Even though Real Sociedad held Manchester United to a 1-1 Europa League tie, Joshua Zirkzee was outstanding once more.

After a lackluster first half, Zirkzee gave United the lead just before the hour when he headed the ball into the goal after Alejandro Garnacho’s cutback.

Before the referee gave Sociedad a penalty when Bruno Fernandes was deemed to have handled the ball inside the box, they hardly presented a danger.

Mikel Oyarzabal restored parity by sending Andre Onana the wrong way with a spot-kick that was flawless.

Next week, when United plays the return leg at Old Trafford, they have everything on the line.

Zirkzee was one of the few United players who truly stood out and gave the impression that they wanted to win, and his performance was strong overall aside from his goal.

He hardly handed away possession, and his death was calm. His excellent ball-holding and link-up play also helped United advance up the field.

As usual with Zirkzee, he made good use of his body and displayed some amazing footwork.

The Netherlands international had two shots in his time on the field prior to being replaced; one of them beat Alex Remiro, but the other did not put the Sociedad goalkeeper to the test.

Zirkzee started and finished a single dribble. He had a great chance to score twice in the first half but missed it.

The former Bologna player touched the ball 45 times and completed 21 of his 27 passes, finding his teammates.

He pinged one long ball and was successful in connecting with it. Zirkzee prevailed in four of the aerial challenges he fought for and won three of the six ground duels he participated in.

Along with as many tackles and interceptions, the 23-year-old made two clearances.

Zirkzee, who has continued his redemption journey at United following a challenging start, put on an outstanding performance. When they play Arsenal on Sunday, Ruben Amorim’s team will be back in action.