The Red Devils' revival starts with retaining Mourinho

Two days after returning to Manchester from Berkshire, Manchester United faced the challenge of the London team Chelsea. Chelsea is not the team that was left half-dead by Todd Burley and could only participate in the UEFA League. With the continuous investment of the "good boss of the Premier League" Russian Roman Abramovich for 15 years, Chelsea is now a real Premier League powerhouse. The head coach, Italian Maurizio Sarri, just replaced "Kong Erlangzi" Antonio Conte this summer. The "Burger King" Eden Hazard has not yet transferred to Real Madrid. He is still the "first person under Rome" and the third in the world, the leader of the Premier League. The goalkeeper position is the famous "Coach Kai" Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta. This summer, he was brought to Stanford Stadium from the Spanish Athletic Bilbao Football Club by Chelsea for 80 million euros, which set a record for the highest goalkeeper transfer fee. The full-backs are two Spaniards, namely Chelsea. Vice-captain, Cesar Azpilicueta Tanco, and Marcos Alonso, who came from the Real Madrid youth training system and later joined Barcelona;

The central defender is the German Antonio Rudiger, who is still the core of Real Madrid's defense six years later and can be regarded as the best central defender in Europe in the next few years; and the Brazilian "fluffy head" David Luiz, a defender with a knife who can pass and score goals;

The three midfielders are N'Golo Kante, known as "Kante who can't get through", the best defensive midfielder in football at the time. Remember clearly that this guy will make a lot of money in the Saudi League in 2024 and play as a main player in the French national team;

Sarri's confidant, the Italian Jorge Luis Freiro Filho (nickname: Jorginho), who just joined for 50 million pounds in the summer, a fierce man who won the UEFA Player of the Year in later generations and carried the declining Italian team to win the European Cup.

And Mateo Kovacic, who was loaned from Real Madrid, is the main midfielder of Croatia, the new World Cup runner-up.

The three forwards are Pedro Elécel Rodríguez Ledesma, a Spaniard known as the "Sword". This player who came from Barcelona's La Masia youth training system was regarded as "Leo Messi's successor" by the then Barcelona coach Guardiola for a long time.

And Alvaro Morata, the "first traitor in football" who constantly stabbed his old club in the back and became the captain of the European Cup champion six years later; and Eden Michael Hazard, who was praised by Mourinho as a "dream boy", was just selected into the FIFA Team of the Year a month ago and was the third in the 2018 FIFA World Player of the Year. Now Hazard is definitely the undisputed Premier League leader.

Facing the aggressive Chelsea, Manchester United coach Mourinho also sent out all the main players.

Goalkeeper: De Gea

Defenders (from left to right): Theo Fernandes, Maguire, Varane, Dalot

Midfielders (from left to right): Pogba, Verratti, Ashraf

Forwards (from left to right): Rashford, Cavani, McTominay

Also arranged a 4-3-3 formation with a direct confrontation.

However, this starting lineup was beyond most people's expectations, especially the entire right side, which was a completely new offensive and defensive system: first of all, no one expected that Dalot, who made a mistake at the last moment in Turin and caused Manchester United to be equalized, would be placed in the starting right back position by Mourinho; secondly, the original main right back was placed between the right back and the right winger by the head coach Mourinho, who could attack or defend; finally, the original midfielder McTominay was pushed to the front line. This outstanding product of Manchester United's youth training is also a hexagonal warrior with good offense and defense.

At 7:50 pm on November 6, Old Trafford, the temple of football, ushered in a focus duel in the Premier League on this day - Manchester United played against Chelsea at home.

The stands were full, and the enthusiasm of the fans was like a burning fire. They waved flags, sang team songs, and looked forward to their beloved team to create glory on this green field.

With the referee's whistle, the game officially began. Chelsea, who took the lead, quickly launched an offensive. Kepa kicked the ball lightly and passed it to Azpilicueta. He dribbled forward and quickly formed a tight defense line with Rudiger, David Luiz and Marcos Alonso.

Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic cleverly organized the attack in the midfield. The ball came to Pedro's feet. He made a fake move to get past the defending Manchester United player.The player took a shot, but unfortunately the ball went slightly out of the goal.

