Chapter 530: The Tenth Manchester Derby Goal
On the afternoon of January 23, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Manchester United manager José Mourinho jointly attended the pre-match press conference.
"Manchester United is a team worthy of respect, but for Manchester City, victory is the only goal," Guardiola stated bluntly.
"Manchester City is one of the strongest teams in England and all of Europe. Playing against them is a wonderful experience. They have many great players, and Mr. Guardiola is a very successful championship coach..." Mourinho said.
Hearing this, the Manchester City reporters present nodded and smiled, pleased with this praise. But they were taken aback when Mourinho paused and then added, "I like playing against Manchester City because I have good luck against them. A little over a month ago, we had a wonderful experience playing against City, and I hope it will be the same this time."
"Do you mean you want to beat Manchester City?" a reporter quickly asked.
"No one rejects victory, and no one surrenders," Mourinho replied with a smile. "I like to win."
"Well said," Guardiola suddenly clapped the table. "I like to win too!"
Mourinho was startled and felt like punching the bald Spaniard, thinking he did it on purpose.
...
At 7:40 p.m., the noise from the stands at Old Trafford was deafening as the players from both teams took to the field.
The giant screen displayed the starting lineups for both teams.
Manchester United (Home):
Goalkeeper: RomeroDefenders: Valencia, Van Dijk, Maguire, Luke ShawMidfielders: Kante, Gundogan, BrunoForwards: Mbappe, Harry Kane, Rashford
Manchester City (Away):
Goalkeeper: BravoDefenders: Kyle Walker, Stones, Otamendi, ZinchenkoMidfielders: Fernandinho, David Silva, De BruyneForwards: Bernardo Silva, Sane, Aguero
United's captain, Bruno, won the coin toss against David Silva, and United chose their side of the field. City kicked off.
The players took their positions, and after the referee and linesmen confirmed the time, the whistle blew to start the match.
It was the second leg of the semi-final of the 2017-2018 EFL Cup, with United at home against City.
For Mourinho, it was difficult to prevent City from scoring, but he had confidence in his team's attacking abilities, so he decided to go head-to-head with them. City, focused on the cup, also aimed to attack fully. Guardiola disliked opponents who sat back in defense and believed his City team could break through.
The tactical plans and goals of both managers meant the match started with a fast pace and end-to-end action.
...
"Rashford! Rashford! Beautiful! He's past Kyle Walker! In this duel, the English left winger beats the English right back."
"Luke Shaw! Switching! Passing!"
"Harry Kane!"
"What a save! Bravo with a world-class save!"
Bravo, having made the save, angrily shouted at Stones, who had moved too slowly, failing to keep up with Harry Kane's sprint.
Mourinho applauded on the sidelines, cheering for his team's attack. Rashford and Luke Shaw's persistent efforts on the left flank were too much for Kyle Walker to handle alone. Despite being England teammates and knowing each other well, it was a 2-on-1 situation.
United won a corner.
Bruno's corner into the box saw Harry Kane's header under pressure from Stones lacking power, and Bravo easily caught the ball. The City goalkeeper quickly ran to the edge of the box and threw the ball to start a counterattack.
De Bruyne passed the ball to Fernandinho, who sidestepped Bruno and passed to Bernardo Silva.
Bernardo Silva, highly energetic, started his performance.
"Beautiful, Bernardo Silva!"
Bernardo Silva dribbled past Rashford, ignoring David Silva's raised hand for a pass, and continued along the wing.
...
Gundogan moved to defend Bernardo Silva, and United's left-center back Maguire shifted over to fill the gap left by Luke Shaw's advance.
"Pass the ball! Pass!" Guardiola shouted, waving his arms.
United's defense leaned heavily to the left, leaving space on the other side. If Bernardo Silva passed the ball, it would be a scoring opportunity.
Finally, as David Silva's arm grew tired and Bernardo Silva realized he couldn't break through further, he passed the ball.
David Silva prepared to receive it, but a red blur intercepted the ball.
It was Kante!
A beautiful interception, causing the commentator to exclaim, "Kante! When did he get there?! What a fantastic steal!"
Kante advanced with the ball, observed the surroundings, and passed to a teammate as Gundogan approached, then retreated without hesitation.
This was Kante, doing the dirty work but performing the most crucial tasks.
...
Gundogan advanced quickly, pushing aside De Bruyne's challenge and passing directly to Bruno.
Bruno controlled the ball beautifully, attempting to dribble past Fernandinho while drawing a City center-back to create space for Mbappe on the right.
A smooth left-foot pull to the right foot, a feint, but Fernandinho didn't fully fall for it. His trailing foot barely touched the ball, causing it to bounce.
But United's attack continued. Bruno reacted quickly, took a step forward, and flicked the ball with his right foot, a delicate move.
He then shielded the ball from Fernandinho and passed to the approaching Mbappe.
Mbappe, receiving the ball on the right, accelerated past Stones. The English defender tried to keep up but was easily outpaced by Mbappe's speed.
"He's through!"
"Stones, easily beaten, unbelievable!"
With the commentator's exclamations, Mbappe delivered a simple pass from the right.
"Bruno Fernandes——!!"
Harry Kane kept Otamendi occupied in the box, allowing Bruno to surge forward like a charging bull, muscling past Zinchenko and smashing the ball into the net before Fernandinho could intercept.
The ball flew like a cannonball into the goal. Bravo, leaping to save, couldn't reach it. The ball slammed into the net.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLL!!!!"
"Bruno! What a beautiful goal! What a powerful shot!!!"
The net shook violently.
Under the shining lights of Old Trafford, Bruno stood in front of the goal, clenched his fist, and roared skyward.
...
When Mbappe easily bypassed Stones and set up the pass, and Bruno's fierce shot sent the ball into City's net, Mourinho leaped from the dugout, arms raised in celebration.
In contrast, Guardiola angrily waved his arms, muttering curses. It wasn't directed at anyone specific; it was just his frustration at conceding.
"Pep, do we need to make adjustments?" assistant coach Arteta asked.
Guardiola shook his head. "It's too early for changes."
The match had only been going for eleven minutes.
"Our tactics are correct. United pushing forward to attack was expected," Guardiola said. "I'm just worried that United will sit back and defend now that they're leading."
Not just worried, Guardiola was almost certain United would play defensively with a 1-0 lead, a total score of 3-2. Defensive counter-attacks were Mourinho's specialty.
"Should we play defensive counter-attacks?" Carrick asked Mourinho.
Mourinho shook his head. "Did you notice? City's left flank exposed many problems during the goal."
"Stones seems off, and Zinchenko lacks experience and looks nervous," Carrick replied.
"Exactly, Michael," Mourinho said, pleased. "This is our chance. Focus on attacking City's left flank!"
Mourinho walked to the sidelines and called Kante over.
Kante, celebrating Bruno's goal with teammates, quickly ran back.
"Tell Bruno to focus attacks on City's left, especially between Stones and Zinchenko," Mourinho instructed.
Kante was surprised. Why didn't the coach directly tell Bruno about this offensive adjustment? But he didn't question it and ran back to the field.
On the other side, seeing Mourinho call Kante for instructions, Guardiola's face darkened, snorting: "A team that plays defensively after taking the lead, cowards."
(End of the Chapter)
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