Audio By Carbonatix
Mason Mount ended 20 months of torment with a brilliant second half double as Manchester United booked an all-English Europa League final with Tottenham in Bilbao on 21 May.
On an anxious, nervy, mistake-ridden night at Old Trafford, fingernails were starting to get chewed at the sight of the home side making it so hard for themselves despite starting the second-leg of their semi-final with Athletic Bilbao holding a three-goal advantage.
But Mount chose exactly the right time to step up.
Beset by a succession of injuries that have limited the England man to just 10 Premier League starts since his £55m move from Chelsea in 2023, Mount had only been on the pitch 10 minutes when he turned onto Leny Yoro's short pass inside the Bilbao penalty area.
Mount's strike was true and arrowed into the far corner.
It was his third United goal but it was by far the most important and ended lingering fears the visitors might become the first side in 134 attempts in Uefa competitions to overturn a three-goal first leg deficit away from home.
But there was more to come.
After Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund had steered United into a winning lead, Mount pounced on a loose ball 45 yards out and floated a superb shot into an empty net.
The goal capped a memorable Old Trafford night and maintained United's unbeaten record in the competition.
The final outcome was harsh on the Spanish visitors, who were the better side for long periods and led at half-time thanks to Mikel Jauregizar's magnificent 30-yard effort.
That did not matter to the home fans at the final whistle as they will now get a shot at salvaging their season against the Premier League's other great underachievers.
Latest Stories
-
Mahama won’t shield Sedina Tamakloe from justice – Vanderpuye
7 minutes -
GMet proposes Authority status under new legislative framework
11 minutes -
Kpone Katamanso MCE condemns cattle invasion of school after viral video
14 minutes -
Speaker Bagbin calls for closer Parliament-Judiciary ties as Supreme Court marks 150 years
17 minutes -
World Blood Donor Day: Ghana celebrates humanity behind every drop of blood
20 minutes -
Mahama calls for new Ghana-EU partnership driven by trade, investment and industrialisation
23 minutes -
I’m not the president’s appointee; my allegiance is to MPs and Ghana – Speaker
26 minutes -
Fisheries Minister launches project to transform abandoned pits into fish farms
29 minutes -
Ghana-Canada investment forum to deepen economic cooperation
32 minutes -
Ashanti GNAT calls for calm over Nyinahin Catholic SHS teacher-student incident
36 minutes -
PBC workers call on Mahama to fulfil promise to revamp company
39 minutes -
Gov’t registers 45 LBCs to purchase grains to tackle food glut
43 minutes -
Gov’t has distributed 1.7 million poultry birds under Nkoko Nkitsinkitsi
46 minutes -
Over 7,000 UENR freshers benefit from ‘No Fees Stress’ policy – Registrar
49 minutes -
Oppong Nkrumah calls for bipartisan commitment to tackle youth unemployment
53 minutes