This is more like it. Manchester United resembled a Ruben Amorim team in the Basque Country. The wing-backs got forward and into crossing positions, the No.10s combined, the striker ran the channels, and the midfielders looked for quick balls into the final third.
It wasn't a thrill-a-minute, but it was a mature European performance in many ways, only damaged by a moment of misfortune or a penalty area mistake, depending on your point of view. Andre Onana hadn't been involved until Mikel Oyarzabal scored his penalty, given after Bruno Fernandes was harshly penalised.
Until then, United were comfortable, if not dominant on the scoreboard. As they attained that control in the first half, they gradually began to turn up the tempo.
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Bit by bit, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro began to run the game. The back three was solid - Matthijs de Ligt was again excellent - and Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu got forward well. So much of it was what Amorim wants, but so rarely gets to see.
Dalot and Dorgu both raided down their flanks well. Dalot picked out Fernandes for one big chance and should have squared to Hojlund for another. Dorgu was always looking to be on the front foot.
United's confidence in the game is evident from the stats. They had just 32% of possession in the first half but by the end of the game, that was up to 45%, and it felt like more than that.
When the goal came, it was a classic of the system: winning the ball on one side of the pitch, quickly switching it to the other, and then seeing the two attacking players behind Rasmus Hojlund combine. Alex Remiro won't want to see his efforts in goal back, but United clearly deserved the lead.
It was the kind of performance that makes you think they can win the Europa League and rescue their season in the grandest way possible. Real Sociedad were disappointing, but they were nullified by the controlled performance United produced in Bucharest in January.
They are now nine games unbeaten in the Europa League, and after the chaos of so many of their European assignments under Erik ten Hag, they are playing with more poise under Amorim. Their expected goals against has improved considerably since the 40-year-old took charge.
Sociedad offered no threat until the fortunate penalty that came their way. United should take heart from the fact that they found it easy to contain this attack and control the game. They had a better spell once the scores were level, but there was no sign of the kind of collapse on the continent that has been all too common of late. One goal didn't yield two. Instead, United regrouped, defended well, Onana made two good saves, and the team accepted what is still a good result.
The question is: why United can't exert this control in the Premier League? Nobody expects a wild ride of attacking football as Amorim gets his pieces together, but this display showed that this group can produce a display that fits a 3-4-2-1. They got the concept this week, just as they have done in other European games.
Domestically, they are finding that harder. In a week when Amorim questioned Antony's physicality and whether that makes him a misfit in the Premier League, perhaps it is an issue for others. Casemiro relished the slower pace of Europa League football, and it allowed United to build the kind of slick passing moves you so rarely see against other Premier League clubs.
You certainly don't expect the quality of this performance to be backed up against Arsenal this weekend. But maybe they can do it again next Thursday and secure a spot in the Europa League quarter-finals. If they do, then a likely showdown with Lyon won't hold any fear if they can continue to put the Amorim stamp on European games at least.
