Erik ten Hag’s men struggled to emulate their brilliant Premier League form at the European tournament.
Manchester United suffered a 1-0 defeat against Real Sociedad in their first Europa League game of the new season. A frustrating home defeat ended the Red Devils’ impressive run of four consecutive victories.
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Erik ten Hag used Cristiano Ronaldo in his starting lineup, playing him alongside Antony and Anthony Elanga upfront.
Unlike their recent games, the Red Devils struggled hard to find their feet in the game early on.
Both sides made a lot of mistakes during the first half, failing to create almost any chances.
United looked much improved as soon as the second period started. But their newly-found rhythm wore down as Sociedad continued their aggressive pressing.
Following a handball from Lisandro Martinez, the referee awarded the guests a penalty to complete United’s frustrating night.
Brais Mendez converted the spot-kick, which turned out to be enough for his side’s victory.
Man Utd kept on attacking, with Fernandes coming the closest to scoring in the 65th minute. However, they had to settle for a narrow defeat in their first European game of the new season.
Player Ratings
Man Utd: De Gea (6), Dalot (6), Lindelof (6), Maguire (6), Malacia (7), Casemiro (7), Fred (7), Eriksen (6), Antony (6), Ronaldo (5), Elanga (6).
Bench: Martinez (7), Fernandes (6), Sancho (6), Garnacho (5), McNeill (6).
Real Sociedad: Remiro (7), Gorosabel (5), Elustondo (7), Pacheco (7), Munoz (7), Mendez (6), Zubimendi (7), Merino (7), Silva (6), Kubo (6), Sadiq (6).
Bench: Sola, Turrientes (7), Sorloth (6), Barrenetxea (7), Cho (6).
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