Chapter 73

In the seventy-third minute, Nani suddenly took a long shot from outside the box. The shot was so sudden that even the commentators were caught off guard. They saw him dribbling the ball, and then, from a long way out, he suddenly unleashed a long shot!

The commentator didn't react at first, thinking it was a long pass, but then he realized the football was flying straight towards the goal, and something was amiss.

"Nani—long shot!!"

"Whoa—!"

The shot was fast, powerful, and sudden, catching Reina off guard.

At first, he thought the football would fly directly out of bounds, but then he realized something was wrong. The football seemed to be heading toward the goal...

He hurriedly moved his feet and leaped into the air.

Because his judgment was off, he jumped too late. It was already pretty good that he managed to touch the football with his hand at all. He couldn't hope to catch the football directly or knock it out of bounds. It would be a success just to stop the football and prevent it from flying into the goal...

When his hand touched the football, he still tried his best to push it outwards, wanting to knock the football away a little further. But Nani's shot was very powerful!

People are used to using "powerful and heavy" to describe a long shot, and the word "heavy" is not casually used. Because those powerful long shots really are heavy!

Goalkeepers might have this kind of experience—when the opponent shoots, if you want to push or knock the football away, you will feel that the football is very heavy, and your strength may not be enough to make the football fly out.

Reina felt that way now. He tried hard to push the football outwards, but he didn't succeed.

His body fell down, but the football landed in front of him.

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When Carragher saw the football fall, he rushed up, wanting to clear it. He was closer to the football, so it was his duty to do so.

But he had only taken two steps when a red figure overtook him!

"Roooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooney!!!"

Amid the commentator's roar, Rooney successfully beat Carragher to the football and poked it into the goal!

There was no suspense. Reina was lying on the ground, powerless. Carragher was also squeezed behind Rooney.

These two could only watch all this happen, unable to do anything...

"Goal! Manchester United is ahead again!"

"Rooney scores twice!!"

"3:2! Manchester United takes the lead again! They have scored a crucial goal!"

"Will Rooney's goal in the seventy-third minute be the turning point of this game?!"

"Everyone says Liverpool is tenacious, but Manchester United is just as tenacious at home!"

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When Rooney scored, Ferguson, who was standing on the sidelines, jumped up suddenly and cheered with his arms raised. This time, he finally didn't stand on the sidelines like a wax figure, indifferent.

His performance was more like a head coach, not a spectator.

He knew what this goal meant—after being tied by their opponents, Manchester United was still able to withstand the pressure and score a third goal, which would naturally bring huge confidence to the whole team. In the subsequent games, it was normal for Manchester United, boosted by confidence, to create any miracle.

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After Rooney scored, the more than 70,000 Manchester United fans in the stands roared almost like a storm.

This time they didn't raise their arms and shout, they waved their fists at the field and roared, "You're done for, Liverpool! You're finished!"

"Want to compete with us for the league title? Dream on!!"

"We are the Premier League overlords, you are nothing! Nothing!!"

Manchester United fans' confidence soared—now that it had come to this, how could Manchester United let Liverpool turn the game around?

Playing at home, with high morale, and leading in score...they simply couldn't think of any reason why Manchester United could lose the game.

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"In the battle for the Premier League title, Manchester United now has the advantage! In their home stadium, they are leading again!" the commentator shouted.

Hartson was also shouting, but this time he wasn't worried about Liverpool. After Chen Hero's goal, he already believed that no matter what problems they encountered, as long as they had Hero, there was hope, and it was far from time to give up.

"Trailing by one goal is nothing! Didn't we trail by one goal before? What's there to be afraid of? Since we can tie them once, we can tie them a second time! Since we can lead them once, we can lead them a second time! Liverpool, don't give up! Reds, cheer!"

Similarly, whether it was the 3,000 people in the stands of Old Trafford or the 20,000 outside, not a single Liverpool fan was frustrated or pessimistic. They simply didn't have the time!

They kept singing and cheering for Liverpool.

They sang Liverpool's team anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Perhaps Old Trafford was the domain of Manchester United fans, but outside the Theater of Dreams, it had become the domain of Liverpool fans. The majestic and melodious singing symbolized the unyielding spirit of the Liverpool people. Whenever the team encountered difficulties, as long as they sang this song, everyone would gain infinite strength.

At this moment, the singing rang out again, which meant that the Liverpool people had not given up!

