A transformed Manchester United breezed past Athletic Club in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final, emerging from the San Memés Stadium with a 3-0 advantage.
Ruben Amorim’s plans finally clicked into place as his side weathered an early storm from the hosts before easing through the gears to blow them away before half time.
It was an impressive performance by anyone’s standards and it was covered in the fingerprints of consummate winner Casemiro, who was decisive at both ends.
Operating from deep midfield the Brazilian was the lynchpin of United’s tight defensive unit during Athletic Club’s early onslaught, finishing the game with the best defensive stats of any United player.
Casemiro made four clearances, more than any of his team-mates, and four tackles, a figure matched only by Noussair Mazraoui.
His disruptive presence in the middle of the park also yielded one interception, but his most important contribution came on the half hour mark when he headed United into the lead.
He continued to be a threat for the rest of the match, hitting the woodwork once and missing one big chance.
The 33-year-old was a warrior in the duel, winning the most aerial duels of anyone on the pitch, coming out on top five times out of five.
He fared almost as well on the deck, winning five of the seven duels he contested with the ball on the ground.
And with the ball at his feet he was on unusually accurate form, finding his man with 74 of his 88 attempted passes for an impressive accuracy rate of 84%.
He saw plenty of United’s possession, taking 109 touches – nobody on the pitch could beat his involvement, although Victor Lindelof came close with 108.
It has been a rough ride for the midfield veteran this season, but he came good when his side needed him most and he was the driving force behind their emphatic win.
United will look to finish the job at Old Trafford next week to cruise through to a season-defining final back at the San Memés Stadium.
All stats taken from sofascore.
Featured image Clive Brunskill via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
