All English Europa League final looms as United, Spurs impress

The possibility of an all English Final in the UEFA Europa League looms large following convincing victories for Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in their respective semifinal first leg matches played last night.

United were shock 3-0 winners over Athletic Bilbao in Spain, picking up what on paper looks like a win that has pretty much booked their slot in the final, which will be held at the same venue.

The vociferous home support was enraged when Athletic defender Daniel Vivian was sent off for pulling back Rasmus Hojlund, and Bruno Fernandes slotted home the resulting penalty, after Casemiro had opened the scoring against the run of play in the semifinal first leg.

Fernandes rolled in a third before halftime as Ruben Amorim's side moved a step closer to the final, to be held at Athletic's San Mames stadium.

The Portuguese playmaker, who has been playing through pain for his club, stated that he was ready to put everything on the line in pursuit of the Europa title.

"The manager and physio say that I need to relax and rest, but I say no. When I die, I will have a lot of time to lay down and rest," he was quoted as saying by Italian Journalist Fabrizio Romano after the match.

The second leg will be played at Old Trafford next week.

Spurs beat Norwegian outfit Bodø Glimt 3-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to collect a much-needed cushion ahead of the return leg in Norway next week.

Brennan Johnson's header after 37 seconds and a clever James Maddison finish put Tottenham 2-0 ahead at the break, and Dominic Solanke increased their advantage just past the hour mark.

There was a late twist as captain Ulrik Saltnes's deflected effort gave Bodo/Glimt hope for next week's second leg.

"We are pleased, and I think before the game, if you had said we would have a two-goal cushion, we would have been happy with that," Johnson told the BBC.

"We were frustrated to concede, but they are a tough team, and we are happy with the performance."