Faced with a three-goal deficit after a calamitous first-leg result in Bilbao, the Lions knew a fast start was needed at Old Trafford. Ernesto Valverde’s men looked the more threatening of the two sides early on, and they spurned a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock when Álex Berenguer curled wastefully over from 12 yards. That served as a warning for United, who struggled to assert their authority on proceedings in the opening half-hour and duly fell behind as Mikel Jauregizar swept a sublime long-range effort into the top corner.
Spurred on by that moment of brilliance, the visitors went in pursuit of another goal before HT. However, it was Ruben Amorim’s side who came closest to altering the scoreline when Patrick Dorgu released Alejandro Garnacho through on goal, only for the Argentine to see his dinked effort drop agonisingly wide of the far post.
The early stages of the second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with Athletic firmly on the front foot. Clear-cut chances came at a premium for the Lions though, as Unai Nuñez powered an angled header wide of the target. Determined to preserve their unbeaten record in Europe this season, United upped the ante with a triple change as time ticked into the final 20 minutes. An equaliser swiftly followed, with substitute Mason Mount turning sharply in the box before bending a clinical strike beyond the outstretched hand of Julen Agirrezabala to send the home support into raptures.
That all but ended the tie as a contest, and the Red Devils took the lead on the night just eight minutes later when Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick was headed home by Casemiro. With the visitors’ spirit well and truly broken, United added gloss to the scoreline with two further goals late on. First, Rasmus Højlund applied the finishing touch from Amad Diallo’s cutback before Mount capitalised on a mistake from Agirrezabala, drifting a spectacular long-range strike into an empty net, sealing United’s place in a ninth European final, giving themselves a chance of salvaging a largely forgettable season with silverware and Champions League qualification.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mason Mount (Manchester United)
