There are high stakes at St James’ Park, City could yet nab second and will Forest cope with playing on the front foot?

Antonee Robinson has been one of the best full-backs in the league this season. He flies up and down the left flank, defends well and whips in crosses. However, the Fulham defender was not at his sharpest during his side’s defeat by Aston Villa last weekend. He found it difficult to contain Morgan Rogers and his crossing was not up to its usual high standards. The concern is whether Robinson, who had missed Fulham’s previous game, is in peak physical condition. It has been a long campaign but Marco Silva needs the USA international to be ready to go when Everton visit Craven Cottage on Saturday. Robinson’s raids are a key part of Fulham’s attacking setup. Jacob Steinberg

Fulham v Everton, Saturday 3pm (all times BST)

Ipswich v Brentford, Saturday 3pm

Southampton v Manchester City, Saturday 3pm

Wolves v Brighton, Saturday 3pm

Bournemouth v Aston Villa, Saturday 5.30pm

Newcastle v Chelsea, Sunday noon

• Mount scores twice in home win over Athletic Bilbao
• 7-1 aggregate victory sets up final against Tottenham

A delighted Ruben Amorim praised “perfect” two-goal Mason Mount, as Manchester United swept past Athletic Bilbao and into the Europa League final against Tottenham, with four late strikes in 19 minutes.

Ruben Amorim’s men trailed 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao following Mikel Jauregizar’s first-half opener at Old Trafford and led 3-1 on aggregate before Mount equalised on 72 minutes of the second leg. Goals from Casemiro and Rasmus Højlund, in the 79th and 85th minutes followed before Mount scored again in added-time’s first minute.

Amid a gloomy season, pyrotechnics lit up Old Trafford and Mason Mount led United into the Europa League final

This match meant everything to Manchester United’s season, the one that could save it from oblivion. Amid the Sir Jim Ratcliffe penny-pinching, there was budget for pyrotechnics to complement the tifos and raucous chanting from both sets of fans to create a glorious backdrop for what could be one of the final great European nights at Old Trafford.

With plans in place to knock down the Theatre of Dreams and replace it with a 100,000-capacity stadium in as soon as five years and the current United squad going through a transition under Ruben Amorim, the prospect of reaching the final four in major competitions before the final brick is laid is not guaranteed.

The Mason Mount strike that sealed Manchester United’s Europa League final berth was as sublime as Ruben Amorim’s team were slipshod until the substitute took charge.

With 72 minutes gone, Leny Yoro prodded the ball to Mount who, with the sweetest touch of his right instep, swivelled, then bent the equaliser past the helpless Julen Agirrezabala.

• Hostile reception for world champion is greeted by boos
• Teenager beats Nathan Aspinall in Premier League

Luke Littler goaded the baying Leeds fans on his way to beating Nathan Aspinall in his opening match of night 14 of the Premier League. The world champion was given a hostile reception at the First Direct Arena owing to his Manchester United allegiance.

The 18-year-old was booed on to the stage and the fans, who have been celebrating their city’s football club winning the Championship, also whistled when he was throwing at doubles.

• Europa League updates, 8pm BST kick-off (first leg: 3-0)
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Taking a closer look at that United team, I’m not surprised it’s unchanged. They might’ve played Luke Shaw at left-centre-back and sent Yoro over to the right – that’s probably a better option than the one they’ve gone for, in Victor Lindelof – but Amorim is, as you would, easing Shaw back in slowly. If they make the final he’s still fit, having played the games in between, the manager has a decision to make.

Also going on:

• Manchester United lead 3-0 in Europa League semi-final
• Athletic missing Williams brothers and top scorer Sancet

Ruben Amorim admits Manchester United “can lose their minds” during games so is unsure how they will perform in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao, despite holding a 3-0 lead.

United are favourites to reach the final on 21 May at the San Mamés after their victory there last week thanks to Casemiro’s header and two goals from Bruno Fernandes. In the previous round’s return leg at Old Trafford they allowed a 2-0 advantage over Lyon to become a 4-2 deficit before scoring three goals in the final seven minutes of extra time to secure passage to the last four. United also led Lyon 2-1 in the first leg but conceded a 95th-minute Rayan Cherki equaliser.

