In the first half, Gao Nuo has already scored a brace. I wonder if our Chinese star can achieve his second hat-trick for his club today. Let's wait and see!
Zhan Jun's voice faded, and the second half began.
Chelsea, trailing by two goals, pressed even more fiercely, creating considerable trouble for Manchester United.
In the 52nd minute, Chelsea's free-kick hit the crossbar and bounced to Antony's feet. Manchester United started a counter-attack. Seeing the danger, Cucurella committed a tactical foul on Antony, earning a yellow card.
In the 57th minute, Kante's tackle was overly aggressive. Rice fell to the ground clutching his knee and was subsequently taken off for treatment. Kante was cautioned with a yellow card.
In the 67th minute, Pasalic, who had replaced Rice, intercepted the ball in midfield and passed it to Casemiro.
It must be said that among the current Manchester United squad, Casemiro is the one who most enjoys passing to Gao Nuo. He drove forward with the ball, constantly observing his teammates' positions.
Seeing Gao Nuo's offside trap fail, Casemiro beckoned him to come back and receive the ball, then passed it to him, immediately making a quick run forward.
Without waiting for the ball to stop, Gao Nuo made a passing motion. Just when the defenders all thought the two were going to execute a wall pass, Gao Nuo hooked the ball with the inside of his left foot, performing a pull-back turn. The defender he was backing against, distracted by Casemiro, reacted half a beat late, allowing Gao Nuo to slip past him.
Perhaps having played 'lonely' football for several days, Gao Nuo abandoned his usual sensible attacking choices. He ignored Rashford, who was making a run on the left flank, and also didn't pass to Antony, who had found space on the right. Facing two defenders, Gao Nuo increased his stride, executing a 'roulette' to weave through the defensive gap.
After dribbling past three players, Gao Nuo was left with only the goalkeeper. Just when everyone thought Gao Nuo would penetrate the penalty area for a one-on-one with Kepa, Gao Nuo suddenly shot. His calf accelerated its swing, and he poked the ball towards the goal with his toe. The movement was somewhat concealed, the shot wasn't fast, but the angle was incredibly tricky.
Kepa's positioning was a bit advanced; he was ready to rush out at any moment. He hadn't expected Gao Nuo to shoot directly from the edge of the box. He had just pushed forward with his feet and then quickly dove to his left. The inertia of his body couldn't be recovered, and he lost his balance, falling to the ground.
The entire crowd only saw Gao Nuo's poke shot slowly roll towards the goal, eventually grazing the post and entering the net.
Manchester United led Chelsea 4:1, and Gao Nuo completed a hat-trick.
Compared to Gao Nuo's passionate knee slide, the fans at the stadium were more interested in the recent goal. Through replays, they found that Gao Nuo's every choice was illogical. Whether it was his teammates being open, and he didn't pass, or facing no defenders and choosing to shoot directly, it left people puzzled.
However, the ball went in, so Gao Nuo didn't need any explanation. If one had to say, it was a genius's idea combined with a bit of luck.
The three-goal lead prompted Erik ten Hag to make personnel adjustments. Gao Nuo and Casemiro were substituted, with Neymar and Eriksen, who had also just recovered from injury, coming on. Rashford moved to the center, and Neymar appeared on the left wing.
Chelsea did not give up. They needed a trophy even more than Manchester United to prove themselves, and the players fought even harder on the field.
In the 82nd minute, Chelsea executed a free-kick tactic. The free-kick from the left side of the attacking half was not sent into the box but passed directly to Kante at the top of the arc. It was a spectacular world-class shot; the ball threaded through a gap in the players, and De Gea didn't even see it.
The goal went in; Chelsea pulled one back, and the match continued.
In the 90th minute, De Gea's goal kick was passed directly to Kai Havertz. Kante and Sterling followed up quickly. The three continuously passed and combined, bypassing Manchester United's defense. Finally, Sterling successfully scored from a tight angle.
Manchester United 4:3 Chelsea. There were still 3 minutes of injury time remaining, and the match still held suspense.
Erik ten Hag on the sidelines stroked his bald head, looking at De Gea with regret. It seemed Manchester United's former legendary goalkeeper was indeed getting old.
There was no reversal; the final 3 minutes were uneventful. Manchester United defeated Chelsea, winning their first trophy of the season.
The entire team joyfully celebrated the victory. Lifting the trophy boosted everyone's morale and also indirectly reflected Manchester United's excellent performance this season.
After the match, Erik ten Hag praised Gao Nuo for his hat-trick but did not mention De Gea, who had made significant errors. He merely stated that they needed to remain focused on the upcoming matches.
Evidently, as the head coach, Erik ten Hag did not want to do anything that would dampen the celebratory mood while the entire team was enjoying the joy of winning the championship.
Gao Nuo achieved the third hat-trick of his professional career and also won his third championship trophy.
The day after winning the championship, Gao Nuo, who had just finished training, saw an unexpected figure.
"Hi, Gao Nuo, it's been a long time since we last met," a pleasant voice said.
Gao Nuo had just finished showering and arrived at the physiotherapy room, preparing to relax his muscles, when he saw a beautiful woman wearing a Manchester United uniform. Perhaps there wasn't a suitable size, as a pair of 'weapons' seemed to be on the verge of tearing her clothes.
"Hi, Lina? What are you doing here?" Gao Nuo was a bit surprised.
Lina's smile was like bright sunshine, and she looked at Gao Nuo with intensity: "As you can see, I am now Manchester United's physiotherapist. I love this job. Come on, lie down!"
Gao Nuo looked at the massage bed beside him, feeling a bit like running away. Rashford nearby, attracted by their conversation, looked on like a curious spectator.
"Forget it, there are so many people here, it's better not to cause misunderstandings. This is just Lina's job, I must be overthinking," Gao Nuo struggled internally for a moment, then sheepishly lay down on the bed.
Lina was like a cat seeing a fish, gently sweeping her hand over Gao Nuo's muscles. "Your muscles are too tense; let's give them a good relaxation."
Gao Nuo, whose entire body felt like it was being electrocuted from being teased, tensed up the next second.
"Ah~ Hmm~ Oh~!!!"
Don't get the wrong idea; these somewhat wanton sounds were entirely because Lina picked up a fascia knife and began working diligently.
Gao Nuo looked embarrassed, trying to hold back but unable to stop himself from making "emmmm~" sounds, which made Rashford and his physiotherapist next to them burst into laughter.
From then on, Gao Nuo acquired another nickname: "Shy Lamb."
Because Rashford said that under Lina's knife, Gao Nuo always couldn't help but make sounds like a little lamb.
The blonde bombshell actually chased him all the way to Manchester, which truly surprised and alarmed Gao Nuo.