Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick as Manchester United came back in a game with three penalties to move on to the Europa League quarter-finals with a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad.
Having fought a 1-1 draw at San Sebastián last week, United fell back when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a 10th minute Spot-Kick.
But referee Benoit Bastien and Var played a leading role,
Bastien left Lala with a mountain to climb when he showed Jon Aramburu a straight red card in the 63rd minute, with the uphill project proveing ​​too much for the Basque side, as Fernandes completed his treasure and Diogo Dalot added a fourth one to attend.
Bruno Fernandes gets his hat!
Man United Captain puts his 4-2 team in total to effectively guarantee their position in the Europa League quarter-finals 🔥
📺 @tntsports & @DiscoveryPlusuk pic.twitter.com/iu9rmwfsrx
– Football at TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 13 2025
Manchester United vs Real Sociedad
Sociedad was rewarded for a bright start in the 10th minute, when Oyarzabal was sentenced to a second time in the tie, with a cool corner in the lower right corner, as after a long VAR check, Bastien went to the screen and ruled that he had escaped Matthijs de Ligt.
But United responded greatly and was leveled from the point, when Fernandes fits Oyarzabal’s temper after Igor Zubeldia’s foul on Rasmus Hojlund, the Portuguese star who mentioned the ball in the lower left corner.
United’s balancer greatly uploaded the mood to Old Trafford and set a fun and open first semester, though one that ended without the goalkeeper being tested again.
However, United completed the recovery for five minutes in the second half. Alex Remiro could only turn Joshua Zirkzee’s efforts in the course of Patrick Dorgu, who collided with Aitz Elustondo.
Bastien stopped before showing the spot and, while Fernandes had to endure a long wait before VAR accelerated what a dubious decision seemed, he once again maintained his cool to convert what was almost a copy of his first sentence, with the first sentence.
Araburu was rejected when he fell under the impressive Dorgu and was considered to be the last man. Which removed the Sociedad from the equation as a serious threat and United made hay adding gloss to the score.
Zirkzee was rejected from a close distance before his heading and United had a third sentence overturned by VAR after Dorgu who passed in the area.
But Fernandes covered his organic appearance on his third when he broke free on the right side of the area and headed beyond Remiro, with Dalot then completing a rare wonderful night for United this season, hitting the house in the 91st minute.
