Manchester United are on the brink of securing a place in the Europa League final following a dominant 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their semi-final on Thursday. The Premier League side’s first-half performance in the raucous San Mamés stadium has put them in a commanding position, with a trip to the final now within reach.
The match saw United take the lead in the 30th minute, with veteran midfielder Casemiro arriving at the back post to score. Just five minutes later, Bilbao’s Daniel Vivian was shown a red card for a foul on Rasmus Højlund in the penalty area, and Bruno Fernandes calmly converted the resulting penalty. As the first half neared its close, Fernandes sealed the victory with a third goal, racing through to score and potentially all but sealing the tie for United.
Despite the support of their passionate home crowd, Bilbao, who had hoped to benefit from the added motivation of hosting the final on May 21, struggled to respond after going down to 10 men. The second half saw United comfortably maintain their lead, and the result now leaves them in a strong position ahead of the return leg.
United defender Harry Maguire reflected on the crucial win, stating, “Of course, it’s a great start, to get a victory here and score three goals and keep a clean sheet. All the pressure will be on us now, everyone will expect us to go through. We need to prepare properly, and if we do that, we’ll give ourselves a great chance. One foot in the final, but it’s not done.”
This season’s Europa League campaign has been a silver lining for United, with the competition offering an escape from what is set to be their worst-ever Premier League points haul. Despite their struggles in domestic competition, United have shown resilience in Europe, where they remain unbeaten.
Bilbao initially posed a threat, feeding off the energy of their supporters and creating the better chances early on. Inaki Williams missed a close-range header, and United’s Victor Lindelöf made a crucial clearance off the line. However, the tide turned when Casemiro’s goal, followed by the red card and penalty, swung momentum in United’s favour.
Bruno Fernandes displayed remarkable composure to convert the penalty amid the deafening noise from the crowd, and shortly thereafter, he raced onto a flick from Manuel Ugarte to score United’s third goal, effectively putting the tie beyond reach.
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In contrast to their domestic form, United have scored more goals in their seven Europa League matches this year than in their 15 Premier League games, underlining their strength in European competition. They have also secured more wins in the Europa League under coach Ruben Amorim than in the league.
While Casemiro had an opportunity to extend the lead with a header that struck the post in the second half, the job was largely done for United, who are now in a dominant position. Historically, teams that have won the first leg of a UEFA Cup or Europa League knockout tie by three or more goals away from home have always progressed to the next round, a statistic that bodes well for United.
Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde acknowledged the impact of the red card and penalty, saying, “The penalty and the red card conditioned the game. At 11 against 11, we were doing well. The penalty and the red card were too great a punishment. It’s very clear we have taken a very bad result into the second game, but we have to play it. We are not giving up. We know it’s an adverse situation and who we have in front of us.”
United now head into the second leg with a commanding lead, knowing that one more solid performance could see them through to the final.
