Of course, the fans were even more excited than the commentators.
Unable to watch for even a minute: "This must be a script! Damn it, did these two big guys conspire?"
Twilight Phantom: "Watching a game in the middle of the night, does it have to be this eerie?"
Liverpool Klopp: "Looking at these two perverts, then at Osimhen, I'm worried for my Reds for two minutes."
Lin Feng of Luocheng: "Gao Nuo, hurry up and charge, get a hat-trick."
Football Kid: "Go Manchester United! Go Brother Gao Nuo!"
In the 52nd minute of the match, De Gea kicked a goal kick, and Gao Nuo was very steady in contesting the first landing spot, heading the ball back and then turning to run forward.
Rice chested the ball down, and Manchester United began to organize their attack.
De Bruyne blocked Rice, instructing Bernardo Silva, who had dropped back to midfield, to mark Casemiro.
Seeing the opponent's movements, Rice handled the ball even more calmly, nudging it aside with his left foot and rushing towards the left side of the midfield.
"Wall pass? Dream on!"
Seeing Ward-Prowse running to meet the ball, De Bruyne immediately retreated. He wasn't fast, but his line was very precise, not sticking to Rice, but steadily positioning himself between the man and the ball.
Ward-Prowse's footwork was exquisite, not just free kicks, but long passes were also his specialty.
The ball's speed was not fast, and the former Saints captain had enough time to adjust. He placed his left foot on the left side of the ball, leaned forward, and rapidly swung his right leg.
"Boom—" A powerful long pass flew accurately towards the edge of the Manchester City penalty area.
Rashford began to move to the ribs, looking for an opportunity to attack the goal;
Antony dropped back to the center, preparing to receive;
Rice and Casemiro pressed forward, waiting to run into space or shoot from long range.
All these movements were based on trust in Gao Nuo.
They believed that even with a double-team, Gao Nuo could win the ball.
Stones and Laporte were not weak, and Gao Nuo's situation was not easy.
The three muscular men went back and forth, pushing and shoving, after which Gao Nuo's head touched the incoming ball first, but the direction was already uncontrollable.
"Opportunity!"
Rashford's early movement gave him an advantage; the ball's landing spot was very close to him, and if he rushed up, he would have space to shoot!
It's rude not to return a favor. Erik ten Hag on the sidelines raised both hands, eagerly watching the Manchester City goal.
"Beep beep—" Whistle!
Just as Rashford started to pick up speed, he was knocked to the ground by Rodri, who had rushed in from the side.
"He could have shot already! That's an illegal tackle! Red card! Damn it, give him a red card!"
Erik ten Hag waved his raised hands vigorously, shouting at the fourth official.
The Referee first showed Rodri a yellow card, then ran to the sideline, pointed to his earpiece, and issued a warning to Erik ten Hag!
"This is Old Trafford! What the hell are you blowing?"
Being behind made Erik ten Hag a bit hot-headed, and the Referee couldn't just take the abuse, so a yellow card was decisively given.
The home fans' boos were continuous, and the Referee wiped the sweat from his forehead. Officiating a match of this magnitude was clearly not an easy task.
Guardiola was not idle either, shouting at Rodri: "What are you doing? Where is your position? If you make another mistake, get off the field!"
Rodri didn't dare to show any temper, shrugging and nodding, indicating that he understood.
Manchester United got a free kick, and the distance of 23 meters was a bit awkward. Rashford and Ward-Prowse stood over the ball.
"I'll take it, I'll try a knuckleball," Rashford, eager to score, volunteered.
Ward-Prowse, experienced, said, "It's too close, both knuckleballs and curved shots are hard to score. How about this..."
Rashford nodded while waving to Gao Nuo.
Zhan Jun and Zhang witnessed Manchester United's free-kick tactic.
"Gao Nuo walks towards the ball, the three are discussing, could Gao Nuo be taking the free kick? This has never happened before."
"Eh, no, Gao Nuo has returned to the goal, it looks like Ward-Prowse will be taking it."
"The Referee signals, Rashford takes a run-up, a feint, Ward-Prowse, a direct shot, and it's a goal! This free kick was incredibly fast, passing directly alongside the wall."
"Eh, no, this ball changed direction, let's watch the replay."
"That's right, the ball first hit Gao Nuo's leg, then was deflected by Ake, and Ederson couldn't react in time."
"Eh! Ward-Prowse is smart! This ball must have been a tactic, intentionally aiming for Gao Nuo to get that deflection!"
"We can verify this after the match, but for now, Manchester United has once again equalized the score. We just don't know if this goal will be credited to Gao Nuo."
The director answered this question, and the scoreboard showed the result: Ake own goal.
This did not affect Manchester United's celebration; only 5 minutes after falling behind, the team bravely equalized again.
Gao Nuo and the others, embracing, heard the familiar Manchester United team anthem.
"Glory, glory Man United!"
"The Red Army marches on!"
After the goal, Manchester United's momentum grew, and Erik ten Hag took the initiative.
Neymar replaced Antony, a direct positional change.
Pasalic replaced Ward-Prowse, playing as an attacking midfielder.
Manchester United's formation returned to 4-2-3-1.
Extra time? Let's not!
Too many variables, Manchester City's bench was full of hidden talents, it was time to go all out.
As Manchester United intensified their attack, the match became even more exciting.
In the 58th minute, Neymar made several consecutive breakthroughs on the wing, but his cross from the byline was cleared by Laporte.
In the 62nd minute, Haaland broke free from Martinez's pull, and his long-range shot was saved by De Gea.
In the 67th minute, Manchester City counter-attacked, Haaland received Foden's cross, and his sliding shot in front of goal was blocked out for a corner by Pau Torres.
In the 69th minute, Manchester City's corner kick caused chaos, Martinez cleverly played the ball forward, Gao Nuo got the ball and was through on goal, but before he could pick up speed, the Referee's whistle blew, offside!
Gao Nuo looked innocent, hands on hips, shaking his head, and the home fans' boos were deafening.
Under pressure, the Referee went to the sideline to watch VAR.
Gao Nuo took the opportunity to talk to Casemiro, "The defensive intensity in the middle is too high, I'm struggling with my stamina."
"What's wrong? You're not going to pull a muscle again, are you?"
"Not that bad, it's just that I've just recovered, and my legs feel a bit weak."
"Conserve your energy, kid, their stamina isn't much better."
Gao Nuo made a gesture to Erik ten Hag, and Abraham on the bench started warming up.
The large screen in the stadium displayed the offside line, showing Gao Nuo's foot was offside.
The Referee upheld the original decision, a Manchester City free kick in their own half.
Zhan Jun constantly monitored the situation on the field, "It seems Gao Nuo is affected by injury, he made a gesture to the technical area, and Abraham started warming up, so he should be substituted. I hope he can hold on a bit longer!"
