Ever hear about a fantastical yarn featuring Manchester United being down in 14th place in the Premier League yet somehow standing proud at 3-0 up a mere quarter-way through a major European semi-final, against a 10-man Athletic Bilbao who already appeared cooked?
Before kick-off here the answer would be no – of course. But, by half-time, Ruben Amorim’s men were flying, and if Noussair Mazraoui’s left-foot rocket had beaten Julen Agirrezabala, rather than ricocheted back off his crossbar, United’s lead would have been 4-0, and this tie clinically dead.
