Club Brugge vs Manchester United result: Anthony Martial equaliser leaves Europa League tie evenly poised

A creditable result but an uninspiring performance. Manchester United will have confidence of reaching the Europa League last-16 and progressing past Club Brugge after Anthony Martial’s away goal cancelled out Emmanuel Dennis’s opener and spared Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from a first-leg defeat.

Yet in heavy rain and hail, United struggled to master both the conditions and their stubborn opponents. Brugge are no pushovers, having drawn at the Bernabeu back in September and dropped into this competition from the Champions League, and though a draw was ultimately a fair result, Solskjaer could have few fair complaints if United had been beaten.

While Brugge’s counter-attacking approach had their visitors on edge for much of the evening, with Dennis a particular thorn in their side, United struggled to convert their dominance of possession into clear-cut openings. It said everything that Martial’s equaliser was born out of a mistake by Brugge’s Brandon Mechele rather than any inspiration from his team-mates.

Ultimately, after the encouraging win away at Chelsea on Monday night, this was another reminder that the only consistent feature of Solskjaer’s United is their inconsistency. This is a side crying out to go on a run of comfortable wins but does not appear to have the quality to put such a streak together.

Solskjaer made six changes from that encouraging win at Stamford Bridge, recalling Jesse Lingard for his 200th club appearance, and United subsequently struggled for fluency. The new-fangled back five looked particularly rusty and their flat-footedness w, as exposed time and again by a Brugge side keen to break quickly in behind.

In admittedly filthy conditions, even a simple route one approach was too much for United’s defence to contend with. The bounce on Simon Mignolet’s long, quickly-taken goal kick outfoxed both Diogo Dalot and Brandon Williams but not Dennis, who allowed the ball to sit up and then lobbed the onrushing Sergio Romero.

Harry Maguire attempted to argue that the ball was rolling for Mignolet’s goal kick but VAR, which was being used in the Europa League knock-out stages for the first time, saw no infringement. It was, in any case, a lame excuse when Dalot, Williams and Romero had all failed spectacularly.

Brugge continued to threaten in behind, with Dennis’s running a constant nuisance, but lacked the final touch needed to extend their lead. United, meanwhile, could barely manage to put together a coherent sequence of possession. At one point, Maguire mindlessly passed the ball out of play for a Brugge throw-in when it was easier to find a team-mate. Little did he know this mistake would lead to the equaliser.

Teenage debutant Maxim De Cuyper’s throw was aimed for Brandon Mechele, but the centre-half foolishly let the ball run past him and allowed the nearby Martial to steal. Suddenly, after an otherwise anonymous display, United’s lone striker was bearing down on goal. He began his United career by sliding the ball past Mignolet for that famous debut goal against Liverpool. This was another cool, composed finish.

With parity restored, United improved. Martial struck the outside of the post before the end of the half, having let fly from the edge of the 18-yard-box, and could have been more selfish after the break when he squared to Juan Mata rather than test Mignolet himself. Lingard and Andreas Pereira each tried their luck as the visitors began to edge themselves ahead on the shot count.

But the best opportunity of a low-key second half fell to Brugge. Again, Dennis was involved, turning Maguire inside out and crossing from the right. An intelligent dummy by substitute Siebe Schrijvers allowed the ball to run for Odilon Kossounou. In acres of space and with time to pick his placement, he screwed wide.

For Brugge, it was a golden opportunity to take a first-leg lead. For United, it was a major let-off. It means they remain favourites to progress, with the second leg at Old Trafford to come next Thursday, but the idea that Solskjaer’s side might reach next season’s Champions League by winning this competition is, on this evidence, unconvincing.