The singing of Manchester United fans and Liverpool fans clashed and reverberated in the sky above Old Trafford, splashing blood everywhere.

The game had officially entered a feverish stage.

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Martin O'Neill made adjustments quickly after falling behind—he brought on captain Steven Gerrard, who had been warming up.

After Gerrard and Lucas slapped hands, he quickly ran to the middle of the field, shouting loudly, using gestures and sounds to tell his teammates their jobs.

"We attack!"

Liverpool had been defending in the previous game, but now defense was useless, they had to attack.

This might leave loopholes in the defense, but it could also strengthen the attack.

Just like Manchester United was gambling, Liverpool was also gambling. Martin O'Neill was betting that he could tie the score again before the opponent broke through their city again.

He believed that his team had the strength to do so.

On the Manchester United side, after scoring a goal, they immediately adjusted their game tactics, withdrawing from their previous fast-paced style of play and instead starting to play steadily, first consolidating their defense and then looking for opportunities to attack—now it was Manchester United who was playing defensive counterattacks.

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After Gerrard ran onto the field, he first conveyed the head coach's latest instructions to his teammates, and then he turned his attention to Chen Hero.

He saw Chen Hero giving him a thumbs up.

He smiled and returned a thumbs up.

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"The captain is on!" The Liverpool fans listening to Hartson's broadcast cheered again.

Now that Chen Hero and Gerrard were both on the field, this was Liverpool's strongest lineup, and they had more confidence in their team.

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"Gerrard is substituted on, this is the signal for Liverpool's all-out attack... There are fifteen minutes left in the game, and Martin O'Neill is going to make a final gamble. They must tie the score before the end of the game in order to ensure that they still have a three-point advantage."

"Will Gerrard's appearance as a substitute become a surprise weapon? Or is this Martin O'Neill's desperate move?"

Gerrard got a chance to shoot soon after coming on, and he tried a long shot, but the football went directly wide of the goal.

The Manchester United fans behind the Manchester United goal burst into laughter.

Gerrard enjoys a very high reputation around the world. Even people who are not Liverpool fans will give a thumbs up when they mention Gerrard and praise him as a "real man," but in the eyes of Manchester United fans, the Liverpool captain is simply an unforgivable villain, and booing him is a light punishment...

But Gerrard was not affected by the laughter of these Manchester United fans.

He made a gesture to Chen Hero to apologize for not choosing to pass the football to him, but instead taking a long shot directly.

Chen Hero gave him a thumbs up, indicating that he didn't mind.

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In fact, Gerrard was very motivated, because he didn't start the game, and he wanted to prove to Martin O'Neill through this substitute appearance that although he would eventually grow old and retire, he was still useful now.

I, Gerrard, am not old yet!

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As time passed, Liverpool's tactics also changed. They began to kick the ball more from the backcourt, directly looking for Chen Hero's head, using Chen Hero's header to win the football, directly controlling the ball in the opponent's hinterland, and threatening Manchester United's goal.

This kind of attack can reach the front of Manchester United's penalty area at the fastest speed, posing a threat. But there are also shortcomings, that is, Liverpool's offensive is too monotonous. As long as they keep an eye on Chen Hero, they can curb Liverpool's attack.

But...is Chen Hero so easy to keep an eye on?

"Skrtel's long pass, finds Hero!"

"Hero header!"

"Smalling's height is similar to Chen Hero's, but he is completely at a disadvantage in the header competition!"

"Is there anyone who can compete with Hero for a header? Yes, but that person is definitely not born yet..."

Manchester United also reacted quickly, knowing that it was unrealistic to compete with Chen Hero for the header, so they quickly changed their strategy.

They turned to control the second landing point, because they found that the place where Chen Hero was heading the ball was still some distance from the penalty area, and even further from the goal. He certainly couldn't shoot directly, he had to pass it to his teammates.

In this case, just control the second landing point.

Controlling the second landing point would prevent Liverpool's attack from being organized.

Sure enough, after doing this, the threat of Liverpool's attack dropped directly by a level...

But Liverpool did not change their tactics, still passing long from the backcourt.

In the eyes of outsiders, this was a sign that they had run out of tricks, but in the eyes of Liverpool players, this was because they trusted Chen Hero, believing that he would definitely bring surprises to the team.

Flying towards Chen Hero was not just a football, but also heavy trust and hope!