From flop in Manchester to prince of Seville, flying winger is rivalling his new best friend for title of La Liga’s finest player

Antony Matheus dos Santos has played football with some bad men. Raised in Inferninho (Little Hell), a favela outside São Paulo, the way the Real Betis winger tells it, he grew up without shoes to play in or a bed of his own to sleep in, surrounded by drugs and guns. Some days he wouldn’t eat and one day, when he was six or seven, he had to jump over a dead body to get to school. Life was just the way it was, even on the rough concrete courts where his bleeding feet moved faster than the rest. “I played against traffickers and all sorts,” he said. “If you ask if I was scared, of course I was. But I always had a strong personality and the harder it was, the more I wanted to be there.”

So when someone threatened to kidnap him a week ago, Antony just laughed – and so did everyone else. This wasn’t São Paulo, this was Seville. And, like a lot of what is said there, it was just a joke, even if there were true words said in jest, born of fondness and admiration, a kind of desperation too, a disbelief that he is here with them and a determination to keep it that way. There was no anonymous letter this time, no ransom note cut from newspaper letters; instead, there was a message on Isco’s Instagram. “Antonio of Triana,” it read, “we’re going to kidnap you: this is your first warning.” A few days later, the second came. “If I have to provide the car to kidnap him, I will,” said former Betis player Joaquín. “However it happens, he has to stay.”

• United beaten 4-3 in 16th loss of league season
• ‘As a club we need to understand our responsibility’

Ruben Amorim kept his focus firmly on the Europa League despite Manchester United losing their 16th Premier League match of the season in being beaten 4-3 by Brentford.

“I think it’s stressful to lose games – when we’re fighting for a title it’s not stressful,” Amorim said in reference to United’s midweek need to defend their 3-0 lead against Athletic Club to reach the Europa League final. He made eight changes here, for the third youngest Premier League starting XI on record.

While Manchester United were celebrating Europa League glory in Bilbao on Thursday, Brentford’s defeat of Nottingham Forest in midweek had already confirmed the 20-times champions would finish the season in the bottom half for the first time since 1989-1990. Defeat at the Gtech made it 16 league losses for United, matching the loss count from 1989-1990. Not even a late – far too late – comeback in west London protected their modesty.

Brentford beat a yet more underpowered United selection than is normal, even for this season of historic mediocrity. A deserved home victory was secured via a fine headed double from Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa’s tap-in following a first goal gifted by the comically lax defending that has been a regular feature of United’s season.

• United won first leg 3-0 against Athletic Bilbao
• Senior players ‘need to handle these moments’

Harry Maguire has urged Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United’s other senior players to “step up” and ensure the team seal a Europa League final berth in Thursday’s semi-final second leg at Old Trafford after their 3-0 dismantling of Athletic Bilbao.

A Casemiro header and two Bruno Fernandes goals at San Mamés make United firm favourites to return to the stadium for the final, potentially against Tottenham, who are 3-1 up against Bodø/Glimt. Maguire was asked what the greatest threat was to United’s progress.

Manchester United beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at San Mamés on Thursday night after a goal from Casemiro and two from Bruno Fernandes. Speaking after the game their manager, Ruben Amorim, said: "I think it is the best result because nobody expected this result.” He added that it was “hard to explain” the differences in performances between the Premier League, where Manchester United are 14th, and the Europa League, in which Amorim's side are one leg away from the final.

• Ruben Amorim says Athletic Bilbao win is ‘best result’ of his time in charge so far

One of the most photographed men in the world, he has gone from captain of the England football team to elder statesman. We look back at the red cards, redemption, scandals, fashion and family life

It’s swings and roundabouts being a titchy kid in football. David Beckham first played for Chingford-based youth team the Ridgeway Rovers, where he was coached by his dad, Ted. Back then, he didn’t make the England schoolboys squad because he wasn’t burly enough – his father subsequently employing the somewhat nauseating tactic of feeding his son Guinness with raw eggs to gain weight. On the other hand, it did mean he could be a match mascot at Manchester United, his dad’s passion, at the age of 11, because he was still so cute and shrimpy.

