Chapter 293: October League First Victory, 45-Degree Cross LV5

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: Huddersfield vs. Manchester United in progress, current score 0:1, Manchester United leading, Tang Ye delivers a precise long-pass assist.

【"Awesome, I thought we were going to end up 0:0 today."】

【"Huddersfield's defense is indeed very solid, but unfortunately they ran into my Tang Tang Qiuwang, so there's nothing they can do about it."】

【"Rodri really needs to be on the field."】

Until now in this match, Manchester United had not conceded a goal, which was closely related to Rodri's defensive coverage in the midfield.

When Rodri first appeared for Manchester United in the first match of September, his biggest problem was the lack of contribution to the attack, which was the reason he hadn't secured a starting spot for a long time.

But Rodri was adapting to the team at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Just like how Tang Ye adapted to the La Liga league last season!

As expected, Tom's friends are all very powerful!

"Beautiful, Chris (Smalling)!"

After high-fiving Smalling, Tang Ye found Rodri and whispered: "Rode, do you see that number 6? I can't shake him off; if you see me getting locked down by him, remember to come help me—just run to my side."

"OK, no problem!"

Patting Tang Ye's arm, Rodri was now brimming with confidence.

According to Rodri's deduction, if he could maintain his form for the next half-hour, he would get at least a 7.5 post-match rating.

To achieve a 7.5 rating under the leadership of big brother Tom!

The 67th minute!

Huddersfield's winger Kashunga was dribbling up front!

Choosing to go it alone!

He beat Carrick, who was rushing up to tackle!

"Hurry, hurry!"

"Beat him and shoot, beat him and shoot!"

"Fuck, hurry up!"

The fans in the stands were very anxious.

The John Smith Stadium was not very large, so the voices of the fans at the lower end of the stands could clearly reach the players' ears.

Kashunga's speed was very fast!

He started cutting inside!

Slap!

A square pass found Mooy in the midfield.

Mooy then passed to Thomas Ince on the right wing!

Thomas Ince took the shot!

De Gea successfully saved the ball.

But this was not completely over yet.

"Kashunga follows up with a rebound shot!"

"Eh, the ball is in!"

"Kashunga scores, Huddersfield has equalized the score!"

The John Smith Stadium began to buzz with excitement!

Near the 70th minute of the second half, Huddersfield had drawn level with Manchester United!

"The goal scorer is..."

The live announcer began to build up momentum.

"Eliaskachunga! (Kachunga)"

"Woww!!!"

Kashunga and his teammates ran together toward the sidelines, while the home fans in the stands all leaned their upper bodies out.

Holding Manchester United to a draw!

For Huddersfield's fans, what was the difference between this and Christmas!

"Track back faster, faster!"

Ten Hag shouted loudly at the Manchester United players on the field.

Someone should have been marking Kashunga at that position just now!

But the Manchester United players on the field failed to do so!

"He runs too fast."

Clapping hands with Carrick, Tang Ye stood with hands on hips, his expression slightly helpless.

What he feared most were wingers with super speed like this.

No matter how flashy a winger was, there were ways to deal with them, but these wingers who just burst forward with raw speed were truly a headache.

Tom had excellent tackling ability, but he couldn't utilize it in this situation.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

There were no goals in the first half, but two consecutive goals in the second half made the atmosphere in the stands lively.

The home team's coach, Wagner, was making gestures while shouting instructions.

The ambition to defeat Manchester United was written all over his face!

"As we can see, although Huddersfield's possession rate is not high, their ability to seize opportunities is very strong."

"With the score at 1:1, it is very possible that the home team could take the lead with just one counter-attack."

The CCTV commentators analyzed the situation on the field and finally reached this conclusion.

Manchester United must now be more cautious!

"Huff, huff-huff."

The opposition kept launching counterattacks, causing Tang Ye to feel somewhat exhausted by now.

Ten Hag immediately noticed Tang Ye's condition and made targeted adjustments.

The full-backs stayed back to provide cover, preventing Kashunga from continuing his explosive runs.

With Valencia and Ashley Young remaining in defensive positions, Tang Ye could reduce his frequency of tracking back, making things much more comfortable for him.

