Daniel Vivian’s first-half red card played a major part in Man Utd’s 3-0 first-leg win in Bilbao, with the return leg at Old Trafford next week
Manchester United win 3-0 in Bilbao
Manchester United will take a 3-0 lead into the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Athletic Club.
All three goals came in the first half with Casemiro opening the scoring and Bruno Fernandes adding the other two.
The United captain’s brace came after Athletic’s Dani Vivian was shown a controversial red card once VAR adjudged him to have fouled Rasmus Hojlund in the penalty area, Fernandes netting from the spot.
The 3-0 win leaves Ruben Amorim and his players in a fantastic position to make the final, where they will likely meet Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur. They beat Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in north London.
What’s next for both sides?
How about those second legs come next Thursday then? Both Premier League sides will have it all to lose — and sometimes that can bring the most incredible storylines.
As for the lead up to the second leg of this one, Manchester United head to Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon in the UK. We already know Ruben Amorim’s feelings on the remaining league schedule — while Brentford enjoyed a brilliant 2-0 win at high-flying Nottingham Forest tonight.
In terms of Athletic Club, they can exchange Europa League notes on Manchester United during their tricky trip to Real Sociedad on Sunday night.
Sitting fourth in La Liga and hoping for Champions League qualification, they won’t want to drop points at this stage of the season.
They also have a big night in Manchester on the horizon to prepare for…