In the 29th minute, De Vrij dribbled forward from the right flank in his own half. When he reached the midfield touchline, Giggs had to step up to defend him head-on. De Vrij quickly passed the ball diagonally to Juninho, who was positioned slightly ahead of the center circle.
Juninho received the ball with his back to goal, with Carrick not far behind him, watching intently.
Fletcher, at this moment, anticipated that Juninho would release the ball with a single touch to make the attack more fluid, so when he pressed Juninho, he consciously blocked the passing lane between him and Kante.
However, Juninho's first touch still surprised Fletcher.
Indeed, Juninho released the ball with one touch, but the target was not Kante, but M'Vila, who was easily overlooked in Cambridge United's attacks!
M'Vila controlled the ball after receiving Juninho's return pass. After glancing at the situation in the final third, he passed the ball diagonally to Mahrez, who was moving from the left wing towards the center.
Carrick's marking this time was a bit far from the penalty area; he had effectively prevented Juninho from making an impact in the central attacking third, but it wasn't enough, not nearly enough!
When Mahrez took the ball and surged towards the area in front of Manchester United's penalty box, the space behind the defensive midfield line was exploited by this winger, making the threat to Manchester United obvious.
Gary Neville rushed in diagonally to tackle Mahrez, but after a round of step-overs, Mahrez suddenly changed direction and continued to advance towards the center. Gary Neville, having been faked out, lost his ability to pursue Mahrez.
As Mahrez, with incredible momentum, surged to the central area in front of the penalty box, the two central defenders, Ferdinand and Vidić, distributed their tasks as best they could.
Ferdinand pressed forward, and Vidić marked Lewandowski.
But just as Ferdinand pressed, Mahrez nudged the ball further to the right. He moved horizontally two steps, then immediately used the instep of his right foot to thread a through ball into the right side of the penalty area.
Evra was originally marking Tadić on the wing, but as Mahrez continued to dribble from the center towards the right, Tadić also suddenly accelerated. By the time Evra reacted, he could only chase from behind, which would be too passive!
Tadić bypassed Evra and cut into the deep right side of the penalty area. Just as he was about to receive Mahrez's pass, Vidić instinctively turned to block Tadić.
But he wasn't fast enough. Tadić, just as Vidić slid in front of him, quickly extended his foot and lightly poked the ball towards the central area in front of the goal!
Vardy, unmarked in front of the goal, pushed the ball into the bottom right corner of the net with a shot, under the watchful eyes of everyone!
In front of him, Van der Sar dived to the left, completely misjudging it!
Upon seeing the goal, Vardy let out roars of triumph, raising his fist and rushing towards the sideline to celebrate!
Park Stadium instantly erupted, with earth-shattering cheers!
"Vardy! Super Vardy! His 12th League goal of the season is here!
Mahrez was unstoppable in front of the penalty area, combining perfectly with Tadić's runs and passes, and Tadić then assisted Vardy for the goal!"
"Manchester United's defensive line was completely disrupted in this defensive sequence. Mahrez's horizontal dash in front of the penalty area brought fatal confusion and interference to Manchester United's defense. Tadić's subsequent cut inside distracted Vidić, and Carrick's defensive cover was too late, leaving Vardy unmarked!
This goal showcased Cambridge United's excellent attacking chemistry, as well as their individual abilities. Mahrez was the catalyst that broke down Manchester United's defense!
1-1! Cambridge United have finally equalized at home, and now the initiative is back in their hands!"
Ferguson's expression was grave. He still believed that selling Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu last summer was a huge mistake!
Just as they had been tricked by Ronaldinho in the transfer market.
Huang Hao saw Vardy score, turned around and embraced Darren, a look of excited joy on his face, which then transformed into an expression of confidence.
Cambridge United were proving with their actions that they were no worse than the big clubs!
Manchester United's players seemed somewhat accustomed to conceding goals. The double-digit goals conceded in many past matches had numbed them, and at the same time, strengthened their belief.
They had to win matches through offense!
Defense?
That was absolutely unreliable.
After the restart, Manchester United, perhaps because they had been pegged back after leading, committed even more to attack. Fletcher moved flexibly in midfield, and after receiving a pass from Gary Neville, he cleverly nudged the ball horizontally past Kante to escape, then immediately played a through ball to Rooney in front of the penalty area.
