Three days later, on December 31, 2022, Manchester United faced Wolves away in the 18th round of the Premier League.
The dense schedule combined with Manchester United's internal injury situation forced Erik ten Hag to adjust the starting lineup.
To protect Lisandro Martínez, who had recently returned from international duty, Varane had to shoulder the main responsibility in the backline, partnering Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, and Wan-Bissaka to form the defensive line for this match.
The midfield is currently relatively stable, with Bruno Fernandes performing consistently in the attacking midfield position, and Casemiro and Eriksen occupying the double pivot, a rare stable combination in Manchester United's midfield in recent years.
Due to Cristiano Ronaldo's departure and the injury of Martial, the only recognized striker in the squad, Rashford had to play as the center forward.
Fortunately, Gao Nuo's U21 teammate, Garnacho, has been performing well recently, starting multiple games at left wing.
On the right wing, Antony, who joined for a high price in the summer window, has been underperforming lately, while Gao Nuo's consecutive goals impressed manager Erik ten Hag.
Thus, in the starting lineup announced before the match, Gao Nuo would make his first start for Manchester United.
.........
"System, did you know I would start today?"
"host, after calculation, your probability of starting this match is 64.3%. If you hadn't scored in the last game, the probability would be 38.4%."
"So my starting wasn't caused by you?"
"No, I can only communicate with you through consciousness and cannot influence the will of others."
"Then wasn't the trial something you did?"
"host, that was because the timeline was altered. Such an operation can only happen once. A change in the timeline can only occur again if you fail your mission."
"Then I'm relieved. I don't want to rely on you to become a regular."
"Without relying on me, can you play football? Who gave you time to develop?" The system muttered softly.
Gao Nuo didn't hear clearly, "What did you say? Are you lagging?"
The system reverted to its mechanical voice: "Please, host, do not overthink. Play well."
The match was about to begin, and Gao Nuo didn't pay much attention, just feeling that the system was a bit strange today.
.........
At 8:30 PM China time, countless fans who had heard the news of Gao Nuo's start gathered in the live stream, waiting for Gao Nuo to appear with different intentions.
Da Ai Gao Nuo: "Here he comes, here he comes, that man is coming."
Manchester United v5: "They really have no one else to use. Let's buy some players in the winter window."
National Football Team Forever Hater: "He's only played well against two weak teams. I think this match is a toss-up."
Cr7 - FG: "I miss my Cristiano Ronaldo."
The Flower in My Heart: "Where is Gao Nuo? Hurry up and start!"
.........
Molineux Stadium was packed, and under the gaze of over 30,000 fans, both teams entered the field.
Before kickoff, Gao Nuo took a few deep breaths, then bounced in place. He wasn't nervous at all, quickly adjusting his state.
"Beep—" With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
Manchester United, despite being short on players, had won four consecutive games and were in high spirits.
On the other side, Wolves, also on a three-game winning streak, were united and determined to defend their home honor.
The match was on the verge of erupting, with both sets of players hoping to secure a victory on the last day of 2022.
In the 2nd minute of the match, Wolves, who kicked off first, executed a tactical play.
After the kickoff, all the attacking and midfield players surged forward at high speed, with midfielder Rúben Neves launching a long pass from the center circle to Traoré on the right flank.
Luke Shaw, a little slow to react, couldn't stop Traoré from getting to the byline and crossing.
Inside the box, Diego Costa got ahead of Harry Maguire to head the ball towards goal.
De Gea flew to save and touched the ball, but couldn't prevent it from finding the back of the net.
In the 2nd minute of the match, Wolves took a 1-0 lead over Manchester United at home.
After the goal, the Wolves players celebrated wildly, and the fans responded with huge cheers.
The Manchester United players were clearly stunned by Wolves' "kickoff kill." Erik ten Hag shouted from the sidelines, signaling his players to focus and push their formation forward.
Manchester United clearly sped up the ball's circulation, and the match instantly became more intense.
For the next 30 minutes, Manchester United attacked down both wings, with both full-backs pushing up, constantly looking for opportunities through midfield distribution from left to right.
In the 12th minute, Gao Nuo crossed from the byline, but Rashford's header went over the crossbar.
In the 25th minute, Casemiro threaded a pass through the middle, and Bruno, who had surged forward, fell in the box during a challenge, but the referee signaled no foul.
In the 28th minute, Gao Nuo's breakthrough was blocked, and he passed back. Eriksen released the ball with one touch, shifting it wide to Garnacho on the left. Garnacho cut inside with the ball into the box and shot wide.
Manchester United, unable to break the deadlock, suffered another blow in the 33rd minute.
Facing Manchester United's fierce attack, Wolves retreated into a defensive shell, with only Diego Costa leading the line.
Wolves defender Collins, after blocking another long-range shot from Bruno, cleared the ball with a big kick, and it landed perfectly at Diego Costa's feet.
Neto and Traoré, who were already prepared, quickly ran forward from both sides.
Wolves launched a quick counter-attack, creating a 3-on-2 situation in the attacking third. Costa carried the ball, then played a through ball behind Harry Maguire. The "aircraft carrier turn" lived up to its name, as Traoré easily bypassed Harry Maguire and ran towards the box with the ball.
Facing Varane's covering defense, Traoré played a horizontal pass to the middle, and the onrushing left winger Neto easily slotted the ball into the near corner.
Goal! Wolves, who had been on the back foot for 30 minutes, extended their lead to 2-0 with a sharp counter-attack.
De Gea, having conceded again, was somewhat dejected. Wolves had two shots and two goals. The former Spain goalkeeper looked at the ball in the net and bowed his head in silence.
The home fans, who had been holding their breath for nearly 30 minutes while their team was under pressure, exploded with the second goal, and the huge cheers impacted the Manchester United players' morale on the field.
For the next ten minutes or so, Manchester United still controlled the game, but Wolves, who were adept at defensive counter-attacking tactics, did not give Manchester United a chance to change the score.
At the end of the first half, Wolves led Manchester United 2-0 at home.
In a live broadcast room on a certain platform, commentator Zhan Jun was analyzing the situation on the field: "Although Manchester United dominated the first half, they had no good way to deal with Wolves' compact defense."
"Wolves had six players directly in their box, and after winning the ball, they would counter-attack. If it didn't work out, they'd go back to defending."
"Let's see what adjustments Manchester United makes at halftime. What's needed on the field now are players who can break through and tear open the defense."
"Our young Chinese player, Gao Nuo, touched the ball 12 times in the first half, with only one effective dribble. More often, he chose to pass back to his teammates. It seems our young player lacks confidence in dribbling and breaking through."
.........
