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Manchester United are through to the Europa League quarter finals after overcoming Real Sociedad
Manchester United breezed through the Europa League quarter finals in the end as they claimed a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad on Thursday night to progress 5-2 on aggregate against their Spanish opposition.
The La Liga outfit did take an early lead as Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot but Bruno Fernandes struck from 12 yards six minutes later and scored a second spot-kick five minutes into the second half. Jon Aramburu’s red card just after the hour virtually sealed the contest, with Fernandes completing his hat-trick late on with Diogo Dalot adding a fourth goal in stoppage time.
It sets up a last-eight tie with Ligue 1 side Lyon, who defeated FCSB 7-1 over two legs to comfortably book their spot in the quarter finals. A potential semi-final awaits against either Athletic Club or Rangers.
Heaven gets the nod
One of the surprises from Thursday night’s game was Amorim’s decision to start Ayden Heaven ahead of Victor Lindelof. The defender signed from Arsenal in January and came off the bench against his former club last weekend as the Red Devils held the Gunners to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. After the game, Amorim was pleased by his aggression and said “we have a very good player there.”
Explaining his decision to start him on Thursday, Amorim revealed that he trusts Heaven to do what is required of him. The United boss said: “We think he is ready. We have already thought that – we have to be patient. But he showed real confidence in the the last game. We trust in him.”
United legend Paul Scholes commented on Amorim’s decision: “You can only be impressed with him. This will be a tougher test to night, starting a game that means an awful lot. I think Lindelof is unlucky to be left out. I thought he looked good on Sunday.”
Zirkzee reacts to Heaven start
Zirkzee scored in the first leg against Sociedad and was named in the starting line-up on Thursday at Old Trafford. He almost scored early in the second half, just before Patrick Dorgu was brought down for United’s second penalty kick of the night.
On his Instagram story, Zirkzee shared a post from Manchester United’s official Instagram page. It was a picture of Heaven, with the caption “Let’s talk about Hayden” - Zirkzee responded to the post on his own story with the reply “Serious!!!!”. The four exclamation marks highlighting his excitement of Heaven’s display and his brief verdict on what the player can offer.
Heaven could be given more chances in Europe moving forward. Looking ahead to the next round, United boss Amorim said: "It's big but I think it's going to be a different game. Against Lyon is going to be a different game because the physicality is there. They play in the league that is so physical, like ours. Doesn't have the same quality, but the physicality. So, it is going to be a different game. We have to find the different ways of winning the games, and we are ready for that. It's Leicester in this moment, though, let's just focus on that."