"Rashford tried to cut inside from the left."
"Matic stepped up to intercept, and together with Lindelöf, they closed in on Rashford from both sides."
"Rashford went down and lost possession, but the referee didn't blow the whistle."
"Manchester United's ball."
"Alphonso Davies immediately recovered the ball, but Wan-Bissaka passed it to Lingard, who was tracking back."
"Just as Lingard was about to control the ball, Declan Rice made a beautiful sliding tackle."
"Leeds United's defensive midfielder charged straight into the edge of Manchester United's penalty area and dispossessed Lingard."
"The White Roses have been pressing very high up the pitch today."
"Let's see how Declan Rice handles this one."
"He switches it to the right flank, finds Sancho..."
Sancho tried to cut inside but was quickly closed down by United's midfielder McTominay. His rushed shot didn't pose any real threat, but this time, Leeds United had pinned Manchester United inside their own box, unleashing wave after wave of attack and counter-pressing.
By this point, 21 minutes had passed, and Manchester United hadn't created a single dangerous chance.
It was clear to everyone that United were in a difficult situation.
They were completely passive.
It even felt like Leeds United could score at any moment.
...
"What's going on?"
Ratcliffe had remained calm at the beginning, but after more than twenty minutes, even the most casual fans could tell that Manchester United were under pressure.
They were truly being pinned back in their own half by Leeds United and barely managing to hold on defensively.
"That's our tactical setup," the Manchester United CEO replied after a moment's hesitation.
"Our setup?" Ratcliffe wasn't naive. "Manchester United's football has always been attacking football."
He turned his head to look at Ferguson, who sat two seats away, and said, "Isn't that right, Sir Ferguson?"
Ferguson glanced at Ratcliffe, then at the club's executives, and forced a smile. "Our opponents are indeed slightly stronger, but our tactics are pragmatic. We still have a good chance."
The executives nearby visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Ferguson wasn't wrong.
The team's tactics were indeed pragmatic, and with so much time left in the game, there was still hope.
Whether Ratcliffe failed to grasp Ferguson's subtext or chose not to point it out, he nodded and said, "Our squad still needs more strengthening."
Several people around him echoed the sentiment, with some even suggesting that the technical staff begin preparations immediately and look to bring in strong reinforcements during the winter transfer window, even dreaming of challenging for the Champions League.
Ferguson, listening from the side, felt awkward.
He realized that Gao Shen had been absolutely right.
Ratcliffe was no fool, nor were the people around him. Yet, somehow, a group of intelligent people were behaving like fools.
There was a reason for it.
The key was that everyone focused solely on Ratcliffe, eager to flatter and please the boss.
Unfortunately, Ratcliffe, a traditional British businessman, enjoyed that kind of flattery.
When all he heard were compliments, he naturally stopped listening to anything else.
Just like now, would Ferguson dare to speak the truth?
Could he?
Should he tell Ratcliffe that the multi-million-pound "system" he invested in was a complete joke?
Should he tell him that the technical staff were privately mocking him to their former colleagues?
Or tell him that the squad he built wasn't actually competitive?
Or worse, tell him that if Manchester United didn't adjust tactically, it was only a matter of time before they conceded?
Ferguson wasn't stupid.
Everyone knew the fate of the child who dared to say the emperor had no clothes.
He was retired now. Why risk it? Better to live out his days as a beloved Manchester United legend.
Just then, he overheard club executives analyzing the game for Ratcliffe.
The idea was that United actually performed better under high pressure, and their counter-attacking style could thrive in this setup.
Wasn't Manchester City's advantage over United greater than what Leeds had now?
Did City break United's defense?
No, right?
So no matter how Leeds United attacked, Manchester United could hold firm and not concede.
"The more fiercely they attack, the more dangerous our counterattack will be."
...
Sure enough, just as the United executives made that claim, their team launched a quick counterattack.
After regaining the ball, Maguire quickly sent a long pass into the attacking third.
United's center forward Rodrygo ran into space, received the ball, and controlled it well. As Daniel James surged forward on the right, Rodrygo played the ball into his path.
Daniel James drove forward, attempting to dribble past Rúben Dias, but the Portuguese defender slid in decisively and won the ball cleanly.
