Manchester United will face Lyon in the Europa League after a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick saw them see off Real Sociedad in last-16.
The La Liga side started the better and took the lead when Mikel Oyarzabal scored a penalty after VAR spotted a foul by Matthijs de Ligt. Fernandes levelled when [United](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/all-about/manchester-united-fc) earned their own penalty after 15 minutes.
They won another penalty early in the second half which Fernandes again converted superbly and when Jon Aramburu was sent off for bringing down Patrick Dorgu it felt like game over.
Fernandes completed his hat-trick when he raced on to an Alejandro Garnacho pass and finished smartly before Diogo Dalot completed the rout by smashing home a Rasmus Hojlund pass.
**Casemiro can't watch**
Casemiro faced the other way as Fernandes ran up to bring United level with his penalty, only celebrating when he saw the East Stand erupt behind Andre Onana. In the second half, he turned his gaze to the Stretford End and again only celebrated when the fans did. He will watch those two outstanding penalties on a replay rather than in real-time.
It's something the Brazilian often does but his role in creating the penalty deserves recognition. He was looking the right way when one of his trademark first-time passes over the top sent Fernandes into space in the box. It opened up the attack brilliantly and was a reminder of Casemiro's enduring class, even if the pace of Premier League games is sometimes too much for him now.
He was withdrawn with 15 minutes to go and deserved the standing ovation he got from Old Trafford. He patted the badge on his shirt as he saluted the stands. The pace of Europa League games can suit him and he might just become United's European specialist this season.
**Hojlund's finishing**
Watch the warm-up and Rasmus Hojlund looks like a striker with a rare ability to find the back of the net. But then the game kicks-off and that calmness in front of goal disappears.
Hojlund dispatched two brilliant left-footed finishes as United practiced attacking in open play during the warm-up. Then came two big chances in the game, and while the first went agonisingly wide, the second was a total mishit and would have been going out for a throw.
Some of his play was very good against Real Sociedad and he did well to win the first penalty, but he just desperately needs a goal to get him going again.
**Amorim's pressing reaction**
United pressed well to force Real Sociedad back to their own goalline in a passage of play just after the hour mark, but as the visitors kept possession, the energy went out of their effort, much to the fury of Amorim.
The head coach frantically waved his arms on the touchline and shouted at Patrick Dorgu and Joshua Zirkzee to keep the pressure on. Zirkzee turned round to see Amorim's reaction and promptly made the effort to close down again.
A few seconds later Amorim was still shaking his head and muttering to his bench about the incident. It was a sign of how much energy he wants United to put into the press, and that the coherence in doing so isn't quite there yet.
**No pyro, no party**
Pre-match light shows complete with fireworks and pyrotechnics have become commonplace in the Premier League this season but there are some clubs that don't need manufactured pre-match entertainment and United are one of them.
At least this was a more low-key effort on Thursday, but the smoke bombs that exploded into the sky pre-match caught plenty of people by surprise and seemed a little bit pointless. Two blasts of noise and smoke and they were gone, drifting into the night sky.
It was a sign of just how big this game was, however. The atmosphere had been excellent in the build-up to kick-off and the huge surfer flag that made its way across the Stretford End helped to add more colour and raise the noise levels further.