Chapter 241: Manchester City Derby Hat-trick, Who is the King of Old Trafford?
"GOAL!! Only 1 minute into the game, Lin from Manchester City has broken the deadlock with a lightning-fast goal!"
"Manchester United is on the edge of a cliff now. If they lose this match, their chances of getting a Champions League ticket for next season will be greatly reduced!"
At Old Trafford, the Red Devils fans, who were eagerly waiting for their team to turn things around, saw their opponents celebrating wildly on their home turf, and their expressions began to freeze.
This is the Manchester Derby; are we going to lose to our rivals at home again?
Moyes uncharacteristically lost his temper on the sidelines, reminding his players to stay focused and alert.
He seemed to blame the early goal on his players' lack of concentration.
On the field, Manchester United's players looked dejected, with confusion in their eyes.
Wasn't it said that the opponent was not in good form?
Does this look like they're not in good form?
The team fell behind so early, and against a strong Manchester City, they had a bad feeling.
This game is going to be very difficult!
The camera found Manchester United's legendary coach Ferguson in the stands, his expression very serious.
He knew that signs of unrest had already appeared in the Manchester United locker room. If they lost at home to Manchester City, not only would the club be dissatisfied with Moyes, but even the players on the field might revolt against him.
Moyes had no deep roots at Manchester United, and if he lost the support of the players, he would most likely be gone next season.
It's easy for Manchester United to sack Moyes, but where would they find a suitable replacement?
They can't possibly ask this retired old man to come back, right?
Although there had been such calls among the Red Devils fans recently, Ferguson knew that even if he came back, he couldn't solve the problem.
After all, his age was a factor, and he couldn't coach for long.
What Manchester United needed now was a coach who could help them rebuild from the ground up, which required a lot of time.
Thinking of these things, Ferguson's mood became even worse, and he couldn't help but chew his gum faster.
"What's wrong with Manchester United? How did they become so bad this season?"
"Who knows, it's all Moyes' fault!"
"Moyes was doing pretty well at Everton before, wasn't he? How did he become so bad after coming to Manchester United?"
"Everton is a modest team, but Manchester United is a giant. Moyes might be suitable for a modest team but not necessarily for a giant!"
"So, Ferguson chose the wrong successor?"
"Definitely the wrong choice. Initially, Manchester United wanted to invite Guardiola, but Guardiola was already taken by Bayern!"
"Sigh, if only Manchester United had moved faster and invited Guardiola, how great would that have been!"
"Indeed, if Guardiola had come to Manchester United, then Lin would probably have joined too. Manchester United would not only have had the best coach but also the most talented young star!"
"Unfortunately, there's no 'if' in life!"
"Sigh, poor Red Devils, they might be playing in the Europa League next season!"
"Ha, if they lose this game, they'll drop to eighth place in the league, and might not even get a Europa League spot!"
The Premier League has a total of 7 European spots, with the top four getting Champions League spots, fifth and sixth getting Europa League spots, and the FA Cup winner getting the remaining Europa League spot.
Manchester United's current league position is very awkward. They are far from the Champions League zone and might not even secure a Europa League spot.
If they can't even get a Europa League spot, next season will be very bleak for Manchester United.
After falling behind, Manchester United immediately launched a counterattack against Manchester City, trying to equalize the score.
Manchester City wasn't afraid of playing offense against offense. What they feared was the opponent turtling up in defense and counter-attacking.
So, Manchester United attacking was exactly what they wanted.
In the 16th minute, Manchester City intercepted the ball in their backfield, and Kroos quickly moved it to the wing.
David Silva made a forward pass, and Lin received the ball, striding towards Manchester United's penalty area.
Fellaini dared not let Lin pass and pushed him down from behind, earning a yellow card to stop Manchester City's attack.
The foul spot was about 35 meters from the goal. Lin, Kroos, and De Bruyne discussed briefly.
It was a bit far for a direct shot, and none of the three were confident, so they decided on a tactical play.
Lin pretended to take the free kick, backed up several steps, and made a fast run-up, but feigned and jumped over the ball.
De Bruyne quickly passed the ball to Kroos at the edge of the left side of the penalty area. Seeing the tactical play, Manchester United's wall dispersed and rushed towards Kroos.
Kroos calmly lofted the ball into the box, aiming for Lin at the far post.
By now, Manchester United's players were moving out of the box, and the ball was passed inside. They hurried to intercept, but it was too late.
Lin, who had pretended to take the free kick, had already run there.
The pass was fast, but Lin elegantly stopped it with his foot without even looking, and the ball obediently stayed at his feet.
Even Red Devils fans couldn't help but applaud his control.
Seeing Lin receive the ball, Ferguson couldn't help but think of Arsenal's former star, Bergkamp.
Damn!
With such great ball control, he had enough time to adjust and shoot. Could De Gea stop him?
Seeing Lin get the ball, De Gea started sweating.
As Lin's national teammate, De Gea had faced him many times in training matches.
