Harry Maguire knows Manchester United have “one foot” in the Europa League final, but he urged his team-mates to finish the job in the second leg at Old Trafford.
United produced a brilliant display to dispatch 10-man Athletico Bilbao 3-0 in their first-leg clash on Thursday, with the hosts having Dani Vivian sent off in the first half.
Vivian’s dismissal came after Casemiro had headed the Red Devils into the lead, before captain Bruno Fernandes sealed the win with two strikes before the break, the first of which came from the penalty spot.
Indeed, United scored three first-half goals in a knockout stage away game in a major European competition for the first time since the 1965-66 European Cup quarter-finals.
Their three-goal advantage was also their biggest half-time lead away from home overall since they were 5-0 ahead against Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup in January 2020.
United became the 133rd team to win the first leg of a UEFA Cup/Europa League knockout stage tie by three or more goals away from home, with all of those sides progressing and winning the tie.
But despite Ruben Amorim’s team recording United’s biggest away win in a semi-final of a major European competition, Maguire was not getting carried away.
“It’s more important to win. It was a clinical first half, a professional second half. It’s a great victory in the end but another big game next week,” Maguire said.
“All the pressure is on us now, everyone will expect us to get into the final.
“So next Thursday we need to make sure we prepare like we’ve done in this game, and if we do, we give ourselves a great opportunity to make the final.
“It’s been a great night for us, one foot in the final, but it’s still not done.”
The Red Devils’ success in Europe has been a complete contrast to their Premier League form, with the club languishing in 14th place.
Indeed, United have now won more matches in the Europa League (seven in nine games) under Amorim than they have in the top-flight (six in 23 games).
They have also only scored three fewer goals under the Portuguese coach in European competition (24) than in the league (27).
Amorim, though, echoed the comments of Maguire in his post-match assessment, citing Vivian’s sending off as a key moment in the game at San Mames.
“The result is really good, but we have to understand the result at the same time,” Amorim told TNT Sports.
“We struggled a lot at the beginning and the sending off changed the game.
“Any game can change with one situation. We had an opportunity to score one more. This is not done, and they can do the same at Old Trafford.
“They’re really strong and intense. We need to be prepared. Manuel Ugarte, with a lot of experience, was a little nervous. Patrick [Dorgu] was nervous.
“Players like Casemiro, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes help a lot.”
