Referee Anthony Taylor finally blew the final whistle.
The Manchester United players looked relieved, as if they had just survived a disaster, while the Leeds United players, despite playing away, appeared unusually subdued.
Even after leading 9-0, they continued to create chances.
Several young substitutes were particularly active after coming on.
This made many believe that if the match had gone on a little longer, Leeds United might have scored double digits.
When Gao Shen heard the final whistle, he stood up and applauded his players.
Not just him, but his coaching staff and the Leeds United fans scattered around Old Trafford all stood to applaud.
Leeds United's performance tonight was absolutely brilliant, nearly flawless.
Whether it was possession, passing volume and accuracy, chance creation, or finishing efficiency, they were exceptional.
Gao Shen was deeply moved by it.
"Do you remember that Manchester United vs Tottenham game we watched?" he asked Carlo.
The Spaniard nodded hard. Of course he remembered. That was also a humiliating defeat for United.
"I said back then, if it were us, Leeds United, we could probably beat them by double digits, but…" Gao Shen sighed helplessly, his face full of regret and remorse.
Everyone nearby burst into laughter and cursed jokingly. "That's too much like Versailles."
They had just beaten Manchester United 9-0, and he was still talking about scoring more?
That was truly leaving United with no dignity at all.
But it also clearly showed just how serious Manchester United's problems were.
Both flanks were completely exposed, the midfield had no control, and Leeds United were able to threaten their penalty area with ease throughout the game.
If United could still make excuses for the loss to Spurs, there was none tonight.
This was a complete defeat, both in the run of play and on the scoreboard.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting Lord Ratcliffe," Gao Shen said with a smile as he walked off to the side.
The Leeds United players behind him also held back laughter as they followed.
...
The match was over, but Ratcliffe's embarrassment hadn't ended.
In the stands, many people surrounded him to discuss Manchester United's issues. Some were subtle, while others were blunt.
One person even pointed at him and shouted, "You've ruined Manchester United!"
Ratcliffe had to keep smiling and subtly signaled his assistants to disperse the crowd as soon as possible.
He was feeling utterly miserable.
He really didn't understand why the team was playing like this, especially after spending so much money.
First came the humiliating 1-6 loss to Spurs, then a six-game unbeaten run that raised hopes, and now, this 0-9 demolition at home in the Roses Derby against Leeds United.
When he turned and saw Ferguson, the awkwardness only deepened.
He had just said earlier that things couldn't be worse than that 0-8 defeat, but now look…
Damn it!
What kind of cursed world is this?
Ferguson had also been left disheartened by the historic defeat, but strangely, he felt a trace of satisfaction.
Even he didn't quite understand it.
Manchester United had just suffered one of their worst defeats ever. He should have been upset, even heartbroken.
But instead, why did he feel... oddly pleased?
"Hello, Sir Ratcliffe. What a wonderful match!" came a familiar, deep voice.
Ferguson smiled bitterly to himself. Right on cue.
Of course Gao Shen wouldn't miss a chance to twist the knife.
He simply stood to the side, calmly watching the performance unfold.
Ratcliffe was the best actor in the room. His expression shifted several times before he finally forced a bitter smile. "We've been exhausted lately, and our condition hasn't been good. You guys are in better form overall."
"Really?" Gao Shen chuckled, the kind of laugh that made people want to punch him. "Actually, we missed a lot of chances. We're still young, still a developing team."
Ratcliffe let out a dry laugh, cursing inside.
Damn it, you call yourselves 'developing'? Then what are we?
But when you looked at the average age of the Leeds squad, you had to admit they were young—around twenty on average. With this current group, if they stayed together and trained for a few more years, Leeds would definitely become one of Europe's top clubs.
Actually, they already were. They reached the Champions League semi-finals last season.
These Leeds players were simply too talented.
God knows where Gao Shen had dug up all these gems.
"This game taught us a lot. We've learned a lot. Thank you," Ratcliffe said, trying to maintain his gentlemanly façade.
Gao Shen kept laughing.
Even Ferguson wanted to punch him now.