He knew how freakishly good Lin's shooting was. Before he completed the shot, you never knew which foot he would use or what technique.
So, De Gea decided to charge out.
Lin seemed to predict De Gea's move and shot as soon as De Gea charged.
De Gea knew him well, and Lin knew De Gea just as well, so he had already decided how to handle this shot when he received the ball.
Seeing the ball flying towards him, De Gea used all his strength to stop it, but Lin's shot was too precise, and De Gea couldn't fully prepare while moving.
Thus, in the duel with Lin, De Gea was defeated. The score became 2:0, and Lin had scored twice at Old Trafford.
And it was only 16 minutes into the game!
There were still seventy or eighty minutes for him to complete a hat-trick!
In the stands, Manchester United fans were silent.
If conceding the first goal made them feel uneasy but hopeful for an equalizer or even a comeback, then the second goal woke them up.
Manchester City and Manchester United were no longer on the same level.
The once 'noisy neighbors' had now become a giant they couldn't surpass.
At some point, beating this Manchester City team became a luxury.
"Boohoo, I'm a Red Devils fan and also a Lin fan. Lin, take it easy, it hurts, it hurts!"
"As a Red Devils fan, I'm numb. This isn't the Manchester United I know. Look at the players' expressions; they're almost turned into muggles!"
"Sigh, it's too painful. In just one season, the team's performance has declined so much. Last season we were Premier League champions, now we're mid-table. Are we fighting to avoid relegation next season?"
"Grayson family, do some good, spend more money to buy players. How can this Manchester United lineup compete with Manchester City?"
"Who to buy? We have Van Persie, Rooney, and Mata up front, Carrick, Fellaini, and Kagawa in midfield. The only weakness is the defense, but this game's problem isn't the defense!"
The fans' discussions mirrored Ferguson's thoughts.
Manchester United's lineup needed strengthening. Since Scholes retired, they had been missing a midfield core.
Fellaini and Kagawa weren't good enough.
They needed a player with good skills, a strong vision, and fitting into Manchester United's tactical system.
Such a player seemed to be only one: Juventus's midfielder Pogba.
Pogba came from Manchester United's youth academy. Although he didn't prove himself at Manchester United, he would be familiar with their tactics.
Plus, he had excellent footwork, strong vision, and outstanding physical attributes, perfectly fitting Manchester United's needs.
However, given his importance to Juventus, bringing him back to Old Trafford would likely cost Manchester United a hefty sum.
After conceding the second goal, Manchester United's players hesitated to attack further.
After shifting their focus to defense, they finally stabilized the situation and didn't concede any more goals.
The first half quickly passed, and Manchester City returned to the locker room with a 2-0 lead.
After the second half began, Manchester United made personnel adjustments.
Moyes made a bold substitution, bringing on Shinji Kagawa, who had been sitting on the bench for a long time, and replacing Cleverley.
Obviously, Moyes also realized the problem with Manchester United: their midfield lacked creativity, unable to produce threatening attacks.
On the other hand, Manchester City's tactical coordination, and De Bruyne's various unpredictable passes, made Manchester United nervous.
If they had a playmaker like De Bruyne, then Van Persie and Rooney wouldn't be without a decent shot.
Seeing the coach calling out his specialty, Shinji Kagawa's teenage soul immediately ignited:
"Finally realized my importance? Finally decided to let me come on and save the team?"
"Come on, Lin, let's have a showdown!"
After Shinji Kagawa came on, seeing Lin in possession, he confidently charged forward.
Even on the bench, he had noticed that Lin was the core of Manchester City's attack. If he could neutralize him, he would become a hero for Manchester United!
Thinking about the scenes of enjoying the cheers of sixty to seventy thousand Red Devils fans at Old Trafford, Shinji Kagawa was extremely intoxicated.
Lin glanced at this guy, to be honest, among the Japanese players playing in the top five leagues, he really couldn't recognize them all.
Perhaps it was because he didn't usually pay much attention to Japanese players, or maybe it was because these guys always liked to dye their hair different colors, making it hard for him to remember their faces.
And Shinji Kagawa's appearance rate at Manchester United was really too low, to the point where Lin had almost forgotten that Manchester United even had such a player.
Seeing Shinji Kagawa foolishly laughing after coming on, Lin felt a bit speechless.
He didn't use any fake moves at all, just relying on speed and physical confrontation, he pushed aside Shinji Kagawa and charged towards Manchester United's backcourt.
The Manchester United fans initially thought that Shinji Kagawa, who volunteered to charge at Lin, might bring them a surprise.
But they didn't expect Shinji Kagawa to not even hold up for a round and be directly dribbled past by the opponent.
This quickly made them lose confidence in Shinji Kagawa. Moyes actually brought this guy on at this time, is he crazy?
After being dribbled past by Lin, Shinji Kagawa finally came to his senses.
"This time doesn't count, I wasn't prepared yet! Next time, I definitely won't be dribbled past so easily!"
