Manchester United 4-1 Agg (7-1) Athletic Club Player Ratings: The Red Devils Produce Explosive Second Half Comeback To Storm Into Europa League Finals

Manchester United stormed their way into the final of the 2024/25 Europa League with a 4-1 win over Athletic Club at Old Trafford in the second leg of the semifinal on Thursday, 8 May 2025. Despite going down in the first half through Mikel Jauregizar's strike, the Red Devils scored four goals in the last 20 minutes through Mason Mount, Casemiro, and Rasmus Hojlund to get a huge win. They clinched the semifinal 7-1 on aggregate, with all details of the game in our Manchester United vs Athletic Club Player Ratings.

The Red Devils began the game energetically, moving forward with enthusiasm to try to create chances on the counterattacks. But the first chance of the game fell to the visitors, as Alex Berenguer found some space inside the box and curved a shot just over the bar. Alejandro Garnacho was played through to the goal in the 16th minute, but his poor close control didn't allow him to get a shot in. Berenguer was in the thick of things again in the 21st minute, shooting wide after a nice forward run.

There was some controversy regarding a penalty call for the hosts a minute later. Patrick Dorgu fell to the ground, but VAR didn't see an intentional foul on him. Athletic Club started to grow into the game and took the lead in the 31st minute, when an impressive shot from Mikel Jauregizar was tipped onto the top corner by Andre Onana's fingers. The Red Devils pushed for an equalizer and had a huge chance in the 41st minute after Garnacho was played through on goal but Dorgu, but he failed to place his chipped effort into the back of the net. Unai Gomez had a late shot saved by Onana, allowing the visitors to head into half-time firmly on top of the game.

However, the Red Devils improved their defensive shape in the second half and started to make things tougher for Athletic Club. Unai Gomez guided another header wide in the 65th minute, before Ruben Amorim's side produced a stunning comeback. Mason Mount produced a fantastic effort with a slick close-range goal to make it 1-1 in the 72nd minute. Casemiro then completed the comeback with a swift header from a free-kick in the 80th minute.

Substitute Amad Diallo was able to set up a tap-in for Rasmus Hojlund in the 85th minute to make it 3-1! It was Mount who made it 4-1 in the 91st minute after capitalizing on a goalkeeping error to score a long-range screamer to help his side move into the Europa League final in style. Here are the Manchester United vs Athletic Club Player Ratings.

Manchester United Player Ratings vs Athletic Club

GK - Andre Onana - 5/10

The Cameroonian goalkeeper made a few sharp saves to frustrate visitors. Could've done better with the first goal, as he tipped the ball into the back of the net. His distribution wasn't the most convincing either.

RCB - Victor Lindelof - 6/10

Lindelof made several clearances to thwart danger, doing a decent job with his positioning. But he struggled to cope with the visitors' pace and was caught in awkward positions on multiple occasions.

CB - Harry Maguire - 7/10

Maguire had some shaky moments in the first half, but grew into a commanding presence as the game progressed. Often in the right places to make crucial clearances and win back the ball in important areas. His passing, however, was inconsistent.

LCB - Leny Yoro - 8/10

Yoro was a bright spark in the backline, as he worked hard to win the key battles. He was confident in his approach, winning 10 duels and making many key clearances. Brave in moving the ball forward and played a nice pass leading to Mount's goal.

RWB - Noussair Mazraoui - 6/10

The Moroccan defender was very proactive and alert on his side. He mostly neutralized the visitors' movement down his side, using his smart game-reading skills to make some key clearances. Taken off because of a booking.

LWB - Patrick Dorgu - 6.5/10

Dorgu had a topsy-turvy outing. He created a few nice chances in the first half, especially with a big chance for Garnacho. But he was often dispossessed in key areas, struggled to find the final passes, and got some things wrong. He did work hard defensively, winning nine duels!

CM - Manuel Ugarte - 6.5/10

Ugarte was a proactive presence in the midfield, covering a lot of ground to help his side win battles. He won six duels and made eight possession recoveries, being a lively figure. His passing was a bit wobbly and lacked precision at times.

CM - Casemiro - 9/10

Casemiro continues his impressive run of excelling against Spanish opponents. He was a proactive, alert figure in the midfield and ensured his side maintained calmness. Casemiro made six tackles and won 12 duels in a superb defensive display, and passed the ball around efficiently too.

RAM - Alejandro Garnacho - 4/10

Garnacho was able to entertain fans with his movement, but his final product was really poor. He was sent through on goal on multiple occasions in the first half but missed two big chances. Put one major chance wide in the first half.

LAM - Bruno Fernandes - 7.5/10

Fernandes was not as impactful as the first leg, but he played a key role in maintaining composure among his teammates. He did create a few big chances with his clever passes and assisted Casemiro's goal with a free-kick, but couldn't get any shots past the goalkeeper.

CF - Rasmus Hojlund - 7/10

The Danish forward was able to frustrate the defenders with his smart hold-up play and linking his side on counter-attacks. His perseverance paid off with a nice tap-in for a late goal.

