Manchester United cruised to a thrilling 3-0 away win over Athletic Club in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday night.

The victory places them in a strong position to reach the final.

The match, played at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, saw United take control after withstanding early pressure.

Athletic nearly took the lead, but Victor Lindelöf cleared an effort off the line to keep the scores level.

United opened the scoring through Casemiro in the 22nd minute.

The Brazilian midfielder headed home after a surprising run and cross from Harry Maguire on the right flank.

The visitors then doubled their lead in controversial circumstances when Dani Vivian brought down Rasmus Højlund inside the box.

Though initially missed by the referee, VAR awarded the penalty and issued a red card to Vivian.

Bruno Fernandes converted the spot-kick in the 35th minute.

Fernandes added a second just before halftime, finishing a slick attacking move to put the match firmly in United’s control.

With Athletic reduced to ten men, United managed the second half effectively without pressing too high for additional goals.

The result gives Manchester Ruben Amorim’s men a sizeable advantage heading into the return leg at Old Trafford next week, with one foot already in the Europa League final.