Man Utd 0-1 Real Sociedad: Player ratings & man of the match as United lose Europa League opener

Manchester United lost their Europa League opener 1-0 to Real Sociedad on Thursday, with Brais Mendez netting a controversial second-half penalty.

The game was preceded by a minute’s silence to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II, which was announced just under an hour and a half before kick-off.

The sombre mood at Old Trafford did seem to impact what was a slow and lethargic opening half of football.

It took until the 26th minute for a shot on target, but Antony’s curling effort from inside the box was comfortably saved by Alejandro Remiro.

Not long before half-time, Cristiano Ronaldo rose highest in the box to power home a header, although the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.

The attacker started the second period by firing an effort over from distance, with a bit more energy on show from both teams after the break.

But it took until the 59th minute for Sociedad to take the lead when Mendez netted from the spot after Lisandro Martinez was harshly punished for a handball inside the box.

The ball clearly deflected off the defender’s knee en route to striking his arm and, despite a VAR check, the penalty stood.

In general, it was a quiet night for David de Gea, who stopped strikes from David Silva and Mohamed Ali Cho later in the second half.

Meanwhile, United were limited to half chances from Casemiro, Anthony Elanga and Tyrell Malacia, none of which were on target.

On 77 minutes, Casemiro forced a decent save out of Remiro with a shot from outside the area.

Alejandro Garnacho fired over late on, while Ronaldo’s free-kick hit the wall in the final stages of a game United struggled to impose themselves on.

Here’s how we rated the players..

Manchester United player ratings

David de Gea- 5

Didn’t have much to do, but did well to save second-half strikes from Silva and Cho. The home fans did, on occasion, vent their frustrations at the time it took for the goalkeeper to release the ball.

Diogo Dalot- 5 (off 46)

Solid yet unspectacular from the defender in the first half, with Dalot failing to get forward and create chances.

Harry Maguire- 5

Looked awkward at times on the ball and didn’t relish the physical battle with Alexander Sorloth.

Victor Lindelof- 4

Started at centre-back and switched to right-back at half-time, and looked happier playing in the former.

Tyrell Malacia- 6 (off 83)

Looked solid enough defensively, but didn’t have his best night on the ball in a very quiet display for the Dutchman.

Casemiro- 3

Not a great showing on his first United start and the summer signing gave away possession too often.

Christian Eriksen- 7 (off 46)

United’s best player in the first half and he tried to look for crosses into Ronaldo wherever possible. The Dane also executed some accurate long-range passes.

Antony- 5 (off 70)

Had moments where he got bums off seats, but they were few and far between and there was no real end product.

Fred- 3

Was oddly deployed in an attacking midfield role in the first half, and offered no creativity. The No.17 was incredibly sloppy in possession and didn’t bring his usual energy to midfield.

Anthony Elanga- 5 (off 70)

Tried to get on the ball and make things, with limited success. The Swede played from the left but only produced a few dangerous dribbles.

Cristiano Ronaldo- 3

Had some decent efforts, but this was a performance that only underlined how unsuited the attacker is to Erik ten Hag’s brand of football. Ronaldo didn’t link the play, stretch the Sociedad back four or press.

Lisandro Martinez- 6 (on 46)

The penalty decision was harsh and overall the defender played well. He used the ball effectively and again showed a battling quality.

Bruno Fernandes- 6 (on 46)

Tried to get on the ball and make things happen, but it didn’t really work for the Portugal international

Jadon Sancho- 5 (on 70)

Struggled to get into the game and didn’t create many chances with his dribbles.

Alejandro Garnacho- 6 (on 70)

Looked dangerous but didn’t see much of the ball.

Charlie McNeill (on 81)

Real Sociedad player ratings

Remiro 6; Gorosabel 7, Elustondo 8, Pacheco 7, Munoz 7; Zubimendi 6, Mendez 6 (Sola 84), Merino 8, Silva 6 (Cho 65; 5); Umar 3 (Sorloth 46; 7), Kubo 8 (Barrenetxea 78)

Man of the Match

It was a match of few chances and Sociedad were excellent defensively. That was partly down to Aritz Elustondo, who was physically imposing from centre-back and seemed to win every header against Ronaldo.