New Delhi: 

English clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur took commanding leads in the first-leg semifinals of the UEFA Europa League, enjoying a dream night on Thursday, as they beat Athletic Club and Bodø/Glimt, respectively. The wins have positioned both sides favourably for the second leg and on course for the £100m winner-takes-all final.

North London scenes:

At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London, the home side defeated Bodø/Glimt 3-1 in what was a high-energy clash. With the blowing of the kick-off whistle, Brennan Johnson opened the scoring just 44 seconds into the match, making it the fastest-ever goal in a Europa League semifinal. Spurs continued to stay in charge as they found a second through James Maddison, who made a curling strike in the 34th minute to double the lead.

As the second half kicked off, a handball in the box gave Tottenham a penalty in the 61st minute, which Dominic Solanke effectively converted to make it 3-0. Bodø/Glimt never looked in, but didn’t go down without a fight. In the 83rd minute, Ulrik Saltnes scored his side’s first goal from the edge of the box to give the Norwegian side a vital away scoring.

Although Spurs hold the advantage, the late goal from Bodø/Glimt keeps the door slightly ajar as the two teams head into the return leg in Norway. The two return leg encounters are scheduled on May 8, and the two English sides will look to finish the job, eyeing a potential all-Premier League Europa League final at the San Mamés.

Bruno Fernandes came into the picture and calmly converted the spot-kick. Now that Athletic Club were reduced to 10 men, United started capitalising on the advantage they had.

In the stoppage time of the first half, Manuel Ugarte executed a sharp backheel in the box, which Fernandes latched onto and scored his second goal of the night. The Portuguese midfielder has been exceptional for United, as he has largely impacted their influence in their European campaign.

The home side struggled to create opportunities for themselves, mainly after going a man down. United stood strong in their defense, too, as Maguire and Lisandro Martinez proved crucial to earn a clean sheet. With a solid aggregate of 3-0 and the return leg clash at Old Trafford, Bruno’s side is in an authoritative position to reach the final.

Athletic Club hosted Manchester United at San Mamés, and the visitors produced a one-sided game, taking it away 3-0 and silencing a passionate home crowd in Bilbao. The deadlock was broken in the 30th minute when Casemiro headed in the opener, resulting from Harry Maguire’s corner flick.

Only seven minutes afterward, United doubled their lead as Dani Vivian put up a clumsy challenge on Alejandro Garnacho, which earned United a penalty and Vivian a red card.

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