In Bilbao, United lost 2-1.
Marcelo Bielsa is the most interesting coach in football.
He cooked up the perfect storm of pressing to add to his 3-2 victory in Manchester, where the yards covered by his men exceeded that of any other team to play at Old Trafford in the last ten years.
My definition of pressing was attacking when you don’t have the ball, and no team, not even Barcelona, has demonstrated that better than Bilbao in these two games.
United were being forced to play at a tempo they didn’t like, right from the kick-off, when Evra was caught in possession.
I thought Rafael was a certainty to get sent off.
After 10 minutes, Muniain hit the post with a shot that rebounded to De Marcos, but his shot was wildly miscued.
The Bilbao first goal arrived in 23 minutes and came from a 50-yard diagonal ball by defender Amorebiata that went over Rio Ferdinand’s head and Llorente scored the perfect centre forward\’s goal by volleying right-footed past De Gea. The balance and technique required for that strike were phenomenal.
Llorente was able to hit a fierce volley that was aimed down, so that it bounced past the diving De Gea and gave him almost no chance of stopping the shot
One of the season\’s wonder-goals, I think.
A fantastic strike but also a very important goal in a huge match.
Aggregate score was now 4-2.
A headline before the game was : Ferguson urges United to test Athletic\’s endurance.
But, again, Bilbao\’s zonal command was extraordinary.
They kept United boxed in all over the pitch and Rooney was having to play flat-out just to pinch a yard of space.
Second half was more of the same.
Bilbao’s collective ferocity allowed them to dominate again. Their energy was fantastic, their craft exceptional, and if their finishing was better they\’d have scored five or six last night.
Their defenders matched every idea Rooney had, every run he made, so you just couldn’t see United getting a goal.
A slick move allowed right back Iraola to make a late run into the box, where he dribbled past Carrick, beat Evans and then Ferdinand, but placed his shot wide. That chance was missed but another Bilbao goal looked likely and it soon arrived.
When a cross from the right broke off sub Chris Smalling in 66, De Marcos chested the ball down and fired a left-foot shot which went in off Jonny Evans.
That made it 5-2 on aggregate.
I had been pausing and rewinding the live action so much that when it was 79 minutes on my screen, I was 19 minutes behind the actual event.
Then, just as I was thinking that I\’d never seen Manchester United so comprehensively thrashed over two legs, Rooney scored with a thunderbolt from 20 yards, making it 5-3 on aggregate after 80 minutes.
His 27th in all comps but there were no more goals after that.
Well done Athletic Bilbao and Marcelo Bielsa!
Channel Five pundit Pat Nevin said, “Five three on aggregate seriously flatters Manchester United.â€
At that point Jan went out with Caroline to drive our daughter round to our son Michael\’s house. I was typing this when Jan came back at 8.30pm and shouted up the stairs.
“Has the football finished? “
“Yes.â€
“What happened?â€
“Man United were beaten 5-3 on aggregate.â€
“What? In the Europa Cup?â€
It’s been a shocking year for the EPL in Europe.
Manchester United have played 10 matches in Europe this season.
Four games were draws. Three were lost. Only three were won.
But I still think United will be champions.
And I still think Arsenal will finish third.