Manchester United have one foot in the Europa League final after beating Athletic Club 3-0 at San Mames.
An extraordinary first half led to Manchester United beating Athletic Club 3-0, despite being pretty shaky in the first 20 minutes.
United were in dreamland at half-time following goals from Bruno Fernandes (x2) and Casemiro.
To matter matters even better, Athletic Club were reduced to 10 men after having Dani Vivian sent off for fouling Rasmus Hojlund and giving away a penalty.
Athletic Club were unable to find a way back into the game as United kept control for the remainder of the match. Ruben Amorim’s side pushed for a fourth, but they will be delighted to take a three-goal cushion back to Old Trafford.
The result means United take a commanding lead into the second leg next week, and there are five winners to emerge from the tie.
Winners
A strong performance from United at San Mames didn’t warrant any losers, so we’re focusing on five winners after a deserved win over Athletic Club.
Casemiro
Luckily for Amorim, Casemiro is starting to show good form again, right at the business end of the season. The veteran midfielder scored another important goal for United with a header finish to make it 1-0 against Athletic Club.
It was his first-ever goal in the Europa League, marking his third goal contribution in Europe’s second-tier competition this season.
Casemiro is clearly past his peak, but that doesn’t stop him from showing up in a dysfunctional side when they need him most.
Harry Maguire
Hailed for his late showing as a centre-forward in United’s 5-4 win over Lyon in the Europa League quarter-final, Harry Maguire ran up the line like a winger to whip in a cross for Casemiro’s opening goal.
The England centre-back was brilliant at both ends against Athletic Club and looks set to keep his place in the team for next week’s second leg tie.
Maguire led from the back and his leadership appears to be growing in the team under Amorim.
Bruno Fernandes
Like Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes is on a run of good form, with fewer critics questioning his credentials for captaincy than earlier this season.
The Portuguese Magnifico, who is United’s most influential player, scored a first-half brace to make it 3-0.
Fernandes is one of the players who won’t be underestimating Athletic Club ahead of the semi-final because United still have a job to do over their Spanish opponents.
Manuel Ugarte
An incredible statistic emerged after Manuel Ugarte registered two assists against Athletic Club, with the United midfielder registering the same amount of assists (4) as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in European competitions this season.
The Uruguay international started the game poorly, giving away possession and running into traffic with the ball, but he grew into the game and looked more assured in the second half.
Ugarte produced a wonderful flick for Fernandes’ second goal of the night.
Amad Diallo
United fans were happy to see Amad Diallo make his first appearance in nearly three months.
The Ivorian came on with United leading 3-0, with Amorim keen for his winger to get minutes under his belt to step up his recovery ahead of the 2024/25 season run-in.
Matthijs de Ligt also deserves a special mention after making his first appearance in a month.
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