Chapter 877: It's Just Too Hard for Me
John Stones pushed himself up from the ground, his gaze falling on the ball inside the net. It was as if all the strength had been drained from his body. He lay back down, his mind completely blank.
Ederson turned his head to glance at the ball behind him. His brain was on the verge of exploding. First the United players mess with me, now my own teammate?
The Brazilian goalkeeper was about to curse out loud—the words were right at the tip of his tongue—but he swallowed them when he saw Stones lying there, staring blankly at the night sky, looking like a man who'd just lost everything.
"F**k!"
Ederson slammed his fists into the ground in frustration.
Bruno Fernandes, realizing that his pass had been turned into an own goal by the opponent, spun around and began to sprint in celebration, followed closely by his ecstatic Manchester United teammates.
"The United players are absolutely thrilled! That own goal from John Stones puts Manchester City down 2–4. A nightmare scenario for the home team," commented He Wei.
"Heh, yeah… Stones was far too nervous. Look—right as Bruno made the pass, Stones reacted quickly, but choosing to slide tackle there was the wrong decision," added Zhang Lu.
"We can all feel Pep Guardiola's despair right now," said BBC commentator Gary Lineker. "Since the start of the second half, City have tried everything but couldn't score, and yet with one counterattack, their own defender gifts United a goal. Truly, one of the most miserable situations imaginable."
...
Pep Guardiola covered his face with both hands, overwhelmed by sorrow and anger that he couldn't release.
What the hell is this?
Even if a United player had scored, he could've accepted it better—but his own player scoring an own goal?
"F**k!"
"Should we substitute Stones?"
Borelli asked cautiously. After such a mistake, Stones looked utterly crushed. Keeping a mentally broken center-back on the field was a massive risk.
"Replace him with who?" Guardiola replied with a bitter smile.
Borelli had no answer. A quick glance at the bench showed two center-backs available: Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Aké. Both had cost City a fortune. Laporte had once been excellent, but a knee injury in August 2019 left him far from his peak. As for Aké, since arriving from Bournemouth last summer, he'd been plagued with injuries and never rediscovered his form. Guardiola couldn't trust either of them—Stones was still the lesser evil.
The Spanish coach was deeply frustrated. The media constantly targeted City's spending, and even UEFA often came after the club for alleged Financial Fair Play violations.
But soon, he had no time to dwell on that.
...
In the 66th minute, Manchester United attacked. Marcus Rashford used his blistering pace to burst past John Stones, who stood there like a soulless statue.
Rashford then passed to Harry Kane, who drove toward the box. With no other option, Rúben Dias reached out and pulled Kane down.
Referee Felix Brych blew his whistle, gave Dias a yellow card—and then immediately pulled out a red.
In the first half, Dias had already been booked for a foul on Bruno. This was his second yellow. Two yellows equal a red!
"Rúben Dias brings down Harry Kane—that's his second yellow! He's been SENT OFF!" the Spanish commentator shouted. "Another disaster for City! Two goals down and now their center-back is gone!"
"This red card may hit City harder than the own goal," said Gary Lineker on BBC. "I take back what I said—another tragedy on top of tragedy: an own goal and a red card."
Rúben Dias didn't argue. It was an obvious tactical foul—no defense for it.
Guardiola stood silently, expressionless, watching it all unfold. The Spanish manager felt like he could cough up blood from frustration. Own goal! Red card! I can't take this anymore!
City were forced to make changes. Veteran striker Sergio Agüero was substituted off, replaced by Spanish center-back Aymeric Laporte.
John Stones looked completely dazed. His center-back partner had just been sent off, leaving Guardiola no choice but to shore up the defense.
...
On the United bench, as soon as Dias was ejected, Mourinho instructed Mason Greenwood to start warming up.
Right after Guardiola made his substitution—Laporte for Agüero—Mourinho also acted. İlkay Gündoğan was replaced by Greenwood, partnering Harry Kane as a dual striker, with Rashford and Kylian Mbappé dropping slightly deeper into wide positions.
United's formation appeared to shift to a 4-4-2, but in reality, it was more like a 4-2-4. Rashford and Mbappé were still essentially forwards.