Rooney, facing pressure from M'Vila, decisively passed the ball diagonally to the left wing.
Giggs made an inside run, met the ball, and chipped it directly into the center.
Berbatov jumped at the penalty spot inside the box and headed the ball towards goal. He couldn't get much power on it, and the ball floated gently into Oblak's control, who eventually gathered it with both hands.
Cambridge United pressed their advantage. In the 36th minute, Mahrez started a dribbling surge from the left side of midfield.
Nani chased closely behind him but was unable to disrupt him.
Mahrez cut the ball inside in front of Gary Neville, then, after drawing Gary Neville back to defend the center, he suddenly chipped the ball towards the left byline.
Gary Neville turned to look, only to see Tadić powerfully arriving at the byline. After controlling the ball, he glanced at the situation inside the box, then delivered a high, arcing cross.
The ball flew directly to the far post of the penalty area, drifting slightly outside the box.
Juninho occupied Carrick in the central area in front of the box, and Lewandowski in the central area inside the box also kept Manchester United's defenders tightly marked.
And Tadić's pass was intended for Vardy.
Vardy, at the far post of the penalty area near the edge of the box, watched the ball descend. With a calm and composed look in his eyes, he swung his left foot from a standstill, unleashing a volley! The ball flew towards Manchester United's goal without any spin. The entire stadium was astonished; this shot was extremely difficult, and the ball that flashed over the crossbar in the blink of an eye almost scared Manchester United fans out of their wits!
"Wow! Vardy's volley almost allowed Cambridge United to complete the comeback! So close, so close!"
"Martin, do you get the feeling that if we simply compare the attacking groups of the two teams, for Manchester United, we have Berbatov, Rooney, Giggs, and Nani. Perhaps apart from Nani and Berbatov, Fletcher is a top-class player, the other two are world-class players.
But for Cambridge United, we have Mahrez, Tadić, Lewandowski, Juninho, and Vardy. Only Juninho can barely be considered a world-class player; the rest are basically just top-class players. However, in terms of the attacking power of the attacking group, it seems Cambridge United has the upper hand! This is quite perplexing."
"I think this is related to the players' playing styles and team tactics. Giggs and Nani prefer to operate on the wings, and their main task is to supply ammunition to the forwards. Since Scholes is not playing, Rooney primarily organizes attacks. Before this, he played as a false nine, and when he played that role, his goal-scoring rate was very high. But after Cristiano Ronaldo was sold and he joined, Ferguson had him link up the midfield, which weakened Rooney's attacking output.
As for Cambridge United, Lewandowski and Vardy are strikers, and Juninho is an attacking midfielder. He simultaneously handles both organizing and late runs into the box for shots. Moreover, Cambridge United's two wing players, Mahrez and Tadić, not only create chances for the forwards but are also excellent at organizing and linking up play, and they also drive into the box themselves to try and score. So, from a visual perspective, Cambridge United's attack is richer; at the very least, they have many scoring threats.
Furthermore, their players are more flexible, especially in their combinations. Vardy frequently drops deep and makes runs to create space for teammates, allowing the wingers to cut into the box. From this perspective, Cambridge United's tactics appear more free and creative than Manchester United's!"
"Huang Hao can be said to have become a leading figure among excellent new-generation coaches. Although he is not rigid in his tactical approach, unlike traditional coaches who might be unyielding, he often makes Cambridge United a team full of uninhibited passion.
Their attack particularly emphasizes speed and small-group combinations, with quick passing and movement executed effortlessly. And we also have to say that his disciples are very promising; Mahrez and Tadić's growth has been rapid. They are not intimidated on the field and dare to use their technical abilities to challenge opponents, which makes Cambridge United's attack even more aggressive."
While the two commentators were discussing Cambridge United's tactics and player performance, Manchester United also launched a very threatening attack.
Evra surprisingly surged forward from the back, as if he had also come to a realization.
His defensive contribution on the defensive wing was almost zero, so he might as well contribute his strength to the team in attack.
His overlapping run created a distraction for Giggs, and after a short passing exchange with Giggs, Giggs successfully escaped Tadić. Then, Giggs's burst of speed as he surged towards the byline was very quick, forcing Cambridge United's defense to immediately shift towards his side.
But when he reached the area near the penalty box on the wing, he didn't challenge Van Dijk's defensive zone. Instead, he passed the ball diagonally back to the surging Fletcher.
