Manchester United played out a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in their Europa League last-16 first-leg clash on Thursday, while Tottenham suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Joshua Zirkzee fired United ahead in the 57th minute with a crisp low strike from the edge of the box after being set up by Alejandro Garnacho. It was a moment of redemption for the young forward, who had endured a difficult spell after missing a decisive penalty in last week's FA Cup shootout loss to Fulham.

However, Erik ten Hag’s side failed to hold onto their lead, as Bruno Fernandes conceded a penalty for a handball inside the box. Mikel Oyarzabal made no mistake from the spot, leveling for Real Sociedad and leaving the tie evenly poised ahead of next week's return leg at Old Trafford.

United goalkeeper André Onana produced two crucial saves late on to keep the score level, but manager Ruben Amorim admitted his side struggled physically in the closing stages.

"I felt until the penalty we had control of the game, but after that, the momentum shifted," Amorim told TNT Sports. "The last 30 minutes were tough for us. Now, we take this stage to Old Trafford, and we have to be ready for a different kind of pressure."

Tottenham endured a frustrating night in the Netherlands as Lucas Bergvall’s first-half own goal handed AZ Alkmaar a narrow 1-0 victory.

Spurs struggled to create chances, registering just one shot on target, and were fortunate not to concede more as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario made three key saves.

"We were nowhere near the level we needed to be, and that’s something we have to address," admitted manager Ange Postecoglou.

Adding to their woes, striker Dominic Solanke limped off after just 20 minutes, having only just returned from a knee injury that sidelined him for seven weeks.