The visitors might have trailed by three goals after the first 90 minutes of the tie, but when the teams rendezvoused at Old Trafford, Mikel Jauregizar’s excellent first-half strike gave the Basques hope of a remarkable remontada.
Ruben Amorim’s Reds seemed spooked. To attack, and extend our lead? Or to preserve our advantage by defending? To stick or twist? Those in red appeared caught between those two options, locked in limbo, as our opponents ramped up the pressure at the start of the second half.
Calm and composure were needed and, on the biggest night of United’s season, one man delivered it, with his finest performance since joining the Reds in the summer of 2023.