicario thanked the Tottenham fans who came to cheer for him after the game, he was angrily told by the fans to "do your job".

Of the eight teams from the top five leagues in this round of the Europa League, only Tottenham Hotspur and Athletic Bilbao were defeated, and even Eintracht Frankfurt, who lost Malmus, beat Ajax away from home. Both Roma and Lazio scored in the eighth minute of stoppage time, with Roma's Shomurodov even crossing the line in the final second of stoppage time. Manchester United still have a lot to do if they want to return to the Basque Country in May and play in the Europa League final in Bilbao.