Manchester United remain the only unbeaten team in Europe, and after a 4-1 home win over Real Sociedad at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim's side have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League and will face Lyon in Ligue 1 for a place in the semi-finals. The game is considered the team's biggest game since the 2017 Europa League final, with captain Bruno Fernandes leading his team-mates to a hat-trick, as did two new signings in January, Patrick Dolgu and Eden Haven.

Amorim started for 18-year-old Haven in place of Victor Lindelof for the first time in his career, but he was mature in his performances. Haven was beaten by Hojlund in Manchester United's warm-up game against Arsenal at the start of the season, but he has now played reliably in three appearances for the Red Devils.

Manchester United got off to a bad start and the blame was not Haven, but his partner De Ligt. De Ligt, who was undrafted by the Netherlands, brought down Oyarzabal in the six-yard box, and German referee Benoit Bastian pointed straight for 12 yards. Oyarzabal takes the penalty himself, Andre Onana makes a mistake and Manchester United 0-1 Real Sociedad. The stats show that Onana has saved just two of his 16 penalties since joining the Reds, the same number as substitute goalkeeper Altay Baindir saved against Arsenal in the FA Cup.

Amorim was furious in the technical area, but he quickly made a change and deployed more forward assists for the €35 million Mr. Dolgu, and the rest of the game will prove to be a decisive tactic.

It didn't take long for United to equalise, and six minutes later, Casemiro instigated an attack, Fernandes crossed from the right, Hojlund was tackled by a Real Sociedad defender in front of the six-yard box, just like the first, and the referee awarded a penalty. B Fee also deceived the goalkeeper and scored easily, Manchester United 1-1 Real Sociedad.

Casemiro had one of the best weeks of the season, with the European competition not as strong as the Premier League, and the 33-year-old Brazil is more suited to the game. On his left flank, Dorgu and Zirkze were sharp in attack, but the striker's goalmouth grasp was still sparse. In the 30th minute, Zirkze crossed from the left side after successive passes, and Hojlund kicked the ball on the outside of the far post two meters from goal, and the two teams were tied 1-1 in the first half.

United had to rely on a slightly controversial penalty to take the lead, and the referee awarded the Reds another penalty after Dolgu won the ball on the left side of the penalty area and made slight physical contact with him. Fernandes took the penalty in one fell swoop, and Manchester United took a 2-1 lead.

After seeing Hojlund's two chances missed, Dorgu stepped up again and almost singled himself on the counter-attack, with Aramburu tackling from behind and the referee showing him a red card to give United the advantage of having one more kick.

Not only did he perform well in the competition, but Dorgu should also be commended for his actions in "fair play". On 85 minutes, he fell to the ground while scrambling with an opponent on the edge of the penalty area, and the referee was supposed to give a penalty, but Dolgu told the referee that his opponent had touched the ball first and had not committed a foul.

VAR confirmed Dorgu's claim and the penalty was cancelled. However, United extended their lead one minute later, Garnacho assisted with a diagonal pass and Fernandes fired a low shot into the far corner from the right to seal the 3-1 victory. The Portuguese 'Iron Man' scored his second hat-trick for the club and walked away with the match ball and became the first player to score three goals in a European competition since Marcus Rashford's Champions League clash with RB Leipzig in 2020.

In addition, Fernandes were directly involved in 41 goals, including 24 goals and 17 assists, becoming the most involved player in Europa League history. His record-breaking campaign will continue as Manchester United take on a ferocious Lyon side in the next round, while fans will be hoping that the B rate team will go to the end and challenge for a new record in the Champions League next season.

In stoppage time, Hojlund, who had scored nothing in 21 games, crossed from the left and right wing-back Diogu Darlow showed him how to score, giving United the icing on the cake 4-1. It was only the fourth time United had scored four goals this season, but it was one of the best games since the new boss took over.

As time goes on, there may still be a chance for Manchester United's season to turn from failure to success. Just as pleasing as being to the quarter-finals was the team's performance, with signs that players were starting to master Amorim's 343 system. At least in the Europa League, where they have won six and drawn one of their seven games.

Amorim made it clear after the game that the key to United's win was the physical: "We showed a little bit of the future this week and we did well today, especially physically. It's a completely different situation in this game [with the Premier League] and we can have a physical advantage. It's been a tough week, but it's also a good one. I'm also learning how to use players like Casemiro and we try to get players in the best position when we don't have a lot of options. You can feel that they are playing more freely. And Garnacho, who showed me more on the right side, maybe better than playing on the left."

However, Amorim and Fernandes both cited Hojlund's lack of scoring. Amorim said: "Hojlund did three or four connections today that could have changed the game, he only needed to score one goal, he was in too much of a hurry. Fernandes said: "He's a striker and a striker has to score. The dressing room wants Rasmus [Hojlund] to score more, and if he scores one, he will score more."