Manchester United and Tottenham defeated Athletic Bilbao and Bodo/Glimt, respectively, on Thursday night to set up an all-English showdown in the Europa League.
While Manchester United came from a goal down to win 4-1 at Old Trafford for a 7-1 aggregate victory over their Spanish opponents, Tottenham won 2-0 in Norway to seal a dominant 4-0 aggregate win.
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United are experiencing a shocker on the domestic scene but have continued to defy the odds in Europe, scoring four times in the second half to claim a resounding victory that initially seemed impossible.
Mikel Jauregizar had the visitors ahead in the 31st minute, and the Red Devils had to wait until the final 20 minutes to calm fans’ nerves. Mason Mount started the comeback, restoring parity on the night with a curling strike before Casemiro’s well-placed header from a free-kick put the home side ahead for the first time.
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Rasmus Hojlund found his scoring boots again for the third before Mount, the England international, added more gloss to the victory with a 50-yard strike following a mistake from the Bilbao goalkeeper.
Tottenham also booked their place in the all-important final that could end the club’s over two-decade wait for a trophy, thanks to Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro’s strikes. The Lillywhites make their first European final in six years, and have the chance to end a 17-year wait for a trophy. Man United, on the other hand, are in line for a second Europa League title after their 2021 failure.
The Europa League final match will be played at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao on May 21.
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Chelsea defeated Djurgarden 4-1 on aggregate to set up a UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis.
