Chapter 1 It Was Impossible for Solskjær to Continue Defending

With the game reaching this point, it was impossible for Solskjær to continue playing defensively.

However, Nacho's excellent form gave him inspiration, prompting him to abandon his established tactics and encourage everyone to push forward and attack during halftime.

Because he had learned one thing from Nacho.

This was their home ground, and regardless of whether they could ultimately win, they couldn't lose their spirit. Even if they knew their opponent was a powerful enemy, they had to dare to face them head-on. As long as they gave it their all, even if they lost the game in the end, the team would still have made progress, and what they gained might be more than what they lost.

Therefore, he encouraged the players to attack in the second half.

After all, this was their home ground, and constantly asking the whole team to defend would definitely dampen the team's morale.

Against their arch-rivals, Liverpool, sometimes the victory or defeat might not be the most important thing, but what you showed was.

Solskjær's attitude and approach gave Liverpool the opportunity to further extend their lead in the second half.

They wouldn't show mercy to their arch-rivals.

So after the second half started, the two teams engaged in an all-out attacking battle. This was enjoyable for neutral fans, but many Manchester United fans were scolding Solskjær—they thought Solskjær had given up. But in their opinion, it wasn't time to give up yet. Although the team was one goal behind, there were still forty-five minutes left, and there was still a chance.

Just like Nacho's goal in the first half, why couldn't they rely on Nacho's individual performance to equalize the score again in the second half?

But now they were engaging in an all-out attacking battle with Liverpool, wasn't this deliberately giving Liverpool the opportunity to score more goals?

These fans valued results more. For them, what the team showed was not important, what mattered was the result. Manchester United had been suppressed by Liverpool for so many years, and it was useless no matter how brilliant they looked. No matter how heroic they were in defeat, it was all in vain if they couldn't win. These Manchester United fans only wanted victory.

But they had forgotten that in order to defeat Liverpool, Manchester United's previous coaches and players had done their best for so many years, and all methods had been exhausted, and the best result could only be a draw.

So, pursuing results had become meaningless.

※※※

Liverpool was the happiest team to see Manchester United playing so openly.

Seventeen minutes into the second half, Chen Hero scored his second goal with a long shot.

The score gap was widened to two goals. For Manchester United, the hope of defeating Liverpool at home was very slim, and even the possibility of forcing a draw was gradually becoming impossible.

Although Nacho worked as hard and actively as ever, constantly asking for the ball in the frontcourt and then charging forward with the ball, Liverpool's defense guarded him tightly, leaving him helpless.

This highlighted Manchester United's current predicament—because they had been out of touch with various honors for many years, Manchester United's appeal had declined a lot compared to the Ferguson era. They had a reputation as a giant, but they couldn't recruit players with enough strength.

This was quite similar to Liverpool before Chen Hero came. Even if they reversed AC Milan and dedicated the most exciting final in the fifty-year history of the Champions League, they were still not attractive enough in the eyes of many world-class stars, and many people tried to leave even if they came.

Otherwise, why would Solskjær push Nacho to the front line to play center forward? Wasn't it because there was no one else to use?

Manchester United, once full of talents and stars, could now only rely on Nacho alone.

This made Solskjær on the sidelines very depressed.

Nacho's bright future was only brought about because he changed his position. Before, when he was a winger, although he was called a talented teenager, his performance was always lukewarm. Sometimes he was very good, and sometimes he was very bad, making it impossible for people to place too much hope on him.

Now Nacho's performance was getting better and better, but Solskjær was starting to worry about how long Nacho could stay at Manchester United...

It seemed that Manchester United still needed to strengthen their squad!

※※※

Solskjær's thoughts had already flown to the summer transfer window, while the game was still going on.

In the seventy-third minute, Chen Hero completed his hat-trick in this game, dispelling the last suspense of this game.

Manchester United fans were no longer noisy—they had experienced countless scenes like this, and they were used to it. Anyway, in the end, they would definitely be watching their arch-rivals celebrate their victory at their doorstep.

In recent years, Manchester United fans had always been going through the cycle of "from full of hope and fighting spirit to complete disappointment and numbness."

Seeing that the general trend was gone, many Manchester United fans were planning to leave early.

Solskjær frowned as he looked at the fans who were leaving the stadium in droves on the opposite stand.

He couldn't blame those Manchester United fans, even though their early departure dampened the team's morale.

