Chapter 531: The World Has Changed
The game restarted, and Manchester City kicked off again from the center circle. Aguero passed the ball to De Bruyne, who then sent it back to Sane.
Eager to equalize, Sane didn't pass back but instead dribbled forward. He first sidestepped Harry Kane, who was pressing him, and then continued with the ball, bypassing Mbappe with a deft move.
"Sane! He's passed two players!"
Guardiola nodded, pleased with the German's fighting spirit and performance. Against a defensive United, Sane's skills and breakthroughs were crucial for City's attacking play.
Gundogan came up to intercept him.
Facing his German national teammate, Sane tried to force his way through, but Gundogan, unconcerned about their national ties, pushed Sane, causing him to lose balance and fall.
The referee's whistle blew, calling a foul on Gundogan for pushing. City got a free kick.
De Bruyne stood over the ball and sent it into the penalty area.
Aguero leaped to head it, but under Maguire's defense, the Argentine couldn't get a strong angle. His header was straight at United's goalkeeper Romero, who tried to catch it but underestimated its power, resulting in him punching it out.
...
Aguero jumped again, heading the ball towards David Silva.
The Spanish midfielder controlled it with his chest and then took a half-turn shot.
The ball flew towards the goal but was blocked by United's defender Valencia's body and cleared by Kante, who passed it to Gundogan.
David Silva raised his hand, shouting that his shot was blocked by a United hand, claiming it should be a penalty.
Aguero also signaled, tapping his left hand on his right hand, indicating a handball by United.
The referee crossed his arms, signaling no penalty, and quickly turned to follow the play as United launched a counterattack.
"Handball? No handball! No penalty! The referee says no penalty," commentator Andy Gray shouted. "Counterattack, a beautiful long pass from United!"
Gundogan, after receiving the ball from Kante, sent a long diagonal pass to the left flank where Rashford was sprinting up.
"Get back! Get back!" Bravo shouted at his teammates, who were still arguing with the referee.
He was furious, not just at the referee, but at his teammates as well. Shouldn't they be retreating to defend first? Arguing about a penalty could wait until the ball was out of play, not during a fast counterattack.
...
"That was a handball! Absolutely a handball! Damn it!"
On the visiting team's bench, Guardiola was livid, yelling at the fourth official. But then he heard a thunderous cheer from Old Trafford. Turning, he saw United's rapid counterattack.
Rashford was fast. He sidestepped Fernandinho, who was desperately trying to defend, and continued charging forward.
Kyle Walker came up to intercept Rashford.
Rashford feigned a pass to the advancing Bruno, causing Walker to shift his weight inward, preparing to intercept.
This was exactly what Rashford wanted. As Walker lost his balance, Rashford flicked the ball past him with a quick move.
Rashford was delighted, not expecting the experienced England teammate to be so easily bypassed.
But his joy was premature. Walker had left a trailing foot, blocking the ball.
"Damn it! What a great chance wasted!" Rashford thought, feeling frustrated as he remembered the captain's warning about the consequences of wasting chances.
...
Just as Rashford felt despondent, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
Walker, trying to quickly turn and control the ball, lost balance and awkwardly fell.
The ball lay between them.
Rashford couldn't miss such an opportunity. He prodded the ball forward with his toe and sped past Walker.
"Walker is beaten!"
"He's into the box!"
The cheers at Old Trafford grew louder.
Mourinho, recovering from his earlier fright about the possible handball, didn't clearly see Valencia's involvement but was relieved as he had often been targeted by Premier League referees.
In the box, Rashford faced Stones, who was coming at him. He pushed the ball sideways.
The camera followed the ball's movement, showing Harry Kane rushing towards it with Zinchenko trailing behind, looking panicked.
"Where's Otamendi?" the commentator shouted.
Before the question was answered, Kane skillfully pulled the ball away from Zinchenko with his left foot and was about to shoot with his right when he lost balance and fell in the box. Otamendi's face appeared behind him.
"He's down! Kane is down in the box. Penalty or dive?!" Andy Gray exclaimed.
...
The referee's whistle blew loudly amidst the deafening cheers at Old Trafford. He pointed to the penalty spot.
"Penalty! The referee has awarded a penalty!" the commentator shouted, trying to be heard over the roaring crowd.
Mourinho was initially stunned but then jumped up, pumped his fist three times, and clapped, showing his respect for the referee's decision.
Guardiola exploded in anger, yelling furiously.
"Penalty! The referee has given a penalty!" Andy Gray shouted. "He believes Otamendi fouled Kane."
Otamendi, hearing the whistle, turned, expecting the referee to call a dive. Seeing the referee point to the spot, he was furious and started towards the referee, but Bravo quickly grabbed him, preventing a certain yellow card.
Walker ran to the referee, arguing passionately, "He dived! That guy dived!"
Walker didn't care that Kane was his England teammate and a friend at this moment.
Walker's protests earned him a yellow card.
Seeing Walker persisting, City's captain David Silva ran over, pulling Walker away and signaling other angry teammates to back off. As captain, he would handle the discussion with the referee.
...
Despite Silva's arguments, the referee shook his head and eventually motioned for the City players to leave the penalty area, preparing for United's penalty.
Kane ended his celebration with teammates and stood outside the box, ready for a potential rebound. United's primary penalty taker, Bruno, walked to the spot with the ball.
On the sidelines, Guardiola was still angrily shouting at the fourth official, "First, they missed the handball, now they give a penalty for a dive. What are you doing?!"
"Mr. Guardiola, please calm down. You must trust the referee's fairness," the fourth official sternly replied.
"Fairness? What I see is not..." Guardiola raged.
Nearby, Mourinho said, "Respect the referee's decision."
Faria nodded, though worried. The words were correct, but the timing and tone were provocative.
"What did you say?" Guardiola snapped.
Mourinho turned, feigning surprise, as if to ask, "Are you talking to me?"
Guardiola felt like hitting someone.
...
Bruno stood at the penalty spot.
The referee blew the whistle, and Bruno took a few steps and shot.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!!!"
"Bruno! He scores the penalty with ease!"
"2-0! Unbelievable, Bruno scores his second goal today. United leads City 2-0 at home."
"This is Bruno's 11th goal in the Manchester Derby, tying Rooney as the top scorer in this fixture!"
The stands at Old Trafford erupted in cheers. The Red Devils' fans were thrilled by the unexpected smooth progress of the match, with their team taking a two-goal lead.
Many United fans recalled how they had often struggled against City. When did this start to change? It seemed to begin when that man arrived.
The fans' eyes turned to Bruno, who was wildly celebrating his goal.
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