“Beep—!” The Referee blew his whistle, and the match resumed.
Manchester City conceded two goals, their comfortable lead vanished, and their morale was inevitably hit.
But this was Manchester City, reigning Champions League champions last season, making them even more eager to advance. Who wouldn't want to achieve the feat of a three-peat?
The current situation on the field was just a draw. Manchester City's players perked up and, under De Bruyne's command, began to launch a fierce attack.
In the 42nd minute of the match, Haaland's shot was blocked by De Gea, and Casemiro cleared it with a long kick.
Stones, under pressure from Gao Nuo, didn't dare to take risks and headed the ball directly into Manchester United's half.
Ward-Prowse and De Bruyne vied for the second ball.
Manchester United's formation began to push forward, ready to counterattack at any moment.
Haaland's shot was unsuccessful, but he didn't get frustrated or walk around. He moved with Manchester United's defensive line, preparing for an offside trap.
Erik ten Hag on the sidelines secretly thought, “What are these lads doing? Hold the formation! If we can't win this ball, the backfield will be in danger!”
With a slight change in expression, Erik ten Hag cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to the field: “Tighten the defense, fall back! Mark Haaland!”
The fans' cheers were too loud for Manchester United players to hear. Seeing their coach's actions out of the corner of their eyes, they thought it was an encouragement to attack and pushed up even further.
Rice was relatively steady. Out of his defensive midfielder's instinct, as he moved forward, he intentionally or unintentionally positioned himself in front of De Bruyne.
The high-flying ball finally fell. Ward-Prowse forcefully squeezed his opponent, trying to control the ball directly.
De Bruyne's rich experience told him that trying to get in front now would only be a waste of energy.
Just as the ball was about to land, De Bruyne stepped his right leg in front of his opponent, pushed his backside back, and squeezed out half a body length.
In Ward-Prowse's stunned gaze, De Bruyne's right foot seemed to have a suction cup, touching the ball first. He pulled it left and then back, completing a first touch and turn in one motion.
Rice's positional sense helped greatly, and he moved forward immediately to cover.
“Damn it!”
Manchester United's Lisandro Martínez and Pau Torres secretly cursed, turning and retreating.
Haaland followed closely.
De Bruyne, as a man with a God's eye view, faced Rice's pressing without a hint of panic.
“Thump!”
A powerful outside-of-the-foot pass. Rice's stretched leg was in vain.
The ball, with strong spin, arced through the air and flew towards Manchester United's penalty area.
Haaland, with his back to Pau Torres and Lisandro Martínez pressing him from the front, leaped high amidst their interference.
Unlike a cross from the wing, a header from this position could easily send the ball wide.
A high ball from the center, already powerful, only needed precise direction and a slight flick to create a deflection, which would be threatening enough.
Haaland merely hovered in the air as the ball landed precisely on his forehead.
De Gea was 35 years old. His rapid decline after his peak saddened fans, and the phrase “beautiful in attack, De Gea in defense” was now rarely mentioned.
Nevertheless, his rich experience allowed him to make the most correct reaction: moving in the direction Haaland's forehead was facing.
Just as the ball deflected and flew towards the goal, De Gea spread his arms and legs in front of the goal, blocking with his body in a 'T' shape.
“Thud!”
The ball first touched De Gea's palm, then hit the top of the crossbar, flying into the stands.
“Roar—!” Old Trafford erupted in deafening cheers. This world-class save was as exciting as a goal.
“Are you sleeping? Don't give him too much space!”
De Gea high-fived the two defenders while shouting agitatedly.
Haaland in front of the goal watched this scene with some novelty. In his memory, De Gea was rarely so emotional.
Guardiola on the sidelines let his raised hands fall limply, put them in his pockets, and paced back and forth in the technical area.
Erik ten Hag sat on the bench, seemingly calm and composed, but his heart was in a panic.
Nübel, who had left the field due to injury, excitedly jumped up, aggravating his “injury.” He grimaced, grabbed an ice pack nearby, pressed it to his groin, and didn't forget to cheer for De Gea with raised arms.
Subsequently, Manchester City's corner kick was safely caught by De Gea. Just as fans cheered, De Gea, seemingly back to his peak, made a mistake with a long pass, pulling everyone back to reality.
In the 45th minute of the match, an over-excited De Gea didn't wait for his teammates to get into position and quickly launched a long ball towards the front.
“F**k! Why is Gao Nuo in the box? Who is that in front?”
Seeing Gao Nuo in front of him, De Gea was confused. He looked closely and saw Antony standing alone in the front.
Ake, who could also play as a center-back, easily pushed Antony aside and calmly controlled the ball.
Zhan Jun in the live broadcast room was a bit anxious, “De Gea's pass was not rational! He should have controlled the tempo. The first half is almost over, and he's just giving Manchester City another attacking opportunity.”
Zhang was still quite understanding, “Hey! Indeed! But De Gea probably wanted to find Gao Nuo. If the short Antony was replaced by Gao Nuo, this ball would have been very threatening.”
Antony couldn't hear Zhang's complaints. He was trying his best to stretch his foot between Ake's legs, hoping to disrupt the ball.
Erik ten Hag rushed to the sidelines and shouted: “Tighten the defense, the first half is about to end!”
This time, the Manchester United players didn't misunderstand their coach's meaning and took up defensive positions in advance.
Gao Nuo noticed the time, so he stopped pushing forward and participated in the defense just outside the penalty area.
Ake, carrying Antony, had only one person in his eyes: De Bruyne. He passed the ball to the center, putting it at his feet. Ake let out a long sigh, as if he had accomplished something significant.
This was not an exaggeration. Before receiving the ball, De Bruyne had already turned his head three times to observe his teammates' runs.
Foden on the left was tightly marked by Vanderson, so a pass there wouldn't be very effective;
Haaland in the center was double-teamed, and Gao Nuo was there for aerial interception in front of the box, making it difficult to pass the ball in;
On the right, Bernardo Silva, Luke Shaw was out of position, there was space on the right by the byline!
Before Ake's pass reached his feet, De Bruyne moved forward to meet it.
Rice followed closely, trying to slow down Manchester City's attack.
De Bruyne, meeting the ball, caught Rice off guard. Feeling Rice's hand reaching for his back, he intentionally let the ball pass, then turned and ran forward.
Rice's hand revealed his position. De Bruyne's dummy and turn left him behind.
At this point, Rice could only pull his opponent's shirt, trying to stop Manchester City's attack with a foul.
De Bruyne, being pulled, simply stopped controlling the ball and kicked it towards the right wing.
The Referee waved his hands in a cross, signaling advantage, and the game continued.
Luke Shaw's recovery was a little slow in the end. B. Silva, with an acceleration, easily controlled the ball.
Seeing Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez rushing towards him, B. Silva directly sent a high cross.
Pau Torres was 8 kilograms lighter than Haaland, so he clearly had no advantage in physical confrontation.
Gao Nuo was not good at defending and wanted to help, but his position was a bit far from the goal.
Guardiola on the sidelines raised his hands again, staring at Manchester United's goal.