Manchester United weathered the early storm from Athletic Bilbao and opened the scoring in the 30th minute.
Manchester United produced a dominant first-half display to seize control of their Europa League semi-final tie. The Red Devils claimed a commanding 3–0 victory over 10-man Athletic Bilbao at the raucous San Mames Stadium. An eventful first half saw United score three quickfire goals and a red card for Athletic player Dani Vivian, which shifted the momentum firmly in United’s favour, putting Ruben Amorim’s side one step away from the final.
The hosts started brightly and came close to scoring twice in the early stages, with Inaki Williams heading over from a promising position and Victor Lindelof denying Alex Berenguer with a crucial goal-line clearance. However, United weathered the early storm and opened the scoring in the 30th minute. Harry Maguire delivered a good cross from the right wing that was deftly flicked on for Casemiro to nod home.
Things unraveled for Bilbao shortly afterwards as defender Dani Vivian was shown a red card for a foul on Rasmus Hojlund inside the box following a VAR review. Captain Bruno Fernandes made no mistake from the spot as he silenced the crowd with a cool penalty.
Just before the break, Fernandes struck again, this time finishing off a clever flick from Manuel Ugarte to make it 3–0. Casemiro nearly added a fourth in the second half, hitting the outside of the post from a corner, but United settled for a comfortable lead ahead of next week’s return leg at Old Trafford.
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Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur also moved closer to a place in the final with a confident 3–1 home win over Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt. Brennan Johnson struck in the opening minute to give Spurs the perfect start, followed by a composed finish from James Maddison midway through the first half.
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Dominic Solanke then converted a penalty in the 61st minute to extend the home side’s lead to three. However, Bodo grabbed a lifeline late on through Ulrik Saltnes, who netted in the 83rd minute to keep the tie alive.
With both English clubs holding strong leads ahead of the second legs on May 8, the stage is set for a potential all-Premier League showdown in the Europa League final.
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