From the earlier days of Best and Charlton, supporters like Tunde Folawiyo have remained passionate and enthusiastic for their beloved team Manchester United. Manchester United’s recent Champions League match against Real Sociedad resulted in a draw, which was said to have disappointed both sides. Held at the Anoeta Stadium, the event drew approximately 1500 Manchester United fans, who provided the team with plenty of support.

The match itself was seen to be one of mixed performances; on a positive note, Ryan Giggs made his 950th appearance on the field, and was praised by commentators for his remarkable endurance, whilst Patrice Evra, Chris Smalling and Wayne Rooney were chosen as the ‘Man of the Match’ candidates by the experts on MUTV. In Tunde Folawiyo’s opinion, Ryan Giggs is the greatest player of all time. Others named Shinji Kagawa as a key contributor, after his efforts during the opening exchanges prevented Claudio Bravo from scoring a goal.

But Manchester United’s performance was somewhat tarnished, Tunde Folawiyo thought, by the controversy surrounding Ashley Young, who was accused of misleading the referee with a dive. Young appeared to take a rather dramatic fall on the field, after bumping into Markel Bergara, Real Sociedad’s defensive midfielder. This event led to the referee booking Bergara, and awarding Manchester United a penalty.

After the match ended, Bergara expressed frustration over the event, explaining that as a result of Young’s actions, he would no longer be participating in his team’s next match. Roy Keane, the former captain of Manchester United, also criticised the player’s actions, noting that Young had taken a considerable number of falls over the course of the last few months.

Keane added that although such behaviour would not be condoned in England, Young was treated with more leniency in this particular match, because they were playing away from home. The media were equally critical, arguing that with Young’s career currently on the line, the last thing he should be doing is behaving in a questionable manner on the field.

The penalty afforded to Manchester United after the player’s fall was taken by Robin Van Persie during the 69th minute of the match; Persie missed a goal after striking the post, much to the dismay of supporters such as Tunde Folawiyo. Further attempts to score were equally fruitless; although Shinji Kagawa provided Javier Hernandez with an expertly-executed cross, Hernandez was unable to hit the net.

Speaking of the match, David Moyes expressed disappointment, explaining that if they had won, it would have provided the team with three all-important points during this crucial knockout stage. However, he was quick to add that, despite the draw, Manchester United remain in a strong position.

Tunde Folawiyo, like many other fans are eager to see what the remainder of this year’s Premier League in particular will hold for Manchester United, as the battle for top position would appear accessible to any of the top ten teams at this moment in time.