Manchester United keep their desperate season alive - but it wasn't pretty on a tough night, writes CHRIS WHEELER as Bruno Fernandes is penalised for handball after Joshua Zirkzee opener

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Ruben Amorim and his players flew out of Basque Country on Thursday night with plenty of work to do if Manchester United are to return here for the Europa League final in Bilbao in May.

But at least this desperate season is still alive. At least United can still end it with a trophy and automatic qualification for the Champions League.

Of the 72 teams who entered Europe’s top two competitions this season, they remain the only unbeaten one after a hard-fought draw at the Reale Arena. United will be favourites to progress to the quarter-finals when Real Sociedad come to Old Trafford next week.

That’s the good news. ‘Could be better, could be worse,’ was Amorim’s assessment of a difficult night and that just about summed it up.

United took a deserved lead when Joshua Zirkzee scored in the second half, four days after he was left in tears over having a decisive penalty saved in the FA Cup shootout against Fulham.

But nothing is straightforward with United these days, it seems. A Sociedad side that have failed to score in 12 of their 26 La Liga games this season barely laid a glove on them until they were awarded an unnecessary penalty.

Joshua Zirkzee broke the deadlock for Manchester United against Real Sociedad on Thursday

VAR replays showed the ball hit Bruno Fernandes' hand to give the hosts a golden opportunity to get back into the game

Real Sociedad skipper Mikel Oyarzabal then levelled from the spot with 20 minutes left to play

Captain Mikel Oyarzabal – who broke England’s hearts with a late winner for Spain in the final of Euro 2024 last summer – levelled from the spot and United ended the game clinging on.

There was also a row between Rasmus Hojlund and Diogo Dalot after the Portugal defender failed to cross to his teammate in front of goal in the 19th minute, denying him a clear goalscoring chance.

Former United midfielder Paul Scholes branded Dalot’s decision-making ‘criminal’ on TNT Sports and Hojlund – whose goal drought has now entered its 21st hour since he scored twice against Viktoria Plzen in this competition in mid-December – reacted furiously.

Last season, he is understood to have raised concerns with United’s coaching staff that some teammates were not passing to him following a similar fallout with Dalot during a Champions League tie in Copenhagen, but Amorim didn’t want to dwell on the latest spat.

‘The decision was not the best, but the important thing is to move on and not fight,’ said the United head coach.

‘One thing for sure is they are really anxious to score goals and to win games. Sometimes they are not deciding the best way in their position.’

Against a Sociedad side missing their best player Martin Zubimendi, United had less possession but the better chances in a drab first half.

The best of them arrived in the 37th minute when Casemiro and Alejandro Garnacho combined on the right to give Dalot the chance to cross.

Alejandro Garnacho was involved early on as United poked and probed for the opener

Patrick Dorgu gave United a scare when he went down off the ball with nobody around him

Andre Onana did not face a shot on his goal prior to Oyarzabal's penalty in the 70th minute

This time he made the right decision and pulled the ball back to Bruno Fernandes, but his goalbound effort hit Aritz Elustondo and Zirkzee’s follow-up attempt came to nothing.

It meant that United have now gone 20 games without scoring in the first half, but at least they were in front within 12 minutes of the restart.

Once again it came from a break, Casemiro picking out Dalot’s run over halfway with a pass off the outside of his right boot.

Dalot’s first touch wasn’t ideal but he brought the ball under control and fed Garnacho on the right. The Argentina winger ran at two defenders and pulled the ball back for Zirkzee on the edge of the box who met it with a sweeping first-time finish.

The shot was at the centre of the goal but Alex Remiro’s reaction was slow and the ball flew under his body as Zirkzee celebrated only his second goal in 17 games.

‘He deserved it because he is working really well. He’s improving a lot of things in his game,’ said Amorim.

Sociedad were level in the 70th minute when VAR official Pol van Boekel spotted that Fernandes had handled with his left arm as he challenged Nayef Aguerd at a corner and advised Slovakian referee Ivan Kruzliak to go to the pitch-side monitor.

He pointed to the spot and captain Oyarzabal stepped up to send Andre Onana the wrong way with Sociedad’s first genuine effort on goal of the night.

Ruben Amorim's side have now gone 20 games without scoring a goal in the first half 

United keep their season alive with the draw, but it was not pretty in northern Spain at times

It could have been even worse as substitute Orri Oskarsson stabbed wide with only Onana to beat under pressure from Leny Yoro and then forced the Cameroon keeper into a flying save as a tiring United hung on.

‘We needed to win and we didn’t,’ said Zirkzee. ‘We have to be relentless with our chances – we had enough of them. We deserved more and we should have had at least one more.

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‘We were unlucky with the penalty. If you see the way the stadium reacted and how they pressed after the goal, it was obvious they needed it. We lost a bit after that.’

Still, United will be confident of finishing the job at Old Trafford despite their poor record there this season. Four of Amorim’s 10 wins from 26 games as United’s head coach have come in this competition, including two at home.

‘We take the game to Old Trafford and try to win there,’ he said before catching the team flight back to Manchester to prepare for Sunday’s clash with Arsenal.

‘The pressure is going to be on us in our stadium. We have to be ready and fresh.’