Bruno Fernandes brace helps Man Utd to comfortable first-leg victory

Having dropped out of the Champions League, the Red Devils secured a comprehensive round of 32 first-leg victory

Bruno Fernandes celebrates the opening goal. Picture: Marco Alpozzi

Real Sociedad 0 Man United 4

Goals may be a problem for Manchester United’s recognised strikers but, as Bruno Fernandes took his season tally to 21 with two crucial efforts in the last 32 Europa League tie in Turin last night, the question was whether that really matters for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Marcus Rashford finally scored, after missing two clear one-on-ones with the keeper, when he raced onto Fred’s 65th minute through ball to make it 3-0 and, surely, render the return leg academic when the Spanish side visit Old Trafford next week.

And just to ensure that Solskjaer can give key players a night off next week, Dan James sped through in the final minute to beat keeper Alex Remiro from a tight angle with a shot that flew through his legs.

The win was certainly an emphatic statement, after the dismal way Solskjaer’s side exited the Champions League before Christmas, and a sequence of just two wins from their last six games.

And yet again, it was playmaker Fernandes who was the difference for Solskjaer as he became the first United midfielder since Paul Scholes in 2003 to score 20-plus goals in a season.

The goal that came in the first half last night owed everything to Fernandes’s instinctive brilliance but there were at least three other glorious chances in which United players - twice Rashford, once Scott McTominay - only had Remiro to beat but failed.

Contrast that with the way in which Fernandes took the opening goal after 26 minutes and the scoring problems that United strikers have, particularly a United side without the injured Edinson Cavani, were exposed.

Rashford had a hand in the first, showing his major strengths still lie in his ability to carve out goals rather than necessarily finish them, when he lofted forward a superb pass.

Fernandes congregated with two defenders, Igor Zubeldia and Robin Le Normand, plus goalkeeper Remiro, the United man astutely waiting for the trio to collide and simply pouncing on the loose ball before turning it in.

Yet, the mounting evidence is that Solskjaer will not be able to rely on many of his orthodox forward players to provide the goals, with Rashford’s wastefulness indicative of a wider problem.

Just two minutes had gone, in a halter-skelter start to the tie, when Rashford outpaced Asier Illarramendi and only had the keeper to beat but was denied by his block.

McTominay was the next United culprit, played through by Fernandes after 16 minutes and thwarted by the outstretched leg of Remiro.

And a couple of minutes later, Alex Telles sent away Fernandes down the left and his perfect cross picked out the unmarked Rashford who struck the ball directly at the keeper. Fernandes actually had a chance from that rebound but his header was cleared off the line by Zaldua.

It was a dominant half from United, looking to end a run of nine games without a win against Spanish sides in Europe, although they had weathered an astonishingly quick start from Real.

A terrible slip by Eric Bailly inside the opening minute gifted the ball to Alexander Isak who set up former United winger Adnan Januzaj to curl a shot just wide.

And, after Rashford’s first miss, a crazy opening two minutes was concluded when Isak made the most of some poor defending and forced Dean Henderson into a solid save low at the foot of his post.

There were warning signs, as the half drew to a close, that the “home” side was going in confidence and control with, not surprisingly, former Manchester City legend David Silva growing in influence.

But with Fernandes in this sort of form, United would always pose a threat on the counter-attack and, sure enough, United’s first real chance of the half saw them double their lead on 56 minutes.

Again, Rashford was the architect with a cross which Fernandes dummied brilliantly for James whose touch allowed the Portuguese to launch a brilliant finish past past Remiro, the goal confirmed after a lengthy VAR review.

Rashford’s third goal was no more than United deserved, James had the ball in the net for a fourth time before being judged offside and there was even the chance for a short debut for teenage winger Amad Diallo.

Real Sociedad (4-3-3): Remiro 7; Zaldua 6 (Gorosabel 73, 5), Elustondo 5, Zubeldia 5, Monreal 6; Silva 7, Illarramendi 6 (Guevara 74, 6), Merino 5; Januzaj 5 (Portu 80), Isak 7 (Barrenetxea 79, 6), Oyarzabal 5 (Bautista 86).

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Henderson 7; Wan-Bissaka 6, Bailly 5, Maguire 7, Telles 6; McTominay 6 (Matic 60, 7), Fred 7; Greenwood 6 (Diallo 83), Fernandes 9 (Mata 83), James 8; Rashford 7 (Martial 68, 6).

Referee: S Scharer (Switzerland) 7.