Maybe Manchester United can’t save their season, but it can still have a silver lining after a quite stunning night in Bilbao.
United produced their best performance yet under Ruben Amorim to calm the cauldron of the Estadio San Mames and take a huge step towards reaching the Europa League final ahead of next week’s second leg at Old Trafford.
Two more goals from captain Bruno Fernandes after Casemiro had scored the first of three inside a sensational 16-minute spell in the first half make United clear favourites to advance.
The final on May 21 will also take place here in Bilbao, where Amorim and his players wouldn’t have to face the same outpouring of hot-blooded Basque pride against Tottenham or Bodo/Glimt as they did on Thursday night.
Athletic fans are always fervent. But fuelled by the tantalising prospect of seeing their team play for a first European trophy in the club’s history at their own ground, a day of celebrating a national May Day holiday, and a festering sense of injustice at Norwegian referee Espen Eskas, who sent off Daniel Vivian before half-time, was a particularly heady concoction.
United weathered the storm with incredible composure, particularly for a team that routinely does things the hard way.
Bruno Fernandes scored twice – including a penalty – to put Man United in command of the tie
The United captain led from the front on a dream night for the Red Devils in Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao failed to recover after having Vivian sent off before Fernandes’ penalty
Amorim’s side remained unbeaten in Europe in quite emphatic fashion. In doing so, they can still end this most baffling of seasons with a trophy and a £100million jackpot for qualifying automatically for the Champions League.
Having admitted on the eve of this game that ‘nothing could save our season’, Amorim approached the next stage of a competition that could at least ease some of the pain by making two changes to his starting XI.
He brought back Manuel Ugarte in midfield and Victor Lindelof into the back-three which allowed Noussair Mazraoui to switch to right wing-back and mark dangerman Nico Williams.
The best defensive team in La Liga had only conceded twice on the way to winning all six home games in the Europa League, which made what happened in the opening 45 minutes all the more stunning.
The place they call The Cathedral — though not so reverent that they stopped singing during a minute’s silence for the late Pope — went quiet in the fifth minute when Alejandro Garnacho scored but replays showed he was half-a-yard offside.
United had two lucky escapes when Inaki Williams headed inches over from Alex Berenguer’s cross and then Lindelof somehow kept out Berenguer’s goal-bound effort with the outside of his knee after the Swede had poked Inaki’s low cross straight to the Athletic No 7.
At that stage, it felt as though United would be happy to get out of this place with a draw. But the game turned on its head in the space of 16 dramatic minutes as United scored twice and Athletic were reduced to 10 men.
It began on the half-hour mark when Harry Maguire, the goal hero against Lyon in the quarter-final two weeks ago, turned an unlikely provider. Fernandes miscued a free-kick wide on the left, sending it drifting over to the far side of the pitch.
The Brazilian midfielder headed home from close range after fine play on the wing from Harry Maguire
Maguire retrieved the ball under pressure from Mikel Jaureguizar and it looked as though he would take the easy option and play it back to Garnacho. Instead, the big centre back twisted this way and that, eventually clipping a cross into the box.
Ugarte met it with a header that found Casemiro unmarked at the back post to nod in from a tight angle. The San Mames was stunned and it turned to disbelief and fury two minutes later.
Ugarte again played a part, robbing Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta in midfield. Mazraoui crossed low from the right and Rasmus Hojlund claimed he was held back by Vivian as he stretched to reach the ball.
Italian VAR Aleandro Di Paolo advised Eskas to go the pitchside monitor where he was beseiged by players and substitutes.
The decision was a penalty and a straight red card for Vivian, who was aghast at the decision. The fury of Athletic’s fans would have been even worse had they seen what looked like a handball by Garnacho in the build-up.
Five minutes after the initial offence, Fernandes faced down the ultras behind Julen Agirrezabala’s goal and sent the Bilbao keeper the wrong way.
It was his 17th goal of the season and an 18th wasn’t far behind. Casemiro played the ball forward to Fernandes and it was all a bit messy as Hojlund got a touch and Ugarte backheeled the ball through.
United are now closing in on securing a place in the Europa League final
It was a dream night for Ruben Amorim as his side dominated the first leg
There was nothing untidy about the finish though as Fernandes drew before Agirrezabala and steered a shot past him.
Amazingly, Mazraoui almost made it four when he rattled the bar in stoppage time, and the cacophony of boos for the Norwegian officials as the teams went off at half-time couldn’t hide the sense of shock inside the stadium.
If they were hoping for a response from their team in the second half, it didn’t come. United held out comfortably and went closest to another goal when Casemiro headed against the outside of the post from Fernandes’ corner after Agirrezabala had tipped over the Brazilian’s 20-yard shot.
You never know with this team, but surely United can now start planning on a return to Bilbao in three weeks’ time.