SUB - Luke Shaw - 6/10

Shaw added some dynamism and energy on the left side, moving the ball forward well. Did a solid job in keeping his side from conceding any goals in the second half.

SUB - Mason Mount - 8/10

Mount made a terrific impact as a substitute, doing exactly what Amorim needed from him. He produced a beautiful curling goal for his first before a brilliant long-range shot for his second goal.

SUB - Amad Diallo - 7.5/10

Diallo raised the danger levels of Manchester United by making some excellent forward runs. He dribbled his way into the danger areas constantly and made a nice pass for Hojlund's goal.

SUB - Kobbie Mainoo - 6/10

Mainoo helped United dominate the final stages of the game, moving the ball around nicely and pushing his side forward efficiently.

SUB - Harry Amass - N/R

Amass added some positive energy levels late on to help his side get all three points in style.

Manager - Ruben Amorim - 8/10

Ruben Amorim saw his side put under pressure in the first half, but did a splendid job to ensure they didn't crumble. His substitutions were spot on in changing the game, with Mount scoring twice and Diallo making a big impact. United were ruthless on the breaks and were able to maintain their unbeaten European record under him.

Athletic Club Player Ratings vs Manchester United

GK – Julen Agirrzebala - 4/10

The 27-year-old was sharp in the first half, popping out of his goal to make some vital saves and making things tough for Garnacho for his missed chances. He couldn't do much to save Mount's impressive effort. He was caught in a bad position for Hojlund's goal and caught in no-man's land to concede the final goal horribly.

RB - Andoni Gorosabel - 6.5/10

Andoni did a pretty solid decent job defensively, keeping out the Red Devils' movement through the right flank. He made five possession recoveries to move his forward, but struggled to create chances.

CB - Yeray Alvarez - 6/10

Alvarez was probably Athletic Club's most effective and commanding defensive figure. He kept Hojlund mostly quiet, making seven clearances and winning quite a few key duels in helping fend off danger. But he was outwitted by Mount for his goal and lost all energy late on.

CB - Unai Nunez - 5.5/10

Like his defensive partner, Nunez was made to really work by the Red Devils' counter-attacks and did a pretty solid job in the first half. He made some nice clearances and interceptions, but couldn't commit to challenges for the goals

LB - Yuri Berichiche - 5/10

The 35-year-old had to cover a lot of ground on the left side. He did a good job moving the ball forward and creating some stuff, but was caught in some awkward positions defensively. Tormented by Amad Diallo in the second half.

CM - Inigo Ruiz - 6/10

The 31-year-old worked hard to regain possession repeatedly, winning the ball back quite a few times in the midfield areas. His passing was a bit sloppy, and his inability to create chances also saw him taken off.

CM - Mikel Jauregizar - 7/10

The young midfielder could be proud of his effort. He worked his socks off in the midfield, making several key possession recoveries and winning the ball back in some important areas. Produced a special strike to give his side the lead, only to come up short in the end.

AM - Unai Gomez - 6.5/10

The young winger had a pretty eventful outing against Manchester United. He was able to get into some promising areas and get the ball into key areas. Had a shot saved by Onana in the first half and a header go just wide before his substitution.

RW - Alvaro Djalo - 4/10

Djalo had a pretty forgettable outing at Old Trafford. He was able to get into some nice areas, but his final product was poor. Couldn't create anything big and lost 15 duels on his side, too!

LW - Alex Berenguer - 5/10

Berenguer was able to get to the end of some big chances in the first half, but his final product was poor. He had some big chances, but put most of his shots off-target and couldn't create much either.

CF - Maraoan Sannadi - 4/10

Sannadi was unable to get involved in the game, as he barely completed nine passes and struggled with his link-up play. Couldn't test Onana in any manner.

SUB - Oscar de Marcos - 5/10

De Marcos failed to really add any major attacking threat and was kept on the back foot with the counter-attacks. Caught in an awkward place for Mount's goal.

SUB - Bernat Prados - N/R

Failed to add anything special for his side and ended up getting substituted minutes after coming on.

SUB - Aingeru Olabarrieta - 5/10

Had a weak effort easily denied and couldn't get as involved as his manager would've wanted him to.

SUB - Gorka Guruzeta -5/10

The experienced forward got to the end of a chance after coming on, only to put his side wide. He was caught ball-watching before Casemiro's goal, too.

SUB - Mikel Vesga - N/R

Failed to add any driving nature in the midfield.

Manager - Ernesto Valverde - 4.5/10

Valverde was able to shape up his side nicely to take the fight to Manchester United, and his side's tactics in the first half were pretty nailed on, seeing them take the lead. However, his decision to have his players press them high up and play at a high energy had its cost, as the Athletic Club players fell flat after a point in time to suffer a bad loss. His substitutes failed to impress either.

Sportsdunia's Man of the Match award goes to Man United's Casemiro.