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Manchester United and Club Brugge played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa League Round-of-32 clash, with first-half goals from Dennis Emmanuel and Anthony Martial settling the contest in Belgium.
The hosts are currently nine points clear in their domestic title defence and dropped down into the Europa League following their third-place finish in Group A of the Champions League, while the Red Devils comfortably topped their opponents in Group L of the competition.
Given the difference in size and stature of both clubs, Manchester United entered the tie as overwhelming favourites but Brugge showed their class as defending Belgian champions and started the brighter of the pair, as they deservedly took the lead in the opening exchanges.
Simon Mignolet became the first goalkeeper to register an assist in the Europa League in five years and Emmanuel was the beneficiary of his long goal kick after the United players had switched off.
The Nigerian international showed great composure to lob the ball over the out-of-position Sergio Romero for the first goal that United had conceded in 408 minutes of action in all competitions.
He, alongside South African Percy Tau, constantly put the three-man defence of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, and Luke Shaw on the backfoot and the hosts would have doubled their lead but for some poor decision making in the final third.
They were made to rue their missed chances when United found themselves back in the game after a defensive mixup from a throw-in saw Anthony Martial dispossess Brandon Mechele and slot past Mignolet to restore parity.
The second half saw the visitors exert some more dominance in the game, with Solskjaer throwing on new signings Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo but for all of their late pressure, neither side could strike the decisive blow to pick up the victory.
Here, we shall be highlighting three talking points from the fixture at the Jan Breydel Stadion in Brugge.
#3 All to play for at Old Trafford
Despite not having much pedigree on the continent, Club Brugge are one of the dominant forces in Belgian football and they proved their mettle with a couple of inspired displays in the Champions League, including racing into a 2-0 lead before eventually drawing 2-2 away to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
As such, they would not have been too fazed with the challenge of facing Manchester United and that proved to be the case, as they gave the visitors a run for their money and deservedly got a 1-1 draw.
Manchester United's away goal gives them the slight edge but the defensive frailties exhibited by the Red Devils, particularly in the first half, would give them hope in the second leg.
#2 Jekyll and Hyde season continues for Manchester United
Manchester United fans have endured a lot of frustration for the last seven years but perhaps at no point has their team been more infuriating than this season.
They have consistently found a way to get the better of the top guns in the Premier League but constantly find themselves falling short against the lesser teams that they are expected to dispatch.
The Red Devils have defeated Chelsea on all three occasions that they have faced off this season, while wins have also been picked up against Tottenham, Leicester City, and Manchester City twice, in addition to recording the only blemish on Liverpool's otherwise perfect season earlier in the campaign at Old Trafford.
By contrast, they have failed to get the better of sides they are expected to beat, with surprising losses posted this season against sides like Crystal Palace, Burnley, and Newcastle.
The setback against Club Brugge comes just four days after Manchester United decimated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and is just the latest in a long season of underperformances against lower teams.
With the Red Devils set to play seven games over the next 21 days, Ole Gunner Solskjaer would have sought to wrap things up with a convincing first-leg victory but his side failed to bring their A-game.
#1 Club Brugge's poor run against English opposition goes on
As already indicated, Club Brugge do not have the biggest pedigree in Europe and this much is evident in their rather disappointing run against English opponents on the continent.
The Belgian outfit have won just six of their last 25 fixtures with opposition from England and are winless in their last 11, since defeating Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of the 1994-95 UEFA Cup Winner's Cup.
They clashed with Manchester United on two occasions in the playoff for the 2015-2016 Champions League, with the Red Devils comfortably dispatching them 7-1 on aggregate and if Brugge are to make it through to the next round of the Europa League, they would have to rewrite their recent history against English opposition.
