The fervent home fans were enraged when Athletic defender Daniel Vivian was sent off for pulling back Rasmus Hojlund and Fernandes slotted home the resulting penalty, after Casemiro had opened the scoring against the run of play in the semi-final first leg.
Fernandes rolled in a third before half-time as Ruben Amorim’s side moved a step closer to the final, to be held at Athletic’s San Mames stadium.
The hosts have been dreaming of winning a first European trophy on their own soil but their hopes were demolished by United’s professional display in the north of Spain – and Athletic’s supporters argued, the refereeing.
Languishing in 14th in the Premier League, Champions League qualification for United is only possible with a Europa League triumph, as is access to the £100 million ($133 million) honeypot it entails.
Despite regularly crumbling under pressure this season, the Red Devils – who produced a stunning comeback against Lyon in the quarter-finals – first survived and then thrived in a hostile environment.
With May 1 a bank holiday in Spain the streets of Bilbao were filled with red-and-white striped shirts from the morning onwards, with thousands of fans turning up at their team’s hotel to see the Athletic bus set off for the stadium.
The San Mames was rocking, with fans raising red and white cards around the stadium ahead of the game to welcome the players, all of them born or raised in the Basque country, as per the club’s century-long policy.
“This is not the theatre of dreams, this is The Cathedral of football,” it read on the back, a reference to the stadium’s nickname.
Alejandro Garnacho’s early strike gave the hosts a scare but the forward was offside.
Beyond that the early stages of the match for United were about gritting their teeth and holding off the Basque side and their raucous supporters.
Meanwhile, Tottenham closed in on a place in the Europa League final after Brennan Johnson struck just 38 seconds into their 3-1 win against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.
Johnson’s quick-fire opener was followed by James Maddison’s strike before the interval in the semi-final first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Dominic Solanke’s second-half penalty should have been the end of the tie. But a late goal from Ulrik Saltnes ensured the second leg on May 8 will be a nervous occasion for beleaguered Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou.
Postecoglou will also have to sweat on the fitness of Solanke and Maddison after both limped off with injuries.
If Tottenham can get the job done in Norway, they will face Manchester United or Athletic Bilbao in the final on May 21, with the tournament winners qualifying for the Champions League next season.
An all-Premier League clash in the final would present a fascinating duel between two clubs enduring miserable domestic campaigns.
Languishing in 16th place in the Premier League, Tottenham’s woeful 5-1 thrashing at Liverpool on Sunday was a club record-equalling 19th defeat in the top flight this season.
They have not suffered so many losses in a Premier League campaign since 2004.
Despite their abysmal top-flight form, Tottenham should reach their first European final since the 2019 Champions League as they bid to end a 17-year trophy drought.
Tottenham, whose last trophy was the League Cup, haven’t won a major European prize since lifting the UEFA Cup in 1984.
Postecoglou believes the “general sentiment” around football is he will be sacked even if he wins the Europa League to fulfil his boast that he always lifts a trophy in his second season.
The verdict is not yet in on Postecoglou, but this was an important moment in his bid to save his job.
An unheralded team from a tiny town north of the Arctic Circle, Bodo/Glimt’s fairytale run is not over just yet, but they have a huge task in the second leg.
They are the first Norwegian team to play in the semi-finals of a major European competition. (AFP)