Alphonso Davies, who had tracked back, quickly collected the ball.
United pressed aggressively again, with Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James attempting to double-team Alphonso Davies.
Leeds United's left-back stayed close to the sideline and quickly passed the ball forward.
Rashford had dropped back to the halfway line, with his back to goal, and switched the ball to Haaland, who was open on the left.
Haaland controlled it, made a slight adjustment, and as Maguire stepped up to engage, Haaland played a diagonal through ball.
Sancho broke into the middle, controlled the pass with a beautiful first touch, turned, and surged forward, drawing Luke Shaw's attention.
At the same time, Valverde on the right and Rashford on the left sprinted forward at high speed, with Haaland trailing them.
Leeds United's counterattack pushed forward with incredible speed.
If you froze the frame at that moment, you'd see only Luke Shaw in front of Sancho. Lindelöf was struggling to track Rashford.
Sancho stayed composed and, just outside the penalty area arc, passed the ball to the right side of the box with his right foot.
Valverde sprinted into position, latched onto Sancho's pass, controlled the ball in the box, and unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot.
The ball rocketed into Manchester United's net.
"Goallllllllllllllll!!!!!!"
"Valverde!!!"
"In the 23rd minute, Valverde opens the scoring for Leeds United!"
"That was a devastating Leeds United counterattack!"
"From the left, through the center, then to the right flank. Valverde's sprint was perfect."
"Manchester United's defense was completely broken."
After scoring, Valverde sprinted toward the stands where Gao Shen was seated, pumping his fists and shouting in celebration.
1-0!
The Leeds United players followed, all rushing over to celebrate with Valverde.
This goal broke the deadlock and completely shifted the momentum of the match!
The broadcast cut to the stands, showing Gao Shen excitedly cheering for his team.
Manchester United owner Ratcliffe looked furious. He was visibly shocked and clearly unhappy about the sudden goal.
...
After conceding, Manchester United began to show internal cracks.
Logically, at home, they should've shown more urgency.
Especially with boos and shouts from the fans echoing around the stadium, they should've pushed forward more aggressively.
But Solskjær's pre-match strategy had been clear: sit deep and hit on the counter.
The problem now was that they had already conceded and were under serious pressure. If they didn't try to regain control of the game, how were they going to equalize?
As a result, confusion crept in. Players were no longer on the same page.
Some were eager to push forward and chase the game, while others stayed cautious and stuck to the original plan.
This created a disconnect throughout United's formation. The midfield and attack were cut off from the defense.
Less than six minutes after the opening goal, Leeds United's Achraf Hakimi received the ball near the halfway line.
Martial pressed up, followed by Luke Shaw and McTominay.
Sancho dropped deeper, and Valverde came over to support him.
Haaland also dropped back, forcing Maguire to follow.
Just then, Haaland laid the ball off to Sancho, who quickly passed to Valverde.
The Uruguayan drove forward down the right, drawing Matic's attention, then cut the ball across.
Enzo Fernández surged through the middle, meeting Valverde's pass and, without stopping, played a brilliant ball out to the left.
Rashford caught up to it near the corner of the box, controlled it, and drove inside.
Facing Wan-Bissaka, Rashford first feinted toward the byline, then stopped and cut inside, dragging the ball laterally with his right foot to create space. He then curled a shot toward the far post.
The ball bent perfectly and crashed into the right side of Manchester United's net.
De Gea had positioned himself to the left and couldn't react to the shot curling away to the far corner.
"Goallllllllllllllllll!!!!!"
"Rashford!!!"
"In the 29th minute, Rashford adds a second for Leeds United!!"
"My God, Leeds United have scored twice in just six minutes."
"Amazing!"
"After more than 20 minutes of pressure, Leeds United's attacks started to break through. Manchester United's defense couldn't cope with the pace and intensity, and they've now been punished twice."
"Solskjær has to rethink his strategy now. United need to settle down quickly."
"Especially the defensive setup, which is not holding up."
"Don't forget, Leeds United specialize in this kind of high-tempo, blitz-style football. Once they find a rhythm, they can launch wave after wave of attacks. If you don't adjust, it gets dangerous fast."
(To be continued.)