'Man Utd did not deserve a referee like this!' - Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil fumes at 'not neutral' calls after Red Devils thrash La Liga side to book spot in Europa League quarter-finals

The Spanish side crashed out of the Europa League at the last 16 stage on Thursday after a comprehensive defeat at Old Trafford. While head coach Alguacil admitted United were the better team, he said neither side "deserved" a referee such as Bastien - who did not let them "compete". The official awarded United three penalties, the last of which was overturned by VAR and the visitors got one in the first half.

He said after the game: “It’s cruel, you don’t even know how to explain it without making excuses. United were better, but I would have liked to compete on a one-to-one basis. The referee didn’t want to whistle the only penalty that was and he whistled the ones that weren’t. We didn’t deserve a referee like that, neither us nor Manchester United.

“There was not a neutral refereeing performance. I feel very sorry for the fans, there was no possible match – not only because of those decisions, from the 14th minute it has been continuous, it is a shame. There is nothing to blame on the players, the refereeing has not let us compete. We started the game well, I don’t know what would have happened.”

The victory has kept United's season on life support as they are now into the last eight of the Europa League, amid a backdrop of not being in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and languishing in 14th in the Premier League. And captain Bruno Fernandes came up trumps again as he bagged a hat-trick for the Red Devils.

United will hope to build on this victory when they travel to relegation-threatened Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday night.