Chapter 577: Jürgen Dropped His Cap Too Early

Salah chose his most familiar pushing shot.

"Goal!"

"Goal! Salah!"

"2:0!"

The moment Salah scored from the penalty spot, the stadium erupted into a frenzy.

They say a one-goal lead is nothing, but two goals are no simple matter.

Especially in a high-level match like the Double Red Derby, a 2:0 advantage is fatal.

You expect Manchester United to score two consecutive goals in the remaining 30 minutes?

For Manchester United, this is possible, but today their opponent is Liwupu, who possess the world's number one defender!

The Liwupu players came beneath the stands to celebrate.

Having completed a brace in this match, Salah naturally received the cheers of the fans.

【It's over, brothers.】

【So Saint Teng, what exactly are you doing? Your tactics are completely outplayed by the opposition.】

【Saint Teng? More like High Teng!】

【Why did Amrabat commit a handball again? The last time I watched a match, he also committed a handball; back then, Tang Ye was still lying in the hospital.】

【This 2:0 lead was exchanged by Brother Tang Zhengxiong for his hospitalization, did you think otherwise?】

Liwupu's goal sparked considerable dissatisfaction among many in the Manchester United camp.

Holding such a luxurious squad only to be beaten 2:0 by the opponent, Erik, what exactly are you doing?

The screen showed a replay of Salah's penalty, as the CCTV commentator spoke freely.

"In terms of paper strength, it's hard to say, but combining tactics, Liwupu indeed performed better than Manchester United in today's match."

"Yes, Manchester United's tactics feel somewhat suppressed..."

The scene shifted; now the center of the screen displayed Erik ten Hag's head.

The Dutchman was overwhelmed with anxiety.

Was there any way to face a two-goal deficit?

Or rather... could Manchester United consider abandoning this match?

Abandoning the competition with Liwupu and conserving strength for upcoming matches seemed, in the commentator's view, to be an option.

But the actual situation was that Manchester United had no retreat; they absolutely could not give up!

"It's okay, it's okay! Sofyan, it's okay!"

Tang Ye placed his hand on Amrabat's head and rubbed it vigorously: "We can win, we can win, it's no big deal!"

"Just execute the counterattack; the key is the counterattack!"

While the Liwupu players were celebrating, Tang Ye immediately sought out Rashford and Dembélé.

"Can you still run?"

Tang Ye asked Dembélé.

Receiving an affirmative answer from the latter, Tang Ye took a deep breath and made a rather bold choice: "You and Martial stand together; if they try to pass, you go up and press!"

The counterattack would target the left flank where Alexander-Arnold was positioned, while Dembélé would play as a false nine.

"Hiss..."

"So as long as they try to pass, I chase?"

Dembélé was slightly surprised and confirmed with Tang Ye.

"Mm, let's go."

Time ticked by; it was now the 66th minute of the second half.

Every step the match time moved forward was another step Manchester United took toward the cliff's edge.

Bang!

Amrabat, Rodri, and Mané collided together.

Rodri pushed the ball to Amrabat!

The moment he received the ball, Amrabat was immediately pressed by defenders, while simultaneously spotting Tang Ye at the far end reaching out his hand.

!

Slap!

A grounded pass was delivered; Tang Ye kicked the ball in haste.

Amrabat's pass struck Tang Ye's instep; lacking control, the ball flew upward.

Just then, a defender rushed up, so Tang Ye simply knocked the ball even higher, completing his escape in mid-air.

"Wow!"

"Beautiful! Tang Ye!"

"Find Rashford directly!"

Bang!

A through-ball was pushed out, targeting Rashford near the baseline.

Without any hesitation, Rashford immediately closed in on Alexander-Arnold.

Alexander-Arnold held his hands behind his back, appearing fully prepared.

Cut inside from the baseline!

Right in front of Alexander-Arnold, Rashford passed the ball to Martial, who had moved up to support.

At this moment, Dembélé had shifted to a central position.

Martial to Dembélé!

Move toward the penalty area!

"Hey!"

Boom!

The situation was dire; with no other choice, Fan Daike could only bring Dembélé down.

"Hmm, that tactical foul was fine; one moment later and he would have entered the penalty area."

"Fan Daike's reaction was still very quick, but, hiss... this direct free-kick position seems a bit too good?"

The foul occurred relatively close to the penalty area, but of course, the referee would not draw the line inside the box.

The spot was moved back two to three meters, turning it into an almost perfect direct free-kick position.

Liwupu's situation might be a bit precarious.

But whether it was truly good or bad still depended on Manchester United's execution of the free kick.

Rashford and Tang Ye stood on the left and right respectively; the two were whispering behind the free-kick spot.

"Huff, huff huff..."

Beep!!!

The whistle sounded, and Tang Ye began his run-up.

Boom!

A direct free kick struck with the left foot, aiming for the upper part of the goal.

The angle was ordinary, but the ball speed was ridiculously fast!

"Goal!"

"Oh my god, haha, Tang Ye!"

Between aiming for the goalkeeper and curling around the wall, Tang Ye chose to curl around the wall, and indeed, he successfully bypassed it.

Alisson wanted to make a save, but by the time he saw the ball flying over, it was already too late.

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *15】

Jumping up and throwing out his right fist, Tang Ye was pushed from behind by Rashford; the latter immediately signaled to his teammates in the penalty area to retrieve the ball.

"Hurry, hurry!"

1:2!

This direct free kick was truly crucial for Manchester United, because sometimes when a match is dominated by the opponent, all that is missing is one goal.

Score one first, then find the feeling for a second goal.

And then...

And then it would be equalizing the score!

Beep!!!