"Heh heh, Mourinho's going for the kill now—ending this in one strike!" laughed Zhang Lu. "He's seizing the moment and twisting the knife!"
"Indeed. With Dias sent off, United now have the chance to extend their lead. If they can win this one by a large margin away from home, they'll have one foot in the final," He Wei added.
United's fifth goal came quickly.
They swarmed City's goal relentlessly.
Bruno switched play wide, Rashford let the ball run through for Luke Shaw, who sprinted down the flank. Kyle Walker gave chase—but couldn't catch him!
"Rashford's past him! Now Luke Shaw's gone, and Walker can't keep up!" sighed the commentator supporting City.
Luke Shaw delivered a cross.
Greenwood received it, dragged the ball to the side with a sharp turn, sliding past Stones, and struck from near the penalty spot.
...
"Ederson! Saved it!"
Ederson dove low, hooking the ball away with his left foot. But it didn't go far. Greenwood reacted first—before the dazed Stones could move—and fired again with a half-turn strike.
Stones finally stretched his leg to block. Once regarded as John Terry's heir by English fans, he managed to deflect the mishit shot. But the ball's trajectory changed, striking the near post.
Laporte swept the rebound toward the goal line. He didn't dare kick it out toward the top of the box—too risky with so many players around; a rebound could easily turn into another own goal.
But his clearance only found Luke Shaw, who immediately sent the ball back across the face of goal.
Before Oleksandr Zinchenko could intercept, Kylian Mbappé smashed a left-footed volley into the bottom corner.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLL!"
"Mbappé! The fifth one! Manchester United lead 5–2 at the Etihad! The gap widens to three goals!"
"United completely surrounded City's box. After a series of relentless attacks, another goal arrives! 2–5! Even with a second leg to play, City are standing right on the edge of elimination."
...
United players celebrated wildly while City players stood in stunned silence.
This 5–2 blow was even heavier than the 3–0 defeat in the Champions League semifinal at Old Trafford three years ago.
Both were three-goal deficits, but this time, City had conceded five.
Only the infamous 6–2 thrashing in the 2017–18 Premier League's 16th round at Old Trafford had been worse.
And judging by the momentum, United weren't planning to stop. Guardiola, realizing this, gave up on chasing goals and made another change. Rodri came off for veteran Fernandinho—an experienced defensive player who could at least steady the backline for the final stretch.
Guardiola had only one goal left: Don't let United score again. If United added a sixth, it would be humiliation upon humiliation. His name, Pep Guardiola, would go down in City history—for all the wrong reasons.
On the United side, Mourinho made his own adjustments. Diogo Dalot replaced João Cancelo, and Scott McTominay came on for Harry Kane.
Seeing this, He Wei chuckled. "Looks like Mourinho's giving City some face."
"Yeah, that's him calling off the dogs. McTominay's not pushed up front—he's pairing with N'Golo Kanté as a double pivot. City's already broken; there's no counterattack left in them."
"Mourinho's a gentleman, after all."
...
Mourinho wasn't really thinking about mercy. He simply believed in McTominay's potential. The tall midfielder could play anywhere except full-back or goalkeeper.
A product of United's own academy, McTominay was grounded and humble. Even when sitting on the bench for long stretches, he never complained—he trained hard and did whatever the staff asked.
Among United's young talents, Mourinho rated McTominay very highly—perhaps even more than Rashford and Greenwood.
Rashford and Greenwood had outstanding natural ability, but in terms of mentality and professionalism, McTominay stood above them. Mourinho believed that, under his guidance, McTominay would have a bright future.
With the match already decided, giving him a taste of the Champions League semifinals was the perfect opportunity.
Cancelo had a minor knock, so substituting him for Dalot was also a good decision to get the youngster more experience.
Mourinho didn't expect that his substitutions would be interpreted by commentators as showing mercy—a gentleman sparing his defeated foe.
Still, Mourinho accepted the compliment. Perhaps deep down, he really did have a trace of compassion that even he wasn't aware of.
(END CHAPTER)
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