In Thursday night’s Europa League round of 16 first leg, Manchester United and Real Sociedad shared the spoils.

After battling to break the tie in the first half, the Red Devils finally took the lead in the 57th minute thanks to a goal from Joshua Zirkzee.

The team attempted to score the second goal, but Sociedad unexpectedly equalized after Bruno Fernandes’s handball resulted in a fortunate penalty.

The referee awarded the spot-kick after VAR stepped in, even though Fernandes was near to the player.

In the game’s last quarter, Sociedad was the superior team. Goalie Andre Onana denied Orri Oskarsson with an incredible left-handed stop.

With his vital goal just before the hour, Zirkzee was clearly the game’s star, but Matthijs de Ligt’s defensive performance was also noteworthy.

Prior to the half, the center-back made a vital intervention. Oskarsson had a great chance on goal, but he cleared the ball after slipping in the end.

He prevailed in six of the seven duels he participated in at the Reale Arena. He completed all of his crosses and had a 94 percent passing accuracy rate.

In addition, the £38 million star made three recoveries, one tackle, and three clearances.

Manchester Evening News gave the 25-year-old a 7 out of 10 for his performance.

Despite having a rough start to his Red Devils tenure, De Ligt has undoubtedly improved in the last several months.

Recently, the Netherlands’ provisional team for the Nations League games did not include Zirkzee or De Ligt.

With their performances last night, the pair sent a strong message to manager Ronald Koeman.