Bruno Fernandes handed away a penalty for handball, forcing Manchester United to settle for a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad.

Bruno Fernandes handed away a penalty for handball, forcing Manchester United to settle for a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad in their Europa League round of 16 first leg.

 Joshua Zirkzee had given United a well-earned lead earlier in the second half, but with 20 minutes remaining, the game changed course as Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored the goal that crushed England's hearts in the Euro final against Spain, converted from the penalty spot.

This season, it's either Europa League or bust for United, and they handled the pressure well, putting up one of their better games under Ruben Amorim. They will be frustrated not to have taken the lead back to Manchester after missing crucial opportunities.

Diogo Dalot missed a chance to square the ball to Rasmus Hojlund in the six-yard box, and Fernandes' attempt was cleared off the line, giving United a two-goal lead in the first half alone.  The striker, who hasn't scored in 19 appearances, was understandably incensed at the wing-back.

 Alex Remiro's desperate goalkeeping helped Zirkzee for the first goal.  His soft shot from the box's edge was almost exactly in the centre, but the Sociedad goalie was out of position and couldn't recover.

United could have led by two goals in the first half alone after Diogo Dalot squandered an opportunity to square the ball to Rasmus Hojlund in the six-yard area and Fernandes' shot was cleared off the line.   Naturally, the striker, who has failed to score in 19 games, was furious with the wing-back.

  Zirkzee scored the first goal thanks to Alex Remiro's frantic goalkeeping.   The Sociedad goaltender was out of position and was unable to recover from his flat shot from the edge of the box, which was nearly in the centre.

With 20 minutes remaining, Fernandes believed he had given Sociedad a way back into the match, but the referee made the right call when his arm touched the ball when he was vying for a header inside the area.

 Oyarzabal's penalty highlighted United's superiority at that point and was Sociedad's first attempt on goal of the match.  Orri Oskarsson squandered a huge opportunity off the bench, and Andre Onana was forced into a smart save, but they could have lost it late.

Amorim's undefeated record in this competition ends, but he may feel more confident going into the second leg on Thursday because his team performed better and caused Sociedad some trouble.

Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim told TNT Sports:

 "We controlled the game until the penalty, at which point the momentum shifted.

 "We were quite exhausted in the latter half, and the game showed it.

 "There will be a different game when we go to Old Trafford.  We must be prepared since we will be under pressure at that stadium.

 "The key will be surviving physically for Sunday (against Arsenal) and to be ready and fresh for Thursday."

Zirkzee: We must pursue our opportunities relentlessly.

 Joshua Zirkzee, a forward for Manchester United, talks to TNT Sports:

 "I don't know what went wrong, but we were unfortunate to receive the penalty.

 We had enough opportunities today, therefore it demonstrates the need for us to be persistent with them.

 "It's a drawback in the end.  They must visit Old Trafford.

 Zirkzee responded, "If you look at the chances, I think yes," when asked if he thought United should have won the game.

Sociedad manager: The tie is still in play.
 Imanol Alguacil, manager of Real Sociedad, stated:

 "We're really pleased with how we played in the game.  We're still here.  We are very excited, but we also know it will be difficult."