Seeing the football fly into the goal, Ferguson slapped his thigh hard. It still happened! Letting the hero score and giving Liverpool the lead… The defensive strategy hadn't worked… It had been working before, but who knew Chen Hero would suddenly play as a second striker?

Before he could figure out a solution, the opponent scored.

Now he didn't need to think about it anymore, because he should be considering how to score a goal and tie the score…

※※※

Chen Hero, with his right fist raised, was quickly surrounded by excited teammates.

They patted his body to express their excitement.

Fortunately, Chen Hero was sturdy. If it were Suárez with his small frame, he would have been knocked down long ago.

Matches against Manchester United always excited Liverpool players. This was an occasion that didn't require motivation. Now they were leading their arch-rivals at home, and the feeling was truly wonderful!

Gerrard hugged Chen Hero and roared loudly, "Let's drag them down! Drag them down!!"

The other teammates roared along with him, and the celebration of this goal turned into a rally for the Liverpool players…

Many people's memories of this Red Army leader might still be stuck on the year he lifted the Champions League trophy for Liverpool. At that time, Gerrard was only twenty-five years old, in his prime, and in the golden age of his career.

But they had forgotten that Gerrard, born in 1980, was actually thirty-three years old…

He had only played for one team in his career, which was rare in today's football world.

He had won the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Champions League, but he was missing a league title.

This championship was what he dreamed of. Without it, his life seemed incomplete.

Ferguson once said that his greatest achievement was "knocking the fucking Liverpool off their perch," so now, for Gerrard, his ultimate pursuit was also to knock Manchester United off their perch.

They had been hopeful last season, but ultimately failed to achieve this goal.

Although this season had just begun, the championship battle between Liverpool and Manchester United had already started. Liverpool had to win this game no matter what. Being able to defeat Manchester United would be a victory of great symbolic importance for Liverpool.

Now that they had a good start, Gerrard took the opportunity to boost everyone's morale.

※※※

While Liverpool were celebrating wildly, the Manchester United players looked dejected. They were now under tremendous pressure because everyone knew that the most important thing in this game was not to concede the first goal—something Ferguson had repeatedly emphasized to strengthen their awareness of.

But now they had conceded a goal, what should they do?

Everyone was confused.

At this time, it was Manchester United's coach, Ferguson, who should stand up.

While the Liverpool players were celebrating the goal, Ferguson got up from his seat. He had made his decision.

Continue to defend!

It would be great if they could avoid conceding a goal, but if they accidentally conceded one, they should limit it to just one goal.

If they were only one goal behind in the first half, he could still make adjustments during the halftime break and give it their all in the second half. But if they conceded two goals in the first half, the game would be difficult to play, and Manchester United might lose the game.

※※※

Although continuing to defend after conceding a goal might seem spineless, that was just a superficial view. Liverpool was currently in a strong position, and going out to attack them head-on would be suicide. It would only lead to a quicker death, and no miracle would happen. Unless there were only ten minutes or so left in the game, they would choose this desperate, all-or-nothing approach.

A coach who only relies on enthusiasm and passion will never be able to lead a team well. Ferguson, as an experienced coach, was not one of those young rookies.

His choice was correct. Ferguson's calm decision ensured that Manchester United did not concede any more goals before the end of the first half.

In the end, Liverpool temporarily led Manchester United by one goal at home at the end of the first half.

This score made the second half full of suspense. It could be that Liverpool would continue to work hard in the second half, expand the score, and finally secure the victory. Or it could be that Manchester United would launch a desperate counterattack in the second half, turn the tables, and stage a good show of a comeback.

※※※

During the halftime break, Martin O'Neill praised Chen Hero for his decision to actively retreat and switch positions with Suárez, because it was this decision that allowed him to score a goal, which was crucial.

But at the same time, there was a question he didn't understand, which was that it was a good move, and if they continued to play like that, Liverpool might be able to score another goal before the end of the first half. Why did the two of them quickly switch back?

After Chen Hero scored, Martin O'Neill originally thought that the two of them would continue to do so, but who knew that as soon as the game restarted, Liverpool made an attack, and Martin O'Neill found that the two of them were in the same positions as before…

This surprised him greatly, and it also made Ferguson next door breathe a sigh of relief.

Chen Hero and Suárez looked at each other when they heard the coach ask this.