• Manchester United head coach: ‘Nobody expected this’
• Harry Maguire’s form is a good lesson, says Amorim

Ruben Amorim described Manchester United’s 3-0 win at San Mamés as the best result secured during his time in charge of the club but warned his players that their passage into the final of the Europa League is still not secure.

The Portuguese coach said that proof of that was provided by the opening spell in which they had been under pressure and urged his players to focus on that. Asked if that was United’s best performance since taking charge in November, the head coach said: “No, I think it is the best result because nobody expected this result.”

Manchester City will be wary of Wolves, Graham Potter needs a derby win and Roméo Lavia is vital to Chelsea

Six straight wins in a run of seven unbeaten has lifted Wolves to 13th. Now Vítor Pereira’s side pose a problem that Manchester City must solve as the latter chase maximum points from their last four games in the race for Champions League qualification. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in the last eight in all competitions and buoyed by last Sunday’s reaching of a third successive FA Cup final, so this should be a close one. Keep an eye out for Guardiola potentially having a complimentary word with Matheus Cunha, as is his habit when coming up against a high-class opposition player. Jamie Jackson

Manchester City v Wolves, Friday 8pm (all times BST)

Aston Villa v Fulham, Saturday 12.30pm

Everton v Ipswich, Saturday 3pm

Leicester City v Southampton, Saturday 3pm

Arsenal v Bournemouth, Saturday 5.30pm

Brentford v Manchester United, Sunday 2pm

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, 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.

Manchester United have one foot in the final after a commanding display against 10-man Bilbao

3 min: … but nothing comes of it, Ruiz De Galarreta attempting a shot from distance that bounces apologetically through to Onana.

2 min: Bilbao on the front foot quickly. Nico Williams makes good down the left and looks for his brother Inaki at the far stick. Dorgu is forced to turn it behind for the first corner of the game.

Manchester United enjoyed their night in Bilbao so much that they will surely be coming back. They remain the only unbeaten team among the more than 100 that have played this competition over eight long months, and even if they do fall to a first in seven days’ time, the margin of this victory means they should still be there on its final game in this same arena, the season given meaning and potentially a triumphant end, the Europa League their elixir and their escape once again.

They came to the stadium everyone calls the Cathedral and defeated Athletic Bilbao so convincingly that the second leg carries little threat. No one had won here this year in Europe and Athletic had conceded just 10 times in all competitions; United scored three in a quarter of an hour, an opening goal from Casemiro and two from Bruno Fernandes ending this before half-time. All the more so because the second came from the spot, accompanied by a red card for Dani Vivian, infuriating the home supporters and virtually ensuring that they will not play the final they host on 21 May.

All the facts and figures as Tottenham host Bodø/Glimt and Manchester United travel to Athletic Bilbao

By WhoScored

Manchester United travel to the Basque Country for the second time this season. They can expect a tougher test in the semi-finals than they had against Real Sociedad in the last 16. United won that tie 5-2 on aggregate, Bruno Fernandes scoring a fine hat-trick at Old Trafford in one of their best performances of the season. In a season of many lows, the Europa League has given United some solace – and an opportunity to qualify for Europe next season.

• Manager says addressing wider problems matters more
• Amorim confident United ‘are prepared’ for Athletic tie

Ruben Amorim has said even winning the Europa League will not save Manchester United’s season, the head coach stating that only “good decisions” can transform his side in the long term.

United are at Athletic Bilbao for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg, conscious that claiming the competition will conclude a troubled campaign with silverware and Champions League qualification. With United in 14th and certain to finish in their lowest position in the Premier League, it would also give Amorim a trophy after taking over in late October. However, the Portuguese is clear it would not make the campaign a success.