Chapter 63: A Shocking Upset
At the moment Ribéry scored, it felt like a sledgehammer slammed into Ferguson's chest.
He stood there, dazed.
What the hell is going on tonight?!
How the hell did we just concede?
He couldn't understand it.
But within seconds, one thought flashed through his mind—
Substitutions. Now.
At this point, he didn't care about the weekend's match against Arsenal anymore.
All he could hear was a voice in his head, shouting:
"Crush this Championship team!"
If United were eliminated from the League Cup semifinals by a second-tier side despite fielding their best lineup, Ferguson and Manchester United would become the laughingstock of the world.
Worse still, this loss could destroy United's morale going into the rest of the season.
Forget the league title. Forget the Champions League.
But when the Manchester godfather turned to his bench, he felt a wave of helplessness.
According to League Cup rules, only five substitutes were allowed.
He had Ricardo (GK), Wes Brown, O'Shea, Phil Neville, and Wayne Rooney.
He'd already used Rooney to replace Fletcher.
Who else could he turn to?
No one.
And that made Ferguson feel suffocated.
As if his own heartbeat had gone irregular, like his pacemaker had failed.
Truth be told, Ferguson had long known the problems plaguing United.
No trustworthy goalkeeper.
Ferdinand lacked a consistent partner.
Roy Keane was aging, and his successor had yet to emerge.
Beckham was gone. The Verón experiment had failed.
United still hadn't built the kind of modern, continental-style midfield Ferguson envisioned.
Ronaldo and Rooney? Still too young.
Put it all together, and United had issues across every line.
Ferguson couldn't help but feel… tired.
But just as he stood frozen, without any real options to change the game—
Yang Cheng made a sub.
And that made Ferguson's blood boil.
How dare he?!
Ferguson's eyes went red with fury.
Yang Cheng brought on Dave Kitson, replacing Lambert.
Just a like-for-like change?
Sure.
But everyone knew what this meant.
Kitson was Bayswater Chinese's leading scorer this season.
He had 15 goals in 30 Championship matches, including four braces.
The British media had been tracking the lanky English striker closely.
To bring him on now? It was clearly a move to go for the kill.
Ferguson felt a genuine urge to storm onto the pitch and brawl.
…
With Kitson's arrival, Bayswater Chinese became even more dangerous in attack.
Ribéry and Lennon were wreaking havoc down both wings.
In the 82nd minute, Ribéry dribbled past Gary Neville and Scholes inside the left side of the box and let fly a powerful low shot—
Just wide.
The home team smelled blood—and kept pushing.
85th minute—Lennon burned down the right and was hacked down by Heinze.
Free kick from the right flank.
Italian set-piece coach Gianni Vio came to the edge of the technical area, shouting instructions.
Ribéry took it—a perfect delivery over the wall to the far post.
Koscielny got the first touch—headed it back across the box.
Kitson outmuscled Sylvestre and struck with his left foot—
But sent it over the bar.
Groans filled Loftus Road.
Kitson, devastated, knelt on the turf in regret.
That was Manchester United's goal! If he'd scored, his market value would've skyrocketed.
Yang Cheng was disappointed too.
One minute later, Ronaldo burst down the right, beat Danny Collins, and whipped in a cross.
Fonte covered brilliantly, forcing Ronaldo wide.
Joe Hart came out bravely, plucking the ball from mid-air before Saha or Rooney could reach it.
Then Yang Cheng used his final substitution.
He brought on Gökhan Inler for Modrić.
Modrić had played his heart out, but he didn't have Diarra's boundless stamina. He was still young, still central to the team—Yang Cheng had to protect him.
Inler injected fresh legs into midfield.
The final minutes ticked by with both sides probing—but neither creating real chances.
In the 93rd minute, referee Rob Styles blew the final whistle.
…
And Loftus Road erupted.
18,000 fans leapt to their feet, screaming, clapping, roaring.
The Bayswater Chinese players were overwhelmed with emotion.
The substitutes rushed the pitch, embracing their teammates.
They'd done it.
They really did it—beating Manchester United.
This wasn't a dream.
Yang Cheng stormed out of the technical area, fists pumping, screaming in celebration.
That was Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.
And not a weakened side—a full-strength lineup.
Sure, United this season weren't quite on the level of Chelsea or Arsenal.
And cup games don't always reflect a team's true power.
But this was still one of the most legendary clubs in English football.
And Bayswater Chinese were going to the League Cup final.
For a Championship team, this was nothing short of a miracle.
"Let's give it up for Bayswater Chinese!" the broadcaster shouted.
A super upset. A true giant-killing. A night for the ages.
