Chapter 878: Crushing Victory
The match quickly approached the eighty-ninth minute, and Manchester United, with a man advantage, were still launching waves of attacks on Manchester City's goal.
Marcus Rashford's long-range strike was parried by Ederson, resulting in a corner kick for United.
Luke Shaw took the corner. Kylian Mbappé got his head to the ball, but the contact wasn't clean, sending it into chaos inside the penalty area.
In the scramble, Mason Greenwood's sliding shot was blocked by Aymeric Laporte's body.
Outside the box, Scott McTominay pounced like a hungry tiger and unleashed a thunderous strike. A white flash streaked through the air—the ball rocketed into the top right corner of the goal.
Everyone jostling and grappling in the box froze in disbelief.
Who was that? Seriously, who? At this point in the match, and still going all out like that?
Especially for the City players, it was like ten thousand divine beasts stampeding through their hearts.
But after the brief moment of shock, the United players erupted in sheer joy, celebrating wildly on the sidelines. A crushing win against their city rivals was something to savor.
Against a team like Manchester City, none of the United players had the slightest thought of mercy. Maybe they weren't pushing as hard in the final minutes, but when that goal arrived, they celebrated without an ounce of hesitation.
...
When McTominay's thunderbolt made it 6–2, commentators around the world were stunned.
Everyone thought United would show some restraint, letting the score rest at 5–2—not widening the disaster. No one expected the young McTominay to appear and fire off such a cannon.
And it was a beauty.
"Wow! McTominay with a powerful shot! That blasted through the crowd in the box—Ederson had absolutely no chance!" shouted BBC's Gary Lineker with excitement.
"6–2! United lead by four! What an astonishing scoreline—we can safely say they've got one foot in the final now," said He Wei.
"Heh, be more confident—just take out the 'one foot,'" joked Zhang Lu. "At least one and a half feet in!"
In the end, with Harry Kane's two goals, one from Mbappé, one own goal forced by Bruno Fernandes, one from Rashford, and one from McTominay, Manchester United demolished City 6–2 at the Etihad Stadium.
It was their third Champions League meeting with City, and the aggregate scores across those clashes—3–0, 3–1, and now 6–2—made it clear: twelve scored, three conceded. The Blue Moon had been torn to pieces.
...
At the post-match press conference, City's manager Pep Guardiola looked utterly dejected. He admitted his team were outplayed.
However, Guardiola strongly questioned United's third goal—the one that made it 3–2 before halftime—claiming it should never have stood.
He insisted that the collision between Mbappé and John Stones was a foul, and if the goal had been disallowed, the half would have ended 2–2. The second half, he argued, would have gone differently.
In short, Guardiola's message was: Yes, we lost badly, but there was a reason. Without that mistake, everything could have been different.
In other words, he blamed the referee. And Mourinho's response?
"This was our third time meeting City in the Champions League. For two Manchester clubs to face off twice in the semifinals—it's fate. We feel honored."
Was that even human speech? The City journalists were furious, nearly jumping out of their seats, but technically, there was nothing wrong with his words.
...
One reporter asked about United's schedule. After finishing this Champions League semifinal first leg, they would return to the Premier League. United led City by five points with a game in hand. Winning three more games—including that one—would secure their fifth consecutive Premier League title. What did Mourinho think about that?
"No, no, we're not thinking that far ahead. I'm a simple man. I only focus on the next match, nothing more," Mourinho said, shaking his head.
"So you're saying United will go all out against Liverpool in your next home match?" another reporter asked.
United's late April and early May schedule was brutal: the League Cup final on April 25, then April 28—the Champions League semifinal first leg against City (today), followed by the league clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford, and finally, on May 4, the second leg of the European tie against City.
Four massive matches in nine days—enough to make even gods frown.
"Playing Liverpool is always exciting. We'll give it our all," Mourinho said.
"How about your opponent today, Guardiola? Any comments on him?" another journalist asked.
"A remarkable coach," Mourinho replied.
...
It was United's fourth win over City this season. Four straight triumphs, leaving only sorrow behind for the Blue Moon.
The Daily Mail's headline read, "A Nightmare for the Blue Moon!" describing City's disastrous 2–6 defeat to United as catastrophic.
Guardiola's side had begun beautifully with Kevin De Bruyne's goal, but United immediately hit back—turning 2–3 before halftime and 2–6 by full-time. To advance now, City would need to win at Old Trafford 5–0 or 7–3. Practically impossible.
Still, the Daily Mail showed restraint—not calling it "completely impossible."
The Manchester Evening News went with, "City, What a Disgrace—United Win 6–2!" The paper's match report concluded that unless a miracle occurred at the Millennium Stadium, United would reach a fourth consecutive Champions League final.
The Times chose the headline, "City Crushed Again at Home." It noted that the Blue Moon were once more destroyed by their cross-town rivals in the semifinal stage—the fourth humiliation this season alone.
Meanwhile, The Guardian took a more playful tone: "United Run Riot as City Humiliated." It wrote that City's defense had collapsed entirely, allowing Mourinho's men to stroll to a 6–2 away victory at the Etihad.
Manchester United's 6–2 triumph away to City was a statement of dominance—an emphatic reminder of the champion's terrifying strength. Practically every outlet agreed: United were already in the final.
Elsewhere, Chelsea managed a 1–1 draw against Real Madrid in the other semifinal first leg, giving them the upper hand. Unless a shock upset occurred at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea looked destined to join United in the final.
Barring a miracle, this season's Champions League final would once again feature an all-Premier League showdown—the first since the 2018–2019 season.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10