But this was because Manchester United themselves were not performing well. If it were twenty years ago, how many Manchester United fans would have left early? Almost every game was full, and everyone would shout and cheer for the team until the end of the game.

Even if Roy Keane once criticized those people in the VIP boxes of Old Trafford Stadium for wearing leather shoes and suits, sipping red wine and eating cod, and not being real fans, let alone Manchester United fans, there were still more ordinary fans after all.

The atmosphere at Old Trafford Stadium at that time was really good...

Solskjær suddenly missed the Manchester United he played for.

Although he was a substitute, he really liked that Manchester United.

Since he agreed to coach Manchester United, he had imposed a huge responsibility on himself—he wanted to lead this Manchester United to rebuild its past glory, and he wanted to let today's Manchester United fans also enjoy the happiness of thirty years ago.

They didn't have to be full of expectations before every game, and then leave so sadly after the game.

※※※

In the end, Solskjær's Manchester United failed to stop Liverpool at their home ground. They lost to Liverpool, and Liverpool tied Manchester United in points with the victory in this game, ranking third only due to the disadvantage in goal difference.

But everyone knew that Manchester United's advantage in goal difference was unreliable.

Because the goal difference between the two teams was originally twenty-two—which was mainly due to the debt owed by Liverpool's unstable performance in the first half of the season—Liverpool chased up seventeen goals after a game between Liverpool and Manchester City.

It immediately made Manchester United feel like they had swallowed a fly.

Some Manchester United fans even ran to Manchester City's official website to scold Manchester City for deliberately going against Manchester United, otherwise why would they be so generous and lose seventeen goals?

This naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of Manchester City fans. They were already very upset about losing so badly to Liverpool, and now their arch-rivals jumped out to mock them—they thought Manchester United fans were mocking them—the result was that the fans of the two teams had a big fight online.

In the end, no one could win.

But because of Manchester City, the goal difference between Liverpool and Manchester United had been reduced.

This was an indisputable reality.

After this game, the goal difference between Liverpool and Manchester United was only one.

Manchester United only led Liverpool by one goal difference.

As long as Liverpool could surpass this one goal, they could kick Manchester United to third place in one fell swoop, and they would replace them as second.

This was almost certain to happen in the next one or two rounds...

Many Manchester United fans would feel very upset as soon as they thought that Liverpool would step on them again to climb to the championship throne.

But they had been upset for many years, and there was nothing they could do.

Those Manchester United fans who did not leave the stadium early gave Nacho applause.

The person they were most satisfied with in this game was Nacho.

Although Nacho only scored one goal, he was, after all, the only player in the Manchester United team who made an effective resistance in this game, and his excellent performance this season naturally made him deeply loved by Manchester United fans.

Everyone dedicated their applause to him, and the other Manchester United players could not be jealous.

In the applause, no one bothered to boo Chen Hero anymore.

Chen Hero and his teammates were able to leave relatively quietly.

This was a treatment that they had not enjoyed for a long time. In the past, after their games at Old Trafford Stadium, which time did they not leave in a storm of boos?

But this time, their limelight was actually stolen by that Nacho.

Before leaving the stadium, Chen Hero looked back at Nacho, who was receiving the cheers of the fans. Although he was not in a good mood after losing the game, he still responded to the cheers of the fans, and his gestures and expressions were very appropriate.

He could see that Luis Nacho was gradually growing into a leader of Manchester United. Although he was not wearing the armband on his arm now.

But he was very clear that in another season or two, if Solskjær was still in the position of Manchester United coach, the captain's armband would definitely be worn on Nacho's left arm.

It seemed that he had not completely killed Manchester United's future hope, but had instead created a leader for Manchester United...

This was really a headache, but the person with the headache would not be himself, but Gerrard.

He would retire after playing this season, so why would he care so much about the future?

After looking at Nacho again, Chen Hero followed his teammates into the tunnel, leaving the noise outside behind him.

Old Trafford resounded again with the "Nacho Song" that had just been born in this game: "Hey, Nacho, you are our hero!... Brave Nacho, this is a beautiful counterattack! Brave Nacho, our pride!"

These talented Manchester United fans quickly changed the lyrics in the same tune.

And the commentator of Manchester United TV said excitedly after seeing this scene: "Well done, Nacho! You have completely conquered our hearts! After Hero retires, Manchester United's rise will depend on you, Nacho!"