Damn it, can you stop smiling like that?
It looks so fake, okay?
But why did it feel so good watching Ratcliffe suffer?
No one could understand Ferguson's tangled emotions, but at that moment, Gao Shen reached out to shake Ratcliffe's hand again.
"It's our pleasure to help. I hope you keep working hard, especially on that artificial intelligence analysis system. Keep improving it, iterate faster. After all, it's not easy to get accurate results from hundreds of simulations."
After saying that, he winked at Ferguson, said his goodbyes, and left.
Ratcliffe's face fell.
Before the match, he had told the media that Manchester United's AI analysis system had simulated hundreds of matches against Leeds United and United had won every single one.
But now? Not only did they not win, they lost 0-9.
Could there be anything more embarrassing?
Yes. Gao Shen just slapped him in the face about it.
Ratcliffe's expression turned grim. He turned to look at the Manchester United team behind him, his eyes sharp as he scanned the group.
He noticed Ferguson looking away, pretending to be distracted.
He couldn't do anything to Ferguson, but the others...
Just then, as the guests were preparing to leave, staff from Old Trafford approached.
"Distinguished guests, after such a wonderful match, we've prepared a special event to thank you for attending. Please follow me."
Ratcliffe was on the verge of collapse.
They had just lost 0-9 and were still holding a celebration?
The Manchester United CEO had completely lost it.
He had told the staff to prepare, but with the chaos during the match, they'd forgotten to cancel.
What a disaster!
Who else holds an event after suffering a record-breaking defeat at home?
"Haha, Manchester United is so generous. Even after losing like this, they still know how to treat their guests."
"Indeed. The new management is impressive."
"Hope we get more invitations in the future."
Ratcliffe's face twitched again and again.
Come again? You want to come more often?
I'm losing my mind here!
"Thank you, Sir Ratcliffe, for your hospitality!"
...
"Haha, that was really fun. That was amazing."
Even after leaving Old Trafford, Gao Shen was still reliving the match.
Su Qing sat in the passenger seat, while Gao Ming sat in the back.
For them, any Leeds United win was a good game.
And Leeds had been playing incredibly well this season.
Many thought there would be problems, but none ever appeared.
The biggest reason was that Enzo Fernández had filled Bruno Fernandes' role seamlessly, making the midfield smoother and more cohesive.
But Gao Shen was always planning ahead.
After this season, his advantage as a transmigrator would disappear.
From then on, he would face the unknown future just like everyone else.
"You should prepare financially. We're probably going to need to raise salaries again soon," Gao Shen instructed.
The team had performed so well, beyond expectations. Not even Gao Shen or the club management anticipated this level of cohesion and success from such a young group.
Right now, Leeds United's revenue was likely in the top three or four in Europe, even excluding transfer profits.
But in terms of wage expenditure, they probably didn't even rank in the top ten.
Forget clubs like Barcelona and Juventus, who were on another level in salary structure...
Even compared to regular clubs, Leeds United's wage bill was still low. That's why they had struggled to retain players in previous seasons.
But this year, with the season ending in 2021, Gao Shen had to lock down this squad.
These players were Leeds United's future.
"I had them draw up several plans and run simulations. We all agree that gradually increasing the salary structure won't cause major issues for the club," Su Qing said.
She knew better than anyone how much money Gao Shen had funneled out of Leeds United over the years.
Even many professionals were aware, but everyone turned a blind eye.
Otherwise, how else could Gao Shen have invested in Latin American, African, and Australian mining operations, bought into Chinese energy and tech stocks, and built an empire in new energy and high tech?
Su Qing managed all of it. She was now the brain behind Gao Shen's business empire.
"If we can retain this current group of players, I'm confident no club in Europe can compete with us in the future," Gao Shen said firmly.
When that time came, Leeds United would sweep through Europe with this generation of stars and build their own football dynasty.
Leeds United would take its place among the world's elite clubs.
That was Gao Shen's goal.
His acquisition of Leeds United had always been to build a world-class football powerhouse.
As for Manchester United... they were already half-dead, if not completely finished.
(To be continued.)