Manchester United beat Real Sociedad in the final Europa League group match on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to top Group E, as we needed to beat La Real by at least two goals — and only managed to do so by one.
Alejandro Garnacho’s first senior goal was a proud moment, but it was not enough for United on the night. It means we finish second in the group and now must play a play-off round ahead of the Round of 16.
Not the result we wanted, but it was our ninth consecutive win
Say I’m clutching for straws all you like, but I don’t think we should get too downbeat over the result. United won another match to take our winning run to 9 games. Runs like that were non-existent last season. We missed out due to a dodgy VAR call against Real Sociedad in the reverse fixture. It was never a penalty.
Van de Beek rarely touched the ball
For a player getting another chance tonight, I expected better from Van de Beek and I’m not beginning to have real concerns for his future. He offered nothing tonight and neither did Bruno Fernandes on the right. That idea didn’t come off for Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag’s subs don’t pay off
United found themselves in a good position at half-time, winning 1-0. After several chances, which saw Harry Maguire come up for upfront and United revert to three at the back, we appeared to lose our shape. I don’t blame the manager because he threw the kitchen sink at La Real. We just didn’t create enough clear cut chances.