Finally, Chen Hero pointed at Suárez: "I promised him that I would switch back after scoring a goal, because he's not used to being in that position…"

Suárez also spread his hands: "Yes, boss. I can't play if you put me up front. I can't do anything except stand there."

"But that would make our attack very threatening…" O'Neill said.

"That's true, boss. But I don't feel comfortable playing like that. I need the ball at my feet, not waiting for the ball in front of the goal. Even if it helps the attack, I don't like playing like that," Suárez said frankly with a frown.

Now Martin O'Neill had a choice to make—should he sacrifice Suárez and let the team continue to score goals in the second half? Or should he take into account Suárez's thoughts and let him play in his usual way?

The former would give Liverpool a greater advantage over Manchester United and would be a way to win.

The latter would be a bit more difficult, but there was still a chance of winning, but the odds would be much smaller than before, and it would be a thorny road.

Which one should he choose?

This didn't need any consideration at all!

Martin O'Neill nodded: "Okay, then you and Hero will stay like this, play in your usual way."

Suárez smiled: "Thank you, boss!"

This question really didn't need any hesitation or consideration. Using any means to win, even if it hurt the feelings of the players within the team, was not Martin O'Neill's way of football. He believed that a good internal atmosphere was more important than a simple victory. Victory was certainly what he pursued, but he couldn't do anything that would hurt his own players for the sake of victory.

In his opinion, a good internal atmosphere was more important than victory. Because when your team has such an atmosphere, will there be fewer victories?

If you sacrifice your players just for victory, causing rifts within the team and eventually leading to disintegration, how long can such a victory last? Can it really bring victory?

So, this kind of choice question was particularly easy to calculate—I have a team with fighting power, am I still afraid of not having a championship in the future?

Look at the genuine smile on Suárez's face, that's the proof!

Although the tactics he chose would be more difficult, he had gained a Suárez who was wholeheartedly loyal to him. If this was really a deal, he had made the most cost-effective deal!

※※※

In the Manchester United locker room, Ferguson did not criticize the team for conceding the goal, because even he himself had no solution to this problem, and the players were not at fault. And the players quickly stabilized their position after conceding the goal and withstood Liverpool's wave after wave of attacks. Based on such a performance, they should be praised.

So, Ferguson did not criticize the players, but praised their performance.

After praising the team's performance in the first half, the key was how to break through Liverpool's goal.

Ferguson had been prepared for this. In fact, conceding a goal mainly put more pressure on the team's attack—if they didn't concede a goal, scoring one goal in the second half might be enough, but now they would definitely have to score at least two goals.

The problem with Liverpool was that their center-back pairing were both tall center-backs. The two center-backs, Škrtel and Agger, were all over 1.9 meters tall. With such a tall height, their turning speed must be slow.

So, they just needed to pass more through balls behind them.

Rooney had speed, strength, and impact, and was a very comprehensive center forward. He would roam near Liverpool's defense, while the Manchester United midfielders would be responsible for passing through balls, creating opportunities for Rooney. As long as there was one success, Rooney might be able to equalize the score for the team. With two successes, it would be a comeback victory.

Therefore, the tactical tone of Manchester United in the second half was… defensive counterattack. They added the element of counterattack to the pure defense of the first half. They would give full play to Carrick's accurate long passes, directly passing the football to Rooney's feet or a little ahead, so that Rooney could build up speed.

As for whether Liverpool would shrink their defense after taking a one-goal lead and not give Manchester United a chance to counterattack, Ferguson didn't think there was anything to worry about. Where was this? Anfield! This was Liverpool's home ground. Could the Liverpool fans accept their team defending early on in their own home just because they were leading by one goal? That would be too ugly.

And to take a step back… even if Liverpool really chose to defend and held on to their one-goal lead, ultimately defeating Manchester United 1-0 at home, then Ferguson would have nothing to be angry or worried about, because this result and process showed that Martin O'Neill's Liverpool still didn't have the confidence and strength to confront them head-on. They had to choose such a conservative tactic in their own home to win against Manchester United. What capital and strength did such a team have to compete with them for the championship? This loss would only be an accident and would not have any impact on Manchester United. When the season ended, Manchester United would still be the champions, and Liverpool would at most be the runners-up from last season.

Ferguson didn't care what Liverpool's final ranking was, as long as Manchester United was always better than them.