Manchester United was not to be outdone. De Gea shouted loudly to command the defense. Theo Fernandes, Maguire, Varane and Dalot worked closely together to resolve Chelsea's offensive threats again and again.

About 20 minutes into the game, Manchester United's attack was blocked. Head coach Mourinho shouted loudly on the sidelines: "Pogba, control the rhythm of the midfield, and cooperate more with Verratti, McTominay, and Ashraf!" Pogba understood and began to organize the attack more actively.

And Chelsea coach Sarri also kept reminding the players on the sidelines: "Pay attention to their right side: McTominay and Ashraf switch positions to attack, keep an eye on the position, and don't let their frequent position changes take you out of the gap!"

Just when the game was in full swing, an accident happened. Chelsea's central defender David Luiz collided with Manchester United's striker Cavani in a header, and both fell to the ground. The team doctor quickly entered the field. After a brief examination and treatment, Cavani stood up and returned to the game, but David Luiz could not hold on and was replaced.

Near the end of the first half, Chelsea striker Morata received a precise pass from Jorginho, turned and shot in the penalty area, and the ball hit the post and bounced out, shocking Manchester United fans.

During the halftime break, the coaches of both sides were in the locker room to make tactical adjustments and motivation.

Manchester United coach Mourinho said seriously: "We did a good job in defense in the first half, but the offense was not sharp enough. In the second half, Ashraf, you need to use more speed to break through and create opportunities for your teammates. Rashford and Cavani, pay attention to your running and support."

Chelsea coach Sarri emphasized: "In the second half, we must increase the efficiency of our offense, play more behind the opponent, and pass more accurately! At the same time, everyone should pay attention to their movements to avoid injuries."

At the beginning of the second half, Manchester United took the lead in attacking. Ashraf's breakthrough on the right caused chaos in Chelsea's defense, but unfortunately the final cross was destroyed by the opponent's defender.

In the 65th minute of the game, Manchester United's McTominay sprained his ankle in a fight and fell to the ground in pain. After treatment, he limped to the sidelines. He could no longer continue the game, and Matic replaced him.

Chelsea immediately launched a counterattack. Morata and Hazard's cooperation in the front court made Manchester United's defense line panic, but their shots were always a hair's breadth away.

The game entered the 75th minute. The high-tempo offensive battle consumed a lot of physical strength of the players on both sides. Manchester United coach Mourinho replaced the new force to continue to strengthen. He replaced Rashford, the left winger whose physical strength was close to overdrawn, with Gakpo, and replaced Ashraf, who performed well in this round and broke through the right side of Chelsea, with striker Erling Haaland, who has been hot recently;

In the 82nd minute, Manchester United had a corner kick opportunity. Cavani jumped high and headed the ball, but was firmly held by Kepa. In the subsequent counterattack of Chelsea, Pedro's shot was bravely saved by De Gea. This was the 29th shot by the players of both sides in this game, but unfortunately they failed to break the deadlock. The score on the field was still 0:0.

In the 83rd minute, during a defense, Chelsea's offensive core Jorginho accidentally pulled a muscle and was forced to leave the field. Chelsea coach Sarri immediately made tactical adjustments. He shouted loudly: "Strengthen defense, pay attention to controlling the ball, and don't give them a chance!" The players strictly implemented the coach's tactical arrangements, retreated to defend, and steadily controlled the rhythm of the game.

Including injury time, there were still about ten minutes left. Chelsea had almost given up the attack and retreated to defend. Manchester United players pressed forward and began to besiege Chelsea. In the 86th minute, Manchester United got another great opportunity. Theo Fernandez broke through on the left and made a cross. Erling Haaland headed the ball, but it was saved by Kepa. In the 89th minute, it was again Theo Fernandez's breakthrough on the left that caused chaos in Chelsea's defense. He made a cross and Cavani shot in front of the goal and scored the ball, but unfortunately, at the moment when Theo Fernandez passed the ball, Cavani was already in an offside position. The linesman raised his hand to signal, and the referee blew the whistle and the goal was invalid.