Five minutes later, Manchester City launched another attack, and the ball once again came to Lin's feet.
Shinji Kagawa, as before, summoned up the courage to confront him.
But this time, Lin didn't even look at him, just like before, he used speed and strength to overpower him.
Here it comes!
Seeing that the opponent used the same move again, Shinji Kagawa immediately prepared for physical confrontation, already thinking about how to organize a counterattack after intercepting Lin and help the team equalize.
However, the cruel reality proved that Shinji Kagawa was overestimating himself!
With a loud bang, the two collided fiercely.
Despite Shinji Kagawa's height advantage, he was like a kite with a broken string, being sent flying by Lin!
The Red Devils' fans at the scene exclaimed in shock. Although they didn't expect Shinji Kagawa to be able to stop Lin,
they never imagined that the Japanese would be overwhelmed in such a one-sided manner, losing so miserably!
On the sidelines, Moyes was almost furious!
"I didn't bring you on to be a laborer, I brought you on to organize the attack."
"In terms of defense, aren't Fellaini and Carrick better than you?"
Fortunately, after experiencing two failures, Shinji Kagawa seemed to have reacted.
When Lin attacked with the ball again, Shinji Kagawa didn't dare to come and challenge him anymore.
However, after being bullied twice in a row by him, in Lin's heart, Shinji Kagawa had already been labeled as a "soft persimmon."
So even if Shinji Kagawa didn't come looking for trouble with Lin, Lin would still go looking for trouble with him!
So, even if Shinji Kagawa didn't come looking for trouble with Lin Quan, Lin Quan would have gone looking for it!
In the 67th minute, Shinji Kagawa received a pass from his teammate.
He was just about to look up to observe the defensive positions of his opponents and the locations of his teammates when he saw a figure charging towards him.
Before Kagawa could react, with a bang, he felt himself being knocked into the air.
In mid-air, Kagawa finally saw clearly who had sent him flying—it was Lin Quan again! He almost wanted to cry; I didn't even come after you, why do you still relentlessly pursue me!
Lin Quan thought that the referee would penalize him for a foul since his action was indeed a bit excessive.
However, this is the Premier League, and the referees in the Premier League are much more lenient than in other leagues! Are you not going to call that?
Then I won't be polite! Encouraged, Lin Quan quickly continued to drive forward with the ball. Fellaini cursed Kagawa as useless and had to leave De Bruyne to charge towards Lin Quan.
But just as he did, Lin Quan immediately passed the ball to De Bruyne who was in an open position.
After receiving the ball, De Bruyne passed it back to Lin Quan, helping him escape from Fellaini's entanglement.
Lin Quan took a couple of steps and then passed to David Silva, who was cutting inside from the wing. They performed a one-two pass, got past Manchester United's left-back Evra, and surged into the penalty area!
Here it comes again!
De Gea saw Lin Quan in the penalty area once more, and his scalp tingled.
He hurriedly directed Ferdinand to cover, but as soon as Ferdinand moved, Lin Quan would definitely pass to the open Agüero.
Ferdinand knew this too, but he had to steel himself to cover, as Lin Quan posed a greater threat than Agüero, and the latter had already scored two goals. They absolutely couldn't let him achieve a hat-trick at Old Trafford.
Sure enough, as soon as Ferdinand moved, Lin Quan immediately passed the ball to Agüero.
Seeing his action, Ferdinand was stunned.
Not taking a shot yourself?
This is a Manchester Derby hat-trick opportunity! Thinking of this, Ferdinand couldn't help but admire his opponent.
This guy, he's really all about the team. If it were anyone else, most would probably choose to shoot themselves! Agüero thought Lin Quan would take the shot himself, because in such a situation, he definitely would have gone for the hat-trick!
However, Lin Quan passed the ball instead.
This greatly surprised Agüero, making his shot somewhat hasty.
De Gea reacted swiftly, diving to save as soon as he saw Agüero's shooting motion.
His judgment was accurate, and he pushed the football out.
But the danger was not cleared!
The ball De Gea pushed out landed in the penalty area, right at Lin Quan's feet.
Lin Quan wasn't particularly chasing a hat-trick; winning the game for the team was what mattered, and how many he scored himself didn't.
But since the football had rolled to his feet, he wouldn't be polite!
He didn't adjust, simply swinging his foot to shoot.
De Gea was truly powerless this time; Lin Quan's shot was much trickier than Agüero's! With a swoosh, the football flew into the net.
Lin Quan completed his personal hat-trick at Old Trafford, becoming the second Manchester City player in history to achieve a hat-trick at Old Trafford!
The last Manchester City player to score a hat-trick at Old Trafford was Francis Lee back in 1970.
For the first two goals, Lin Quan didn't celebrate much, but this time, after scoring the third goal and completing the stunning hat-trick, he whimsically straightened his jersey collar, imperiously surveying the entire stadium, like a king inspecting his domain! (This chapter ends.)
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