The earlier prediction proved to be absolutely correct.
In the third round of the Premier League, Manchester United visited the Amex Stadium to face Brighton.
From the very beginning, Brighton used their home advantage to launch a series of attacks against Manchester United, creating several excellent scoring opportunities. In the first 30 minutes alone, they hit the post twice.
In the 40th minute, Brighton finally scored, but just three minutes later, Maguire equalized for Manchester United with a free kick.
After the break, Brighton had a penalty decision overturned, hit the right post in the 60th minute, and then struck the crossbar again.
Brighton's luck was truly poor, hitting the woodwork four times.
Manchester United paid the price for their poor form in the 95th minute of stoppage time.
Telles failed to tightly mark his man on the left flank, allowing the opponent to cross from the right. March headed the ball into the net at the far post, scoring the winner.
Brighton defeated Manchester United 2-1 at home, pulling off another upset.
...
Manchester United's defeat didn't create much of a stir.
Almost all of the top teams faced problems in this round.
After Manchester United, Chelsea went away to face West Bromwich Albion. In less than 30 minutes of the first half, they conceded three goals. Although they pulled three back later, the match ended 3-3 and they failed to secure three points.
Manchester City drew 2-2 with Leicester City at home thanks to goals from Mahrez and Ake.
Arsenal suffered a 1-3 defeat away to Liverpool at the Allianz Stadium, despite Lacazette opening the scoring.
Leeds United also played away against newly promoted Sheffield United.
Haaland opened the scoring for Leeds United in the 33rd minute.
In the 71st minute, Rashford scored again, and Haaland grabbed his second in the 85th minute, recording a brace in his third consecutive match.
The 20-year-old Norwegian showed excellent form at the start of the season and has been unstoppable.
Among the third-round fixtures, Gao Shen paid the most attention to Tottenham's home game against Newcastle.
The clash between Mourinho and Ancelotti, two famous managers, was also a battle between two Middle Eastern-backed clubs.
In the end, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Tottenham performed better, especially Son Heung-min, who hit the post twice and looked in great form. However, Ancelotti's defense was well-organized, and Osimhen scored the equalizer for Newcastle in stoppage time.
After three rounds, Manchester United had only one point, ranking 16th in the Premier League, just above the relegation zone.
This raised serious concerns among the public, and fans were extremely dissatisfied.
But Solskjaer still expressed confidence in the team.
In the next round, Manchester United would host Tottenham Hotspur at home. Solskjaer said he firmly believed they could beat Tottenham and hoped to prove himself in this match.
Mourinho is a former manager of Manchester United.
After failing to acquire the club in a previous bidding war with Ratcliffe, the Qatari consortium turned their focus to Tottenham.
Now, all the old and new grudges were about to erupt in this single match.
...
Manchester, Old Trafford Stadium.
In the fourth round of the Premier League, Manchester United hosted Tottenham Hotspur.
Ferguson invited Gao Shen to sit in the President's Stand, but accompanied by Caro, he sat among the Tottenham fans instead. The outcome of the match was completely unexpected.
Just 97 seconds into the game, Martial scored for Manchester United. The French winger cut inside from the left and fired a beautiful shot, making it seem as if United were about to secure a home win.
Only three minutes later, Maguire headed the ball back toward the goalkeeper, but Lamela intercepted it and pressured Maguire and Luke Shaw to the ground in the box, giving Bruno Fernandes a chance to shoot from close range.
Tottenham equalized 1-1.
Then, Bruno Fernandes quickly took a free kick, sending a through ball to Son Heung-min, who shook off two United defenders and scored in a one-on-one, turning the score around.
At this point, the tide of the match had completely shifted.
Tottenham then created several more chances, but failed to extend the lead.
In the 30th minute, Son Heung-min crossed from the left, and Abraham headed the ball in from close range to make it 3-1.
Seven minutes later, Aurier crossed from the right, and Son Heung-min scored from a tight angle to make it 4-1.
By now, the match had slipped entirely out of United's control. The players lost their composure amid the boos of the home crowd.
Shortly after the second half began, Bailly fouled Abraham, then deliberately stepped on his leg as he got up, earning a straight red card.
Down to ten men, United's performance worsened.