In the final moments, Manchester United players did not give up and continued to attack with all their might, but Chelsea's defense was solid as a rock and resolved the crisis time and time again.

In the 93rd minute, this was the last minute of injury time. Players from both sides had tried their best in the past 90 minutes, and their jerseys were soaked with sweat; the cheers of the audience gradually became tired, and the air was filled with tension and anxiety. The referee had also looked at his watch several times,With the whistle in his mouth, he waited for Manchester United to complete the last attack and then blow the final whistle.

At this time on the field, every player's steps were slightly heavy, and sweat soaked their backs. However, at this moment when the overall situation seemed to be decided, Pogba sent a precise long pass in the midfield; Gakpo stood out from the crowd like a brave cheetah and sprinted towards the landing point of the football. He jumped high, leaned forward, and dived to head the ball with a fearless attitude. At that moment, time seemed to freeze. The football was like a cannonball, flying straight to the dead corner of the goal. The opponent's goalkeeper tried his best to save the ball, but he could only sigh at the ball.

The ball went in! ! !

The whole stadium fell into silence in an instant, and then a deafening cheer broke out. Teammates ran towards Gakpo frantically and hugged him tightly in the middle.

Manchester United players jumped and hugged excitedly, their faces filled with uncontrollable joy and excitement. De Gea raised his arms and roared loudly, as if to release all the pressure in his heart. His face was full of sweat and excitement, and he ran towards Gakpo while shouting.

De Gea waved his fists wildly and shouted the slogan of victory.

Maguire hugged his teammates tightly, tears in his eyes. His strong body trembled slightly because of excitement, and he kept saying: "We did it! We did it!"

Theo Fernandez ran all over the field excitedly, waving his fists while running, his hair fluttering with the rhythm of running, like a lively teenager releasing his inner joy.

Pogba was even more excited. He rushed over and hugged Gakpo tightly, shouting: "Great! This is our moment!" He patted Gakpo's back hard, his eyes flashing with excitement.

The other players also gathered together, jumping and clapping each other and hugging.

The Manchester United fans in the stands also fell into carnival. They waved their scarves and flags, and the singing and cheering were intertwined. The whole stadium became a sea of ​​joy.

The celebration ended with the protest of Chelsea players and the interference of the referee. After the restart, with Varane's clean tackle at the front of the penalty area, the referee blew the whistle to end the game. Relying on Gakpo's last-minute lore goal, Manchester United defeated the visiting Chelsea team 1:0 with difficulty.

After the game, Manchester United players, led by captain De Gea, walked to the sidelines with fatigue and joy, and bowed deeply to the fans in the stands who never left. His voice spread throughout the stadium through the microphone: "Dear fans, without your cheers in every game, we would not have the motivation to fight on the field. Today's victory belongs to you!"

Rashford, McTominay, Pogba, Theo Fernandez and others threw their jerseys of this game to the south stand. Other players also expressed their gratitude to the fans, and the fans in the stands responded to the players' affectionate confessions with even warmer applause and cheers.

Back in the team's locker room, the champagne corks had been opened happily by the staff, and the bubbles were overflowing, symbolizing the joy of victory. Pogba cheered loudly, took the lead in picking up a bottle of champagne and spraying it on his teammates. Everyone screamed and laughed, as if all the pressure was completely released at this moment. Rashford twisted his body to the rhythm of the music and danced excitedly. Maguire sat in a chair with a satisfied smile on his face, watching his teammates revel.

At this time, the team coach Mourinho, who had attended the post-match press conference, took Verratti back to the locker room. The players instantly quieted down, and then burst into even more enthusiastic applause and cheers. On this night, Manchester United's locker room became a sea of ​​joy, and they used carnival to remember this glorious moment that belonged to them.

So far, after nine rounds of the Premier League, Manchester United has an unbeaten record of eight wins and one draw, accumulating 25 points, firmly occupying the top spot in the Premier League standings. The other three teams in the Champions League zone are: Manchester City, ranked second with 21 points, Arsenal, ranked third with 20 points, and Tottenham Hotspur, ranked fourth with 19 points.