The third kick of the second half was taken!

Liwupu slowly began to play more steadily, wanting to keep possession in their own half.

At this moment, Dembélé needed to fulfill his role.

The French striker's continuous pressing meant Liwupu's defense simply dared not hold the ball for long in their own half, and the consequence was that the frequency of errors in Liwupu's defensive half grew higher and higher.

Slap!

Robertson played the ball out from the back, but it went straight to Wan-Bissaka's feet.

Dribble toward the center!

Wan-Bissaka!

A high long pass found Rashford on the left flank, and at this moment, Tang Ye ran forward.

Right leg raised!

Slap!

Tang Ye trapped the ball on the grass with the sole of his foot, immediately followed by a rapid dribbling advance.

The core of a counter-attack is that the speed must be fast enough; otherwise, no matter how good the passing is, it is useless.

After advancing with the ball for nearly ten meters, Tang Ye made the pass.

Boom!

Tang Ye's 45-degree cross hit the top of the arc, bounced up, and arrived at Dembélé's feet.

Dembélé again!

With a small adjustment, Dembélé maintained a very good rhythm.

A feint.

Whoosh whoosh!

Slap!

A pass to Martial, and Martial then played a through ball back to Dembélé.

Near the right post, Dembélé raised his right foot.

Boom!

A shot from nearly a zero-degree angle.

Goal!

"Was there an offside on this play..."

"No offside; I saw it clearly, absolutely no offside!"

He Wei shouted loudly.

"Ousmane!!!"

A furious roar erupted.

After shouting, he quickly gasped for air a few times, then ran toward Dembélé's position.

Dembélé slid on his knees to celebrate, clutching his own head with both hands.

"Haha!"

Tang Ye, rushing up from behind, leaped onto Dembélé and kissed Dembélé's sweat-soaked hair with his lips.

"Damn!"

"Pfft!"

"Ousmane, you're shedding hair!"

Tang Ye grabbed Dembélé's chest with one hand while wiping hair strands from his own lips with the other.

2:2!

Ousmane Dembélé's goal helped Manchester United equalize the score.

Most crucially, only four minutes separated Manchester United's two goals!

"United!"

"Man United!"

Slap!

Klopp flung his cap heavily onto the ground: "Joe (Gomez), what are you doing!?"

"Why didn't you cover!"

Conceding two goals in four minutes would make any normal coach panic.

"United!"

"Xuuuiu!!!"

Oh?

The Liwupu fans seem panicked too!

The Manchester United players slowly walked beneath the away stand, where Tang Ye waved his right hand at the crowd.

"Wow!"

"Wow!"

Every time he pumped his fist, the Manchester United fans in the stands echoed the shout.

"..."

It was now the 83rd minute of the second half.

The score was 2:2.

After conceding consecutive goals, Liwupu wanted to regain their rhythm, but that was clearly no easy task; Liwupu had tried for nearly twenty minutes without success, while the visiting Manchester United side grew increasingly fierce.

From the 70th minute until now, Manchester United had taken a full four shots!

De Ligt cleared the ball; it resulted in a corner kick for Liwupu.

"Man-marking, man-marking! Watch them closely!"

"Move a bit to the right! Yes, yes, okay!" De Gea gave De Ligt a thumbs-up; everything was ready.

Beep!!!

The corner kick was taken!

At the first point!

De Ligt and Fan Daike!

The two collided as they ran toward the goal line.

Fan Daike also had Gomez's assistance!

They jumped!

Boom!

A header was delivered.

"..."

De Gea sat on the ground, sighing helplessly.

"Goooo——aaaa——lllll!!!"

"Goal!"

"Fan Daike!"

"Fan Daike has scored!"

"3:2!"

After more than ten minutes showing no sign of scoring, Liwupu's third goal arrived almost suddenly.

"Roar!!!"

Fan Daike's furious roar.

Tall in stature and heavy in build, the voice he bellowed was naturally loud.

After the goal, Klopp joyfully raised his cap.

"Give it to me, Jürgen, give it to me!"

"Give me the cap!"

At the fervent request of the fans in the stands, Klopp walked beneath the stand and hurled his cap out with force.

"Wow!!"

"……"

Tang Ye and Rodri stood in place and sighed, then the two of them went off together to find the referee.

"Their celebration ran over time, didn't it?"

"They're stalling for time!"

After a few rounds of talking, the referee finally went over and called the celebrating Liwupu players back.

Manchester United had done everything they could to stop Liwupu from killing time, but they had no way to make time stop flowing.

The score: 2:3 down.

And now it was already the 87th minute of the second half!

At this critical final stage, both sides had used up their last substitution.

Ziyech came off the bench to replace the exhausted Dembélé!

Running up from the sideline, Ziyech handed Luke Shaw a note.

Only Ziyech and Rodri received the notes written by Fan Fan Dejiahe, the contents instructing the two to push their positions higher.

Manchester United's final moments!

Check Dongqiu Di live report: Rodri received a corner kick cross from Tang Ye, but his header went over the bar.

Live report: Stoppage time has been announced — 5 minutes added on.

The comment section under the report was full of cursing.

Liwupu fans thought the stoppage time was a bit too much, while those supporting Manchester United felt it was a bit too little.

Tang Ye has been on the ground the whole time — at least give 6 minutes, no?

"Actually, Director He, I feel this stoppage time is still fairly standard."

"Yes, the referee has been giving Manchester United a chance…"

"But as we can see, Liwupu are now playing a five-man back line."

Liwupu have made up their mind to play defense, and that makes things very uncomfortable.

"Quick, quick, the right flank! Get up there!"

Wan-Bissaka ran behind Ziyech