Chapter 522: Guardiola: It's Too Difficult for Me!
"Red card! Delph has been sent off! As the last defender, he pushed Bruno, who was about to get a one-on-one chance!" Lineker exclaimed. "That kind of foul definitely deserves a red card, so the referee has sent him off. Delph wasn't calm enough. Even if he let Bruno into the box, Ederson could have still saved it. But now, being a goal down and a man down, it's a double loss."
Guardiola was furious. He jumped around anxiously, scratching his bald head. He suddenly remembered something and shouted to Arteta, "Mikel, call back Bernardo!"
With Delph sent off, the planned substitution of bringing on Bernardo Silva needed reconsideration.
"Forget it, go ahead with the substitution," Guardiola said after a brief hesitation.
Arteta glanced at David Silva, who was sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his leg, and nodded in understanding.
So, with David Silva injured and forced off, Guardiola followed through with the planned substitution and made temporary positional adjustments.
Bernardo Silva replaced David Silva, then partnered with Mkhitaryan as the double pivot, while Fernandinho moved to center-back to fill Delph's void.
From an objective standpoint, with David Silva injured and Delph sent off, Guardiola had a bad feeling: "Are we going to lose?"
But Guardiola wouldn't give up. After all, City were only one goal down. They could still equalize or even turn the game around.
"We are Manchester City! The mighty City!"
Guardiola decisively made his third substitution, bringing on Phil Foden for Sterling.
Sterling was in poor form and hadn't created many chances. However, he was clearly unhappy with being substituted.
Sterling's face was dark as he slowly walked off, giving Foden a perfunctory high-five.
Then, Sterling exchanged some heated words with Guardiola on the touchline. Only after Arteta's persuasion did he reluctantly high-five Guardiola and head to the bench.
The cameras zoomed in on Sterling, showing his disgruntled expression and his muttering under his breath.
At this moment, Sterling felt that playing football was anything but joyful.
Mourinho rubbed his chin in thought. With Guardiola's latest substitution, City's midfield trio was now Bernardo Silva, Mkhitaryan, and De Bruyne, with Sane, Jesus, and Foden forming a three-man front line.
Without much hesitation, Mourinho also made a substitution, bringing on Lingard for Gundogan, reverting to the 4-3-3 formation that started the game.
The flurry of substitutions and tactical adjustments set the rhythm for the remaining half-hour of the match.
Guardiola clearly intended to go all out. Faced with Guardiola's decision, Mourinho's tactic was clear: counter-attack against City.
Mourinho's substitution and tactical adjustments proved successful.
In the 65th minute, United capitalized on City's aggressive forward push to launch a quick counter-attack. Harry Kane headed the ball to Lingard, who scored.
3-1, United restored their two-goal lead.
Mourinho applauded from the sidelines, even letting out a triumphant whistle.
Not far away, already fuming over the goal, Guardiola nearly lost his temper. He urgently needed to relieve himself.
Guardiola quickly adjusted his pants, then shot a venomous glare at the United bench.
The grudge deepened.
Eight minutes later, City scored their second goal.
City's midfield star De Bruyne drew at least two United defenders' attention with the ball before feigning a long shot and instead lofting a pass.
Sane burst through, chesting the ball down and surging into the box. Displaying exquisite footwork, he maneuvered past Maguire's tackle.
"Sane! He's past Maguire, and he still has the ball!"
Van Dijk watched Sane closely, not daring to tackle for fear of a foul. But Valencia didn't hold back, sliding in from the side, though he missed.
Sane, anticipating Valencia's slide, poked the ball forward before leaping to avoid the tackle.
The ball rolled into the net past a sprawling De Gea.
"Sane—GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLL!!!!" The City commentator roared.
Seeing Sane's goal, Guardiola clenched his fists and punched the air towards Mourinho. This goal brought him immense satisfaction.
"Fuck!" Mourinho couldn't help but curse.
United captain Bruno looked to Mourinho for instructions: what now at 2-3?
Mourinho gestured: stick to the plan!
Continue counter-attacking City. At 2-3, City were the ones under pressure, not United.
United needed to exploit City's offensive gaps for another quick counter-attack.
Despite City's regained morale, Mourinho observed that they weren't their usual fluid selves. The two goals resulted from moments of brilliance, not their typical cohesive play.
In the 79th minute, Mourinho leapt from his seat, shouting vigorously, only to be embraced by assistant coach Faria.
Bernardo Silva's pass was intercepted, launching a United counter-attack. In a few passes, they reached the box. Makeshift center-back Fernandinho tugged on Harry Kane's shirt, and the United forward promptly fell.
The referee blew his whistle, pointed to the spot, and brandished a second yellow card, followed by a red.
Fernandinho stood stunned, receiving a red card for a minor shirt pull.
He had instinctively grabbed Kane's shirt and tried to let go immediately, hoping Kane wouldn't fall. But the experienced Englishman capitalized, diving in the box.
Fernandinho felt the Englishman had baited him into the foul.
Seeing the referee's decision, Fernandinho's emotions boiled over. He shouted at the referee, insisting he hadn't fouled Kane.
It wasn't just a plea for a reversal; it was a venting of his frustrations. This match had been a nightmare for him.
In the first half, he'd been battered by United's relentless attacks. After Guardiola switched to a double pivot, things improved slightly.
Then Delph was sent off, and Fernandinho had to play center-back. Now he was sent off, with a penalty awarded against City.
The referee, maintaining a stern expression, pointed to the sidelines, signaling Fernandinho to leave.
In a fit of rage, Fernandinho continued protesting until Kyle Walker pulled him away, escorting him off the field.
De Bruyne tried reasoning with the referee, who explained his decision but stood firm.
On the sidelines, Guardiola threw his hands up, jumping around in frustration, vehemently disputing the decision.
To Guardiola, a penalty was punishment enough. Given Fernandinho already had a yellow card, the red card felt excessive.
Manchester City was already down to ten men. The referee should've considered this.
United's penalty was taken by Bruno, with Ederson diving the wrong way. The ball hit the net.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLL!!!!"
"4-2! United extend their lead again!"
"United now lead by two goals and have a two-man advantage."
"At Old Trafford, City are in deep trouble. With ten minutes left, City are down 2-4 and reduced to nine men. It looks like City might concede more," Lineker commented.
Guardiola sat on the bench, a mix of anger and helplessness on his face.
He knew the game was over.
With Delph and Fernandinho sent off and David Silva injured, Guardiola felt overwhelmed.
If Guardiola were Chinese, he'd think of the proverb: "When it rains, it pours."
In this situation, City had no chance of turning things around.
Guardiola's focus now was to prevent further humiliation.
Another five-goal defeat to United would be a nightmare.
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