Match Report: Athletic Club 0-3 Manchester United | OneFootball

Manchester United silenced the home crowd by defeating Athletic Club 3-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final.

It was arguably Man United’s best performance of the season, having completely overwhelmed the home side despite being largely viewed as underdogs going into the contest.

The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and Harry Maguire certainly rose to the occasion, helping to lift United to an unlikely victory by an even more surprising margin.

Given that the Europa League is their last chance at European qualification for next season, United had everything to play for. Even though it may have been the first leg of the semi-final, a positive result would help alleviate the pressure as they prepare to host the Spanish team at Old Trafford next week.

United started brightly, with Manuel Ugarte playing a through ball to Alejandro Garnacho, who took a low shot only to be flagged offside.

Athletic weren’t prepared to allow that opportunity to go unanswered, however. Alex Berenguer took a hard and low shot from the edge of the box to force a save from Andre Onana.

Just after the 10-minute mark, the hosts came even closer to breaking the deadlock when Berenguer crossed the ball to Inaki Williams, who beat the United defence. Fortunately for the visitors, Williams headed the ball over the crossbar.

19 minutes in, Athletic almost broke the deadlock when Williams broke through on the right and sent a cross into the box that Victor Lindelof blocked. The rebound found Berenguer; however, his shot was blocked by Lindelof to put an end to another lethal attack.

Half an hour in, the away fans erupted as United grabbed an unlikely lead. Harry Maguire found himself in an uncommon position on the right wing, twisting and turning to shake off his mark before sending in a cross that found the head of Manuel Ugarte, who flicked the ball off to Casemiro. The Brazilian made no mistake as he thumped his header past the keeper to break the deadlock.

After the restart, United refused to drop the tempo as they sought to double their lead.

Following a threatening attack, Rasmus Hojlund was pulled down in the box by Daniel Vivian despite not having the ball. After a prolonged review by VAR, the referee was sent to the touchline to review the incident. Not only did he award the red, but he also sent Vivian off with a red card.

Fernandes coolly sent his penalty kick into the bottom right corner, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to hand United a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Despite being a man down, Athletic were quick to attack after their kick-off. Neco Williams took a decent shot that was deflected out for a corner.

On the stroke of half-time, United were sent into euphoria as Fernandes cut through the defence to pick up a through ball from Ugarte. The United skipper made no mistake as he sent his shot past the keeper to hand United a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Soon after, United were on the attack again, earning a corner thanks to an Athletic clearance. Following a goalmouth scramble, Noussair Mazraoui got on the end of a loose ball, firing a shot from the edge of the box that slammed the crossbar.

It was then that the referee blew the whistle for half-time, bringing an end to what had been a thrilling performance by United so far.

Still, Ruben Amorim needed to ensure that his team remained composed in the second half, especially given the many occasions on which United have given away a comfortable lead this season.

In the 52nd minute, Patrick Dorgu passed a threatening ball across the face of the goal that both Hojlund and Garnacho were unable to reach. Although Garnacho was brought down, the referee decided against awarding United a penalty.

As Athletic were on the attack, Maguire brought down Maroan Sannadi on the right flank. Despite widespread protests from the hosts as well as the home supporters, no booking was awarded.

Past the hour mark, United earned a threatening free-kick when Garnacho was brought down by Yeray Alvarez, who was booked for his offence.

Ugarte took a shot from long range that the keeper did well to catch.

Two minutes later, Mazraoui laid the ball off to Casemiro, whose shot was tipped over the bar for a corner.

Fernandes’ subsequent cross found the head of Casemiro, whose header went just wide. The Brazilian was all over the Athletic defence this evening.

With 25 minutes left on the clock, Amorim decided to make a double change. Matthijs de Ligt marked his return from injury by replacing Maguire, while Mason Mount came on for Ugarte.

Minutes later, Luke Shaw came on for Mazraoui. He made his way to the LWB position while Dorgu switched to the right flank.

10 minutes from time, Fernandes was on the hunt for his hat-trick as he took a sublime shot from long distance to force a save from the Athletic goalkeeper.

With his first touch, Garnacho took a close-range shot to force an impulsive save from the keeper.

Amad Diallo marked his return from injury as he replaced Dorgu, while Garnacho made way for Kobbie Mainoo.

While Athletic sought to up the pressure during four minutes of stoppage time, they appeared to be toothless on the attack, with United easily subduing them.

Ultimately, it was a fearless performance from United, who appeared confident, aggressive, and determined to become Europa League champions. United fans will be excited to see what their teams does in the second leg next week.

Starting XI: Onana, Lindelof, Mazraoui, Maguire, Fernandes, Hojlund, Dorgu, Yoro, Garnacho, Casemiro, Ugarte Subs: De Ligt, Mount, Shaw, Amad, Mainoo

Featured image Clive Brunskill via Getty Images

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