"They have become the first second-division team to reach the League Cup final since Tranmere Rovers in 2000."
"In the final, they will face the winner between Liverpool and Chelsea."
"If Bayswater Chinese can beat their opponent in the final, they would become the first second-tier team in Premier League history to win the League Cup!"
"This would undoubtedly make history in English football!"
"The last lower-league team to win the League Cup was Sheffield Wednesday in 1991."
"At that time, the Premier League hadn't even been founded yet."
"But we must remind Yang Cheng and his team…"
"Whether the final opponent is Benítez's Liverpool or Mourinho's Chelsea, they are formidable and dangerous sides. Bayswater Chinese will need to play even better than they did against Manchester United if they hope to win."
"But regardless of what lies ahead—tonight, let us celebrate Bayswater Chinese!"
"Congratulations to Ribéry! His performance tonight left a lasting impression on all of us!"
"We have every reason to believe that after tonight, Ribéry will become one of the brightest rising stars in English football—perhaps even in Europe."
"In fact, across these two legs, his brilliance may have even outshone Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney."
…
As soon as this showdown in London ended, the entire English football scene erupted.
Fans across the country were stunned by Manchester United's collapse—and amazed by the tenacity of Bayswater Chinese.
Last season, this dark horse team shocked everyone by defeating Ranieri's Chelsea at Stamford Bridge while still a third-tier club.
At the time, most dismissed it as a lucky upset.
But now, this newly promoted Championship side had not only eliminated Southampton and Portsmouth, they had just overturned Manchester United 2–1 on aggregate to reach the final.
This wasn't just an upset—it was an earthquake.
No one could believe it.
A Premier League juggernaut like Manchester United—eliminated by a Championship team?
Players like Franck Ribéry, Lass Diarra, Joe Hart, and Aaron Lennon, who had all stood out in the match, were suddenly being splashed across the front pages.
In the post-match press conference, Ferguson took full responsibility for the loss.
The United manager blamed the result largely on the congested fixture schedule.
He once again blasted the English Christmas fixture madness.
Everyone was familiar with his playbook by now.
When United were winning, the festive schedule was part of the league's charm.
But when United were losing—or trailing in the table—Ferguson would slam the schedule relentlessly.
It was classic Ferguson.
As for United's players, the most scathing media and fan criticism was aimed at the defense.
The Sun described the United backline as looking like a disaster zone after a hurricane.
Mikaël Silvestre was especially poor—he was given the match's lowest rating: 5 out of 10.
Three players received 5s: goalkeeper Tim Howard, center-back Silvestre, and striker Saha—a failed spine.
Howard made some good saves, but overall was unconvincing.
The Times wrote, "Signing a top-tier goalkeeper is now a necessity for Manchester United."
They also criticized United's lack of quality at center-back.
"Neither O'Shea nor Silvestre provides the consistency or reliability United need."
Heinze was slightly better—despite his second-half blunders, he earned a 6, largely thanks to decent play outside of his mistakes.
Saha, however, was arguably the biggest disappointment.
Apart from winning the penalty early on, he vanished for the rest of the game.
Getting a 5 even after earning a penalty showed just how poor his overall display was.
The Times declared, "This may go down as another Verón-style flop for Ferguson."
As for Rooney and Ronaldo, even the usually forgiving British press had harsh words—especially in the shadow of Ribéry's masterclass.
Yet there was one thing that really irritated Yang Cheng.
Even though Ribéry was clearly the standout performer, the mainstream British media still leaned toward praising Rooney and Ronaldo.
Their coverage made it seem like they were still waiting for Rooney and Ronaldo to rise, and didn't really expect Ribéry to maintain his level.
Why?
The Sun gave a brutal answer:
"His appearance doesn't fit the image of a football star."
In other words—no matter how well you play, if you don't look the part, you're out of luck.
…
Yang Cheng paid no attention to the media noise.
After beating United, he threw himself and his players straight back into training.
The League Cup final would be on February 27th, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Over the next month, Bayswater Chinese would focus on climbing the Championship table.
And in training, Yang Cheng could feel it—the team's mentality had shifted.
Reaching the League Cup final, beating Manchester United—the players were now full of belief.
The morning after the United match, after finishing a recovery session, Yang Cheng received a phone call.
It was from Jonathan Barnett, the most famous agent in England and the head of Stellar Group.
In Yang Cheng's past life, this man would later arrange a secret meeting between Ashley Cole and Mourinho that would land him a suspension from the FA.
But right now, Barnett was still the most influential figure in English football's agent world.
And as soon as Yang Cheng got that call—learning Barnett was coming to visit that afternoon—he had a very bad feeling.
The thing he feared most… was about to happen.
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