In the 51st minute, Højbjerg delivered a through pass. Aurier broke into the right side of the box and scored, making it 5-1.
In the 79th minute, Ben Davies dribbled into the left side of the penalty area and passed back to Bruno Fernandes, who unleashed a powerful shot to make it 6-1.
Late in the game, Lucas Moura, who had come on for Lamela, dribbled past Luke Shaw on the right.
Shaw had been dominated by Lamela all game. Now, seeing Lucas Moura about to go past him again, he launched a reckless sliding tackle even though he couldn't reach the ball.
Lucas Moura was sent flying, and the referee showed a red card again, sending Shaw off.
Tottenham thrashed Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford.
...
Gao Shen sat at Old Trafford, surrounded by the cheers of Tottenham fans and the boos of United supporters.
He didn't know which box Ratcliffe was in, but imagined it must have been full of varied expressions.
"Right now, the Premier League cameras will definitely be aimed at Ratcliffe. I need to find the footage later to see his expression," Gao Shen laughed to Carlo.
This match had truly been unexpected.
Who would have thought Tottenham could beat United 6-1 away from home?
The key point was that Manchester United had truly hit rock bottom.
Of course, Tottenham were in excellent form this season. After Mourinho signed Abraham, the midfield also received reinforcements like Bruno Fernandes and Højbjerg, making Tottenham's midfield and attack far more dynamic and structured.
As Gao Shen said before, modern football tactics have a defining feature: you simply cannot defend without being able to attack.
If you can't score, relying solely on defense is suicide.
"61.9% to 38.1%, who would believe that was Tottenham's possession against Manchester United?" Carlo said with a bitter smile.
"Not just possession, but also passing frequency and accuracy. We had four times as many shots, and double the number of clearances and interceptions compared to United."
After a pause, Carlo couldn't help but laugh. "Mourinho secured a comprehensive victory. He's proven his coaching ability."
Who could argue with that?
Mourinho had previously faced heavy criticism during his time at Manchester United, but now, he returned with Tottenham and proved himself.
Before the match, Solskjaer said he wasn't afraid of Mourinho's return. But now...
"The Theatre of Dreams is hosting a comedy show tonight," Gao Shen laughed.
Manchester United fielded three new signings: Rodrygo, Ndombele, and Van de Beek, but all of them performed poorly.
This wasn't just a player issue. The entire team had performed badly.
Manchester United's management structure was also quite strange.
Solskjaer, a club legend, had a very retro mindset. For example, he wanted to return to the Ferguson era where the manager only handled match-day decisions and dressing room matters, leaving daily training and tactical preparation to his assistants.
Do you know how many assistant coaches United's first team currently has?
Five.
Michael Carrick, Kieran McKenna, Mark Dempsey, Mike Phelan, Martin Pert.
And that doesn't include Darren Fletcher, who coached the youth team but often worked with the first team.
This setup shows that United's decision-making system is odd. The manager openly admits his assistants know more about football and tactics, while he's good at something else.
But how can your team function like this?
In Ferguson's time, he could hold things together. Can Solskjaer do the same?
In this match, United's midfield offered no protection. They couldn't resist Tottenham's advances, allowing repeated direct attacks on the defense.
That tactic exposed United's defensive weaknesses completely.
"Tottenham still missed quite a few chances tonight," Gao Shen said with some regret from the stands.
Calro agreed. The score looked high, but if you watched the game, you'd see that Tottenham could have created even more chances and scored more goals.
"If it were Leeds United playing a match like this, I bet we'd have scored double digits," Gao Shen said confidently.
Carlo gave a wry smile.
Manchester United has truly fallen from grace.
It's shocking to think they've become a team that could concede double digits to Leeds United. If word of that got out, it would be outrageous.
But if you actually watched the match, you'd see just how badly United played.
With Leeds United's current attacking efficiency, scoring ten goals is not an impossible task.
Forget everything else. Haaland's efficiency far exceeds Abraham's. Rashford has also been brilliant this season. Add in Sancho and the overlapping full-backs, and Leeds' attack is faster and more lethal.
If it had been Leeds United tonight, a double-digit scoreline would have been very possible.
But the Roses Derby won't take place until December.
Who knows what Manchester United will look like by then?
(To be continued.)