Chapter 532: Back to the Old Days
"Shit!" Guardiola cursed angrily.
The Manchester City coach was extremely dissatisfied with the current situation. Falling two goals behind to Manchester United at Old Trafford within just over ten minutes was something Guardiola had never imagined, not even in his worst dreams.
He was a bit stunned because he hadn't considered a contingency plan for such a scenario.
Finally, the television broadcast had time to replay the entire sequence of events.
First, there was David Silva's shot that got blocked. Silva's shot flew towards the goal, but Valencia blocked it. The slow-motion replay showed that the ball first hit Valencia's knee and then bounced up to hit his right hand.
In such a situation, it's up to the referee to decide. He could call it a deliberate handball and award a penalty, or he could decide it was accidental and not call a handball.
Given that this was Old Trafford and United was the home team, more often than not, the referee's whistle would stay silent.
This can't be called favoritism towards United by the referee—it's simply home-field advantage.
Then, United quickly launched a counterattack. After Rashford's brilliant dribbling, he passed the ball to Harry Kane, who controlled it, evaded Zinchenko's tackle, and was brought down by Otamendi in the box.
The slow-motion replay was shown several times, but it was still unclear whether Otamendi first touched the ball or the player, or whether he tackled both simultaneously.
This was another contentious decision. The referee could have deemed Otamendi's tackle legitimate and even booked Harry Kane for diving. Alternatively, he could call it a foul and award a penalty.
The same incident could be interpreted in two extreme ways, both reasonable.
Ultimately, the referee made a decision unfavorable to Manchester City, calling Otamendi's tackle a foul, awarding United a penalty, which Bruno successfully converted.
...
On the United bench, Mourinho and his staff had figured it out. They couldn't see the slow-motion replay, but two consecutive decisions favored United. It would be foolish not to realize that the referee was leaning towards them.
Carrick felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he were back in the Ferguson era.
Since Ferguson's retirement, United had rarely received such favorable treatment at home. Under Moyes, Van Gaal, and even last season, United often didn't get the benefit of the doubt, even at Old Trafford.
Some United fans had bitterly joked that unless a United player had his leg broken in the opponent's box, the referee wouldn't award a penalty. Meanwhile, any slight contact in their box would result in a penalty against United.
Non-United fans suggested this was payback for the special treatment United received during Ferguson's era, stating that "what goes around, comes around."
As Carrick's thoughts wandered, Faria asked Mourinho, "José, do you think..."
"It wasn't me. I didn't do anything this time," Mourinho quickly denied.
"Ha ha ha," Faria laughed, intending to ask if Mourinho thought the referee was biased towards them, but he was amused by Mourinho's humor.
"The referee is very fair today. I should give him a thumbs up," Mourinho continued, deflecting any responsibility.
Faria turned his head, trying to maintain his dignity.
Hey, what's with that look?
...
The camera zoomed in on a VIP box in the stands, showing Manchester United chairman Jassim, CEO Giaretta, global ambassador Bobby Charlton, and former legendary manager Alex Ferguson.
The camera lingered on Ferguson, capturing his facial expressions repeatedly.
The implication was clear. In the Premier League, Ferguson was infamous. The term "Fergie Time" was widely known, referring to the favorable decisions United often received during his tenure.
Since Ferguson's retirement, such obvious favoritism from referees had rarely been seen.
The VIPs watched the replay on the LCD screen in the box, exchanging glances.
They weren't fools and could see that the referee favored United.
Yes, in situations where decisions could go either way, the referee chose to favor United. What else could this be but bias?
When was the last time United received such favorable treatment? But God knows, they hadn't done anything.
Wait, why say "again"? That sounds odd...
...
With less than twenty minutes of the match played, United had taken a surprising 2-0 lead over City.
Could it be that United leading City by two goals in matches was becoming standard procedure?
United fans were ecstatic, and the players on the field were visibly delighted. However, the City players were far from happy.
Especially since United's second goal came from a penalty. The sequence, starting from David Silva's blocked shot, with the referee ignoring the handball in United's box, and then awarding a penalty to United, had left City players feeling wronged and demoralized.
When play resumed, City players were visibly emotional.
To Bruno, it seemed like City's stars wore expressions of "baby not happy" and "baby has feelings."
And now, under his captaincy, United intensified their midfield and forward pressing.
No, to be precise, it had almost turned into physical combat. If they had the physical advantage, they'd go all out in body-to-body clashes. If they were at a disadvantage, they'd resort to sneaky moves like tugging on an opponent's shirt when they were about to sprint, or pretending to jump for a header but staying still, throwing off the opponent's balance.
From the fans' perspective, after twenty minutes, the intensity of the game had increased, with more players falling over and more verbal altercations on the field.
...
In the 41st minute, Valencia brought down Sane for the third time. The German got up and charged at the Ecuadorian.
Bruno rushed in to separate them, aiming to provoke City players. If City players got riled up, their performance would suffer—they'd make mistakes, become impatient, and more likely earn cards.
But this was a double-edged sword. While it could be beneficial, United also had to be cautious not to let their own players get carded.
Sane, agitated, pushed Bruno aside to confront Valencia.
Players from both teams quickly gathered, some pushing and shoving, others exchanging harsh words.
The referee's whistle blew. He ran over, shouting commands and making gestures to separate the players. He booked Sane, who had lost his temper and initiated the confrontation, and verbally warned Valencia.
This sparked outrage among City players. Fernandinho raised three fingers, indicating it was Valencia's third foul and he should have been booked.
The referee calmed the Brazilian with a yellow card.
...
By halftime, the score remained 2-0, with United leading City.
As the referee blew for halftime, Old Trafford erupted in cheers. The home fans were ecstatic.
"Eight yellow cards!" Andy Gray shouted over the noise. "United's Rashford and Gundogan each have a yellow, while City has six players booked: Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Aguero, Sane, and Fernandinho. The referee has turned into a card machine."
"City players must be furious. They won't be happy with the referee's decisions in the first half. How long has it been since City faced such biased officiating at Old Trafford? Probably not since Ferguson retired. The referee's decisions will certainly be controversial post-match."
...
Meanwhile, on the way back to the home team's dressing room, Carrick asked Mourinho, "I don't quite understand."
"Tell me," Mourinho replied, nodding to an Old Trafford staff member as they walked.
"Why didn't we push for more goals when we were 2-0 up? Why choose to slow down and engage in a physical battle with City?" Carrick asked.
Although Mourinho hadn't explicitly ordered a tactical shift, Carrick knew that if it wasn't Mourinho's intention, he would have instructed the players to change tactics. His silence indicated his approval.
"Wow! Michael, you're so bold! Do you know what you just said? My old, honest assistant, where did he go?" Mourinho exclaimed dramatically.
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