Manchester United put one foot in the Europa League final with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Athletic Club in the first leg of their semi-final at the San Mames Stadium.
Having soaked up plenty of early Spanish pressure, Brazil stalwart Casemiro headed the visitors in front on the half-hour mark after some fine work from Harry Maguire.
United won a penalty after Rasmus Hojlund was pulled back inside the box and denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. After a lengthy VAR intervention, the spot-kick was awarded, and the hosts were reduced to ten men, with Dani Vivian receiving his marching orders.
Bruno Fernandes rolled home the resultant penalty to double the away side’s lead before adding another goal on the stroke of half-time with a calm finish via a glorious backheel from Manuel Ugarte.
Ruben Amorim will be delighted that his men rose to the occasion and are now just 90 minutes away from returning to Bilbao for the European showpiece.
Here are our five talking points from an action-packed encounter.
Fernandes shows his class once more for Manchester United
Bruno Fernandes again highlighted his undeniable quality with a memorable performance in the Basque Country.
The captain was ice cold from the spot when converting his penalty before slotting home a brilliant finish for United’s third goal, silencing a stunned home crowd.
He became the first player in Europa League history to register 30+ goal contributions in the knockout stages on Thursday.
And, in this sort of form, you wouldn’t bet against him adding to that tally in the second leg for Manchester United.
Maguire superb at the back
It was a stellar display from Harry Maguire in helping his side to a clean sheet and playing a pivotal role in the opening goal.
The 32-year-old displayed exceptional skill on the right side before delivering a threatening cross that Ugarte connected with, ultimately leading to Casemiro ushering it into the net.
He looked assured and steady all night and made some crucial interceptions before being subbed off at 65 minutes, maintaining his fine form of late.
Amorim will hope to keep Maguire fit and available for the last few weeks of the campaign.
The Manchester United faithful receive a timely injury boost
There was a welcome return to action for Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt on Thursday night following injury lay-offs.
De Ligt replaced Maguire for the final 25 minutes, having missed the last few weeks with a foot issue, and his return will come as a huge boost for the 20-time English champion’s defence.
Amad, meanwhile, has been out since early February with an ankle issue sustained in training. The Ivorian wide-man came on for the final ten minutes and immediately made an impression down the right-hand side.
Undeniably, the youngster has been one of the few bright sparks of the season before his lay-off, and the United faithful will be hoping he can stay for the final few weeks of the season now.
Casemiro excels on his Spanish return
It was an impressive display from Casemiro in the middle of the park for United, with the midfield veteran decisive at both ends of the pitch.
The 33-year-old anchored his side’s midfield and was a disruptive presence as the home team sought to get on top early on.
However, the former Real Madrid star’s most important contribution came when he powered his side ahead with a vital header after half an hour.
The five-time Champions League winner has saved some of his best performances for the Europa League this season.
Still work to be done in Manchester
Despite taking a healthy three-goal advantage into the return leg at Old Trafford next week, Amorim will be keen to finish the job off and avoid any hiccups.
The three-time European Champions have been suspect defensively this campaign and have thrown leads away in the recent past, so it’s important not to get complacent.
There is still a job to be done, and the players will need to remain focused and professional in front of their fans.
Hopefully, there will be no shock result in Manchester and the Reds march on to the final.
What did you think of an excellent Manchester United victory over Athletic Club Bilbao on Thursday night?
Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
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