Athletic Club star Inaki Williams has warned Manchester United that Athletic Bilbao have what it takes to force a comeback om the second leg of the sides’ Europa League semi-final.
Manchester United beat Athletic Club 3-0 to put one foot in the final of Europe’s second-tier competition.
The win was more convincing than anyone could have imagined before kick-off, with United taking the lead after 30 minutes through Casemiro, despite a nervy start in the first 20 minutes.
It went from bad to worse for Athletic Club as Dani Vivian was sent off for a foul on Rasmus Hojlund inside the box. Bruno Fernandes stood up to the spot and placed his penalty past Julen Agirrezabala.
On the brink of half-time, Fernandes would score again, this time making it 3-0 against a 10-man side struggling to deal with United.
The Red Devils kept control of the game in the second half but were unable to score a fourth goal. Still, it’s a huge bonus for United to take a three-goal lead back to Old Trafford.
Inaki Williams slams referee with warning for Man Utd
Athletic Club players felt sorry for themselves at full-time on Thursday night.
Although they failed to score a single goal and conceded three, the Spanish outift felt Alejandro Garnacho should have been penalised for handball in the build-up to United’s penalty kick.
The handball claim was ignored by referee Espen Eskas as play continued and there was no intervention from VAR.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Athletic Club star Inaki Williams was critical of the refereeing before United’s penalty, accusing the officials of completely missing Garnacho’s alleged handball, which appeared accidental without influencing the movement of the ball.
“We are capable of coming back,” Williams warned ahead of the second leg, as quoted by The Metro.
“There are some plays that raise doubts. The play before the penalty comes from a handball by Garnacho, which the referee doesn’t see.
“It’s a struggle between Vivian and him. All the slightest contact, he goes down, and it’s unfortunate that he called it.”
Williams accepted that Athletic Club were nowhere near their best against United, but the forward believes they can turn the tie around at Old Trafford next week.
“We weren’t very sharp, there’s no need ton make excuses,” he added.
“We’re 3-0 down, but we’re capable of overcoming that. We’ve already seen that Lyon gave them problems at home and we’re going to try and do the same.
“The work of the entire season speaks for itself. We’re in the final stretch of our dream. Our fans have always supported us and we’re going to give it our all.”
Athletic Club fans sing Harry Maguire chant before semi-final
In high spirits before the game on Thursday, Athletic Club supporters joined in with United fans singing songs about Harry Maguire on the streets of Bilbao.
The scenes show Maguire, who performed brilliantly at San Mames Stadium, has plenty of admirers in the Basque region.
United’s 3-0 win over Athletic Club will be remembered for many reasons, including Maguire’s sublime wing-play for Casemiro’s opener.
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