Kante decisively pressed forward, but Fletcher met the ball and back-heeled it. Looking past Fletcher, Kante saw Carrick surging forward, and after controlling the ball, he quickly passed it diagonally to the right.
At this moment, the right flank had a relatively open attacking environment. Manchester United executed an attacking shift, which could also be described as a feint!
Nani controlled the ball on the right and dribbled towards the byline. As De Vrij pulled out of the penalty area to defend, Nani delivered a ground through ball. The ball rolled past Lovren, and Rooney also surged past him.
Rooney's position today was somewhat fluid; at times he supported the central midfield, and at times he drifted wide to provide an outlet. After Rooney diagonally surged past Lovren, he caught up to the ball and, from a decent angle, unleashed a shot directly!
The ball flew diagonally towards the goal. Oblak dived to block Rooney's low shot, expecting the ball to go to the near post, but surprisingly, the ball hit the post and rebounded diagonally outwards!
Oblak, who had dived horizontally, his pupils slightly contracted, his eyes revealing intense unease, because the ball rebounded directly into the center of the goal!
Cambridge United's goal was open!
Berbatov was about to tap it in from the center, but Van Dijk blocked him with a sliding tackle. Berbatov poked the ball towards Cambridge United's goal, but Van Dijk's last-ditch sliding tackle was perfectly timed, and the ball rebounded off his thigh.
Kante, having just returned to the penalty area, couldn't overthink it and simply cleared the ball out of bounds with a powerful kick!
After clearing, Kante looked back and saw Fletcher right behind him. If he had hesitated for a moment, Fletcher might have stolen a goal!
"Manchester United's two consecutive shots almost found the net! What a thrilling match! Nani's performance on the wing today deserves praise; he just created a goal-scoring opportunity inside the box for Rooney, but unfortunately, Rooney's shot hit the post, and Berbatov's follow-up shot in the center was blocked by Van Dijk's sliding tackle."
"Although Fleet Street believed before the match that Manchester United's and Cambridge United's defenses would be tormented by the opposing attack today, from what we've seen so far, Vidić had a goal-line clearance, and Van Dijk also made a brilliant save. Their performances have been commendable, but the difficulty for defenders is that they do the dirty work, the hard work, and sometimes they don't even want to live!"
"Exactly! One mistake can make them the villain on the field. Their pressure is immense!"
Cambridge United's entire team retreated to defend inside their penalty area, as the first half was nearing its end.
Manchester United took a tactical corner kick this time. Giggs kicked the ball to Nani, who had come to receive it, and then Giggs ran back, trying to create distance from the defender. Nani, in front of Tadić, feigned a pass to Giggs. His dummy fooled Tadić, who shifted his body weight, preparing to block the passing lane, but Nani cut the ball towards the byline, then, near the byline, used the outside of his right foot to curl the ball into the penalty area.
His half-volley pass bypassed most of the defenders, and as it flew towards the near post of the penalty area, Fletcher rushed up and volleyed the ball towards Cambridge United's goal.
Ferguson, on the sideline in the dugout, leaned forward, watching. After a series of attacks, surely this shot would go in?
But the next moment, the scene left him incredulous: Fletcher's volley went directly into Oblak's arms!
Perhaps in the chaos, Fletcher only thought about shooting the ball towards the goal and had no opportunity to choose a shooting angle!
"Oblak held onto Fletcher's shot! OMG! Manchester United's luck is terrible; if Fletcher had just shot the ball within the goal frame, it would have basically been a goal, but he just had to shoot it right into Oblak's arms!"
"Oblak is running forward, Cambridge United have a counter-attack opportunity!" Oblak's mind was very clear. Since Cambridge United had all retreated to defend the dangerous area in their own half, Manchester United's overall formation had also pushed forward due to the corner kick attack.
Now, Manchester United's half had vast attacking space. Time was of the essence; this was a very good counter-attacking opportunity!
When he surged to the edge of the penalty area, the Manchester United players who had initially intended to block him were instead startled by him, because Oblak's forward speed was incredibly fast. As he ran forward with the ball in his arms, Oblak observed the situation ahead.
Vardy was the first player to break out of the defensive danger zone. As he ran forward along the center, he attracted the defensive attention of Vidić and Evra.