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
-
Oil hits over 1-week low on hopes of boost to diplomacy in Iran war
40 minutes -
They take GH¢100, sometimes GH¢200 – Okada riders allege police extortion in Accra
49 minutes -
NACOC: We’ve found no presidential escort among suspects in €225m France cocaine case
58 minutes -
Don’t turn students away over trunks and chop boxes – GES
1 hour -
Italian Apple store employees strike on iPhone 18 Pro launch day
1 hour -
Apple’s Tim Cook sees Australia’s social media curbs as ‘world-leading’, PM says
1 hour -
Amazon raises minimum hourly pay by $1 to $20 for US operations workers
2 hours -
Insurance cost has largely remained stable – NPA boss on transport fare pressure
2 hours -
Multiple unions threaten strikes at Barrick’s flagship Mali gold mine, documents show
2 hours -
Infantino invited to African summit as he faces challenge to FIFA leadership
2 hours -
NPA boss flags ‘recalcitrant’ transport operators raising fares arbitrarily
2 hours -
GPRTU fare hike put on ice after talks with government – NPA boss reveals
3 hours -
I’m greatly worried – NPA boss on threat of higher transport fares
3 hours -
We are largely import-dependent – NPA boss on Ghana’s fuel vulnerability
4 hours -
Ghana’s fuel market is built for turbulence – NPA’s Edudzi Tamakloe explains why
4 hours