However, lacking support from teammates on the flanks, the pressure on Tang Ye when controlling the ball would increase accordingly!

As Ten Hag returned to his position, Fan Fan Dejiahe said softly, "Erik, are you handing fate over to God?"

The tactical adjustments made by Ten Hag would simultaneously increase scoring opportunities for both the home and away teams; in Fan Fan Dejiahe's view, this was a highly irrational approach.

Ten Hag nodded: "Drawing against Huddersfield is unacceptable; at times like this, it's best to call upon God and let Him tell us whether this match ends in victory or defeat."

Hmm!

Fan Fan Dejiahe was somewhat surprised; having known Ten Hag for so many years, he only now realized that Ten Hag could be so devout toward God.

"Jesus had better know what you're thinking."

"This matter has nothing to do with Jesus."

Eh?

Fan Fan Dejiahe tilted his head to the side.

He pondered carefully but simply couldn't understand what Ten Hag meant by those words.

God isn't Jesus?

Then who is it?

"Slower, slower! Control it, control it!"

Having failed to find an opening through successive attacks, Huddersfield actively slowed down the pace of the match.

Because for the home team, this scoreline was acceptable!

On the pitch, Tang Ye was moving back and forth, searching for an opportunity.

He seized a moment to glance toward the large screen.

It was now the 84th minute of the second half!

There truly wasn't much time left!

"Tom!"

With that shout, Rodri passed the ball to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye stood still, observed, then signaled for Rodri to move forward.

Rodri glanced back, feeling somewhat panicked, but ultimately followed Tang Ye's instruction.

Dribbling slowly toward the left-front, Tang Ye ran from behind Rodri toward the left flank.

As a defending player approached to press, Tang Ye quickly passed the ball to Rodri, then continued his unfinished run.

Rodri passed to Tang Ye!

Tang Ye passed back to Rodri, then after running near the byline, received the ball again.

Through continuous one-two combinations, Rodri's positioning served excellently as a pivot for Tang Ye's forward run.

The full-back ran toward Tang Ye!

Constantly observing the opponent's position, Tang Ye stopped the ball dead the instant the defender arrived.

Passing from his left foot to his right, a half step-over temporarily created distance!

Shi Misi came to an abrupt halt, and Tang Ye seized this opportunity to deliver a cross.

Crack!

To Mata at the far post!

Mata controlled the ball steadily; as a defender from inside the penalty area rushed out, Mata then played a cutback.

Carrick!

Boom!

"Goooo——aaaa——lllll!!!"

"Goal! Goal!"

"Carrick!"

A very fluid attacking combination; Manchester United ultimately regained their lead.

Ten Hag raised both hands in celebration; Tang Ye shouted Carrick's name loudly, then quickly ran to Carrick's side.

"Great ball, Tom!"

Carrick reached out to grab Tang Ye's neck.

After shaking off the full-back, the pass accurately found Mata at the far post; presumably, only Tang Ye within the Manchester United squad possessed such rapid adjustment speed.

From the sudden stop to shaking off his marker, then to the right-footed pass, the entire process seemed to require almost no adjustment time for Tang Ye!

First embracing Carrick, then Ashley Young skillfully grabbed Tang Ye's head and shouted loudly: "Tom!!!"

"Haha!"

Pity this was a league match and not the Champions League; otherwise, Tang Ye's count of key passes could have increased by one more!

"United!"

Boom-boom!

"United!"

Boom-boom!

After taking the lead, the away supporters grew boisterous; Tang Ye, walking slowly toward the halftime tunnel, even heard someone shouting his name.

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

The match ended; the stadium was filled with fake whistles as the home fans vented their dissatisfaction.

After Kashunga equalized in the second half, they thought the final result would be a draw.

But they were clearly wrong.

Manchester United launched excellent attacking play upfront; the continuous passing between Tang Ye, Rodri, Mata, and Carrick directly pierced Huddersfield's defense!

Feeling a bit tired, Rashford squatted on the ground; Tang Ye, passing by, reached out and pulled him up.

"Marcus, I thought we were going to lose."

Rashford placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder as the two walked off the pitch together: "But we won in the end. Haha, I was watching right behind you when you did that stop-and-go feint on that number 2."

"Wow, that's great!"

He hadn't expected Marcus to observe up close that super-cool dribble and pass of his. "Actually, I originally planned to beat my man, but I saw Mata had already run to the far post; otherwise, you could have seen my perfect Cruyff turn!"

"Haha!"

Rashford pushed Tang Ye into the tunnel: "Still... I didn't expect playing against Huddersfield would be so exhausting."

"But we won in the end, so there's no need to be sad, Marcus."

Tang Ye's expression was firm: "I will step up when it matters, although the sprint after the 80th minute was indeed a bit tiring."

Check Dongqiu Di match report: Manchester United 2:1 Huddersfield away; Carrick scored the winner, Tang Ye provided the assist to break the deadlock.

Versus Huddersfield Town, Manchester United players' post-match ratings: Tang Ye 7.9 highest, Mata 7.8, Rodri and Carrick 7.6.

Manchester United didn't actually play that well in this match, especially in the second half when they were forced into a draw by Huddersfield.

But Tang Ye gradually found his form in the second half; this was the key factor in Manchester United's eventual victory.

In good spirits, after the match Tang Ye, following Mata's suggestion, used his phone to take a photo of his MVP trophy and posted it on Instagram.

!

Soon Tang Ye received a flood of comments.

Fortunately, he had already enabled Do Not Disturb on Instagram; otherwise, his phone might have rung nonstop.

【Go for it, Tom!】

【The player who can truly lead Manchester United to revival!】

【An undisputed MVP】

【Want an autograph!】

【...】

Want an autograph?

Tang Ye clicked on the fan who said they wanted his autograph; just as he was about to send a direct message, Rashford beside him suddenly asked: "How many followers do you have now?"

"Eh, right."

"Let me see."

Tang Ye opened his profile page, muttering things Rashford couldn't understand: "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands..."

"23 million."

Rashford gave the answer.

"Damn, Marcus, how did you count so fast?"

"You just look at how many dots there are; one dot means 1,000."

Prompted by Rashford, Tang Ye now understood: "Impressive, Marcus."

"You're the impressive one; 18 years old and already 23 million followers. Even when Ronaldo first came to Manchester United, he wasn't this exaggerated."

Rashford's words made Tang Ye blush slightly.

"By the way, Tom, I'm planning to launch a fundraising campaign on Instagram to provide free meals for impoverished students; could you help me share it?"

"Wow!"

Tang Ye raised his eyebrows, not expecting his good friend Marcus to be a charity ambassador as well.

Providing free meals for impoverished students sounded simply too cool!

"Of course! Marcus, let me tell you, back when I attended football school, I even treated my friends to KFC. Do you know KFC? I feel KFC tastes better than McDonald's."

Creak—

Emerging from the press room, Ten Hag let out a sigh; Fan Fan Dejiahe walked ahead: "God ultimately stood on our side; you bet right, Erik."

Ten Hag put his hands in his pockets and walked toward the locker room: "Sometimes one just needs to take some risks; God will support us."

"Haha, to be honest, I wasn't very supportive of your choice initially, but now seeing the result, I must agree. My mother was a Christian believer; she used to take me to church when I was young. It seems Christianity is indeed useful."

"No."

Ten Hag shook his head: "This matter has nothing to do with Christianity."

Fan Fan Dejiahe spread his hands: "Then what about God? What does Jesus say?"

"Back when I was at Utrecht, I already told Ale and the others that Jesus is not trustworthy."

Ten Hag placed his hand on Fan Fan Dejiahe's shoulder as he explained.

Clap clap!

Hearing Ten Hag's applause, Tang Ye and Rashford, who had just been researching donations, put down their phones.

"Today we won the match with a 2:1 score, but I must tell you, our problems today were quite significant."

Pacing back and forth in the center of the locker room, Ten Hag's expression was serious: "I don't want to ruin the current atmosphere, but I must tell you that if you want to play well in the next two matches in October, you must deliver better performances."

Tang Ye sat on the chair without saying a word.

Ten Hag was clearly stricter than Escrivá, which was precisely why Tang Ye had hesitated between Barcelona and Manchester United during his transfer.

However...

It now seemed that Tang Ye did not entirely reject this feeling.

He did not particularly enjoy training, but he greatly enjoyed the sensation of growing stronger alongside his teammates.

When he first joined the team in August, Tang Ye and Mata could not coordinate at all, yet in the final moments of today's match, his under-the-line cross found Mata, who then delivered an assist to Carrick.

Improving together with friends and with the team!

This was an incredibly fulfilling thing!

At the Carrington Base, the players began a new day of training.

The weather was not good today; there was even some standing water on the grass, yet Tang Ye was in high spirits.

This was because his 【45-Degree Cross】 was about to level up!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 484/500

Only 16 points short; that was absolutely a certainty.

However, today began with heading drills.

Tang Ye asked Fan Fan Dejiahe if he could skip heading practice, but was rejected by the Manchester United assistant coach.

While an attacking midfielder indeed had little need for heading ability, Fan Fan Dejiahe still hoped Tang Ye would possess some capability in that area.

Unable to practice 【45-Degree Cross】 directly, Tang Ye could only focus his attention on heading for now.

The coach passed the ball out, and Tang Ye began moving quickly.

Found an opportunity!

Thud!

Tang Ye's head struck the lower part of the ball, ultimately sending it over the crossbar.

"Damn, give me another one, give me another one!"

While the players trained, Ten Hag and Fan Fan Dejiahe stood nearby.

Fan Fan Dejiahe wore a cap, looking much younger: "Tom's poor heading ability is mainly due to his flawed judgment of high-ball landing points; this aligns with the data we observed earlier. His ball sense is excellent, just as good as Mata's, but his ability to control high balls is far inferior to Mata's."

Thud!

Another header; this time Tang Ye aimed fairly straight but lacked sufficient power, so the goalkeeper eventually punched it away.

"Capable of delivering excellent high balls, yet poor at judging their landing points. Truly a distinctive fellow."

Ten Hag nodded: "But Michel, these two skills are not necessarily correlated, are they?"

"That is true."

Fan Fan Dejiahe laughed; at that moment, Tang Ye completed his third header of the day.

Thud!

The ball struck the edge of the six-yard box, rebounded, and flew into the net.

【Heading: 50 → 51】

"Haha! Awesome, Tom!"

Rodri's voice rang out across the pitch.

Just moments ago, Rodri had shared his heading techniques with big brother Tom, never expecting his learning speed to be so fast.

Standing on the grass and gazing at the goal, Tang Ye laughed.

He had originally thought heading was boring, but after scoring, he found the activity interesting.

It was just like playing a video game: constant winning made one want to keep playing, but constant losing rendered the game rather meaningless.

After twenty minutes of heading drills, Tang Ye wondered if continuing would raise his heading attribute further, but the heading session had already ended.

First-team training emphasized quality and intensity, so they did not spend excessive time on any single specific drill.

Next came passing!

Tang Ye currently had over 600 Counterattack Points remaining; if used to upgrade items, this amount was woefully insufficient.

But if used to purchase items for consumption, those 600 Counterattack Points were perfectly adequate.

Broccoli and hair wax—anything that helped proficiency would be utilized!

Snap!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 488/500

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 489/500

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 501/500

【Pogba's Hair Wax +4 Active】

Proficiency: 502/500

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv4 → De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv5: Replication】

The critical moment had arrived!

Holding his breath, Tang Ye listened intently to the message from the System.

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv5: Replication】

Proficiency: 0

What do you say!

Is there any!

【Passing: 88→89】

Here it comes!

Facts proved Tang Ye's feeling was correct.

The bonus brought by the Growth Template leveling up from Lv4 to Lv5 was enormous, which also helped him break through his passing attribute of 88 points.

Now his passing attribute is 89!

He was only one step away from the major threshold of 90!

However, it seemed the matter was not yet over.

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv5: Replication】

Upgrade Path:

……

(End of Chapter)