Manchester United centre-back Matthijs de Ligt made his true feelings clear after being penalised for a foul on Mikel Oyarzabal in the Europa League clash against Real Sociedad this evening.
United started slowly and were punished inside the opening ten minutes when De Ligt brought down the Real Sociedad striker in the area. Initially, play continued only for VAR to suggest a pitchside review.
After a long check by referee Benoit Bastien on the pitch, the Frenchman awarded a penalty in favour of the Basque club. As the referee jogged back into position, the TNT Sports cameras picked up on an annoyed De Ligt confronting the match official.
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Without being aggressive, the Dutchman simply said to Bastien: "Bit soft that," however at that stage the referee was not going to change his mind. Fortunately for United, that decision seemed to stir something in them and they became a threat going forward.
Just five minutes later, the Reds had a chance to equalise as Rasmus Hojlund was brought down by a similar challenge in the area. This time, Bastien awarded the spot kick on field and captain Bruno Fernandes stepped up to score.
The third penalty of the night was awarded shortly into the second half as Patrick Dorgu was brought down by the defender Aritz Elustondo. VAR once again checked the decision but decided to stick with the on-field decision.
Victory for United on the night will see them progress to the quarter-finals against most likely Lyon who are 6-1 up on aggregate vs FCSB.
