Fernandes leads Man Utd past Athletic in Europa semifinal.

When Athletic Club was reduced to 10 men in the first half of the match in Bilbao, Bruno Fernandes scored twice to help Manchester United win.

With a 3-0 semifinal first-leg victory away at Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United put themselves on the verge of the Europa League final thanks to three goals in the first half.

Thirty minutes in, experienced midfielder Casemiro scored at the back post to give the visitors the lead in a boisterous San Memes atmosphere where fans were hoping for their first-ever European trophy.

Five minutes later, Bruno Fernandes scored the subsequent penalty kick when Bilbao defender Daniel Vivian was sent off for fouling Rasmus Hojlund in the penalty area, giving United, who are having a terrible domestic season, still more lift.

Moments later, captain Fernandes rushed through to seal a victory—and maybe the tie—before halftime, leaving United supporters in a state of euphoria.

United coasted to the most unexpected first-leg victory after Bilbao, which has the added motivation of hosting the final at its stadium on May 21, was unable to create a reaction in the second half with diminished numbers.

“Winning here, scoring three goals, and keeping a clean sheet is a great start,” Harry Maguire, a defender for United, told TNT Sports.

Everyone will be counting on us to succeed, and we will be under a lot of pressure. Proper preparation is necessary, and doing so will offer us a wonderful chance.

“It’s not finished, but it’s one foot in the final.”

This season, the Europa League has served as a sort of safe harbor for United, where they can ignore that they are headed for their lowest-ever Premier League point tally.

Being the only club undefeated in any European competition, United faced their most difficult opponent to date when they traveled to Bilbao. Bilbao, who were now ranked fourth in La Liga, had the division’s meanest defense.

Early on, the Bilbao players took advantage of the enthusiasm of the crowd to create the majority of the first opportunities. Victor Lindelof saved United with a timely block on the line, but Inaki Williams should have scored with a close-range header.

But Casemiro came just in time to turn the tide in United’s favor. After examining the pitch-side monitor, Norwegian referee Espen Eskas determined that Vivian had denied Hojlund a clear chance to score, and as a result, he gave Hojlund a red card and pointed to the spot.

Despite the ear-splitting whistles from the irate crowd, Bruno Fernandes’ poise as he gently stroked home the penalty was incredible. The United captain rushed onto Manuel Ugarte’s flick to add a game-winning third just as the whistles had stopped.

United has now scored more goals in their seven Europa League games in 2025 than they have in their 15 Premier League games this year, underscoring the difference between their domestic and European performances.

Since Ruben Amorim took over as coach, they have also won more Europa League games than Premier League ones.

Casemiro’s header in the second half missed the post, and he even had a chance to add a fourth.

But the work was done. Because of United’s performance, 133 clubs have won the first leg of a knockout stage match in the UEFA Cup or Europa League by three goals or more away from home, and all 133 have won the match.

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