One Manchester United player has put his name forward to become a club legend as Rúben Amorim’s men demolish Athletic Club 3-0 in the Europa League semi-finals.
Rúben Amorim named Victor Lindelöf from the start as Manchester United faced off against Athletic Club in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie, which took place at Estadio de San Mamés on Thursday evening.
The tie started with Alejandro Garnacho having the ball in the net within five minutes, although his strike was ruled out for offside, with both teams looking to go toe to toe for physicality. It was Casemiro who then put United ahead after some fantastic work from Harry Maguire on the right flank.
Soon after, Rasmus Højlund was brought down in the area, which earned United a spot kick. Dani Vivian was sent off for the challenge, and Bruno Fernandes duly converted to hand his side a stunning 2-0 lead. Just before half-time, the club captain then notched in a third for Amorim’s men on the night.
In the second half, Athletic Club predictably pushed to regain some form of control. However, United stood firm as they looked to marshal out a win in a professional manner, with Amorim’s men securing a brilliant 3-0 victory in Spain on Thursday evening.
#1 – Lindelöf performs well despite initial fears
Amorim’s decision to start Lindelöf in the place of Shaw was somewhat of a shock to United fans, with Amorim putting faith in the Swedish captain despite the 30-year-old entering his final two months at the club.
His first significant involvement saw him caught with the ball that led to a Bilbao chance that Casemiro had to clean up, although he soon redeemed himself with a fantastic block on the line to keep the scores nil apiece.
He went on to have a fairly productive display, completing the most passes (95) in the match and doing well from a defensive perspective.
#2 – Bruno Fernandes is Manchester United
It’s hard to describe just how much Fernandes means to Manchester United football club, but his performance against Athletic Club sums him up.
Across the last six seasons, the club captain has been at the forefront of United’s attack, producing six straight elite campaigns, and his display in Bilbao may just be the pick of the bunch this season, considering the amount of pressure on the club ahead of the game.
The way he dispatched his penalty before notching in his second was in a way only a world-class player could do, and it’s hard not to argue that, especially this campaign, he is launching a genuine argument to be considered as a club legend.
#3 – Ugarte proving Amorim right with advanced display
Similar to Lindelöf’s start, some fans were baffled to see Manuel Ugarte starting over Kobbie Mainoo against Athletic Club, with Amorim explaining that he felt the Uruguayan international provided balance in the middle.
However, during Ugarte’s 65 minutes, he was good. In addition to his two assists, he generally played further forward rather than being involved in the side’s build-up, which gave United more bodies higher up the field.
Amorim’s decision paid dividends with Ugarte’s display, although there were question marks surrounding the player in the opening few minutes, he became much more confident further up the field, providing his two assists and helping United maintain dominance in Athletic Club’s half.
#4 – Garnacho deserves his flowers
Garnacho has been a very divisive player in the last few months at Old Trafford, but he deserves plenty of praise for his performance on Thursday evening.
Read More: Player Ratings – Athletic Club vs Manchester United (Europa League)
The winger was utterly relentless on the night, cementing himself as an early threat and being a catalyst for Casemiro’s opening goal.
While his finishing and final ball remain areas for improvement, it is worth noting that his work rate and drive are two traits that have served him and his club well against Athletic Club.
#5 – One foot in the final?
It’s hard not to believe that United already have one foot in the Europa League final, with the side 3-0 up on aggregate and the next leg set to take place at Old Trafford.
There is no doubt that Athletic Club will bring a much more potent threat to Manchester, with the side having nothing to lose ahead of the second leg and Ernesto Valverde’s side likely to play the whole fixture with 11 men on the field.
But, with Amorim expected to play a second-string team on the weekend against Brentford before the semi-final second leg, it would take a complete capitulation to see United knocked out of the competition, although this is not out of the realms of possibility considering how inconsistent they have been this campaign.
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