The Red Devils from Manchester have one foot in the Europa League final. Manchester United defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0. The Red Devils who are having one of the worst seasons in their history are still undefeated in Europe.
Dominant first half from United boys
United were three up in the first half thanks to goals from Brazilian midfielder Casemiro who scored a brilliant goal. It was the United captain Bruno Fernandes who is leading by an example , he scored a brace for his team. Fernandes scored his first goal from the spot after United received a penalty when Dani Vivian was shown a red card after he pulled Rasmus Hojlund when he tried to reach a low cross in the six yard box. Fernandes then added a third goal for the visitors when Ugarte’s clever backheel gave the United Captain a goal scoring opportunity.
Bilbao loses at home for the first time since August
Athletic Bilbao’s streak of being undefeated at home since August came to an end in the first leg of the Europa league semi-final . Bilbao were undefeated in the last 26 matches they played at home before being humiliated by the Red Devils. After conceding the second goal Athletic Bilbao made two substitutions to try and hault United’s momentum but failed to do so as United ended the first half with a 3-0 lead.
The Second half
In the second half , Manchester United showed maturity and control and managed to protect their 3-0 lead on the ten men Bilbao. United’s midfield dominated the second half with a solid possession,while the defence stayed compact and alert. Though chances were fewer in the second half the United forward Garnacho and Hojlund still looked dangerous with coming close to the goal on several occasions.
Positives for United
Manchester United had a lot of positives to take from this match, with every player of United stepping up and contributing to a dominant team performance. Manchester United who are suffering from a lot of injuries and bad performances in the Premier League can now start thinking about European glory for the first time since 2017. They can take plenty of positives with every individual contributing- Fernandes leadership, Casemiro’s control, Maguire,s resurgence and Onana’s cleansheet and to top it all Amad’s return to the pitch for the first time since February.
Old Trafford awaits
With this result , Manchester United are well positioned to advance to the Europa League Final. However as Harry Maguire said in the post match interview that
"Of course it's a great start, to get a victory here and score three goals and with a clean sheet.
"All the pressure will be on us, everyone'll be expecting 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."
The second leg is scheduled for next Thursday at Old Trafford , where United will aim to secure their place in the final where as Athletic Bilbao will try to make a comeback and will be looking to beat United in their homeground. The football fans will surely be looking forward to another exciting display in the second leg.
About the Author
Arpit Sharma is a sports writer and journalism student at Chandigarh University, with a strong intrest in sports analysis and storytelling. His writing combines match insights with a fresh, fan-first perspective that brings the game to life.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Vygr's views.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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