TOO GOOD TO BE BRU

Cool skipper punishes the 10 men

- JEREMY CROSS

MANCHESTER UNITED produced a butchering in Bilbao to upset the odds - and locals on a madcap night in northern Spain.

Two goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro's first one since October saw United put one foot in the Europa League final.

Who saw this coming?

Not Athletic Bilbao, who finished with 10 men following Dani Vivian's sending-off and a mountain to climb back in Manchester next week.

Ernesto Valverde’s ‘Los Leones’ [Lions] were made to look like cubs.

And in a stadium nicknamed “The Cathedral, it was the hosts left praying for a miracle to keep alive a European dream that is supposed to reach a finale in their own backyard later this month.

United might have been the only unbeaten team remaining in Europe this season, but make no mistake, this was the acid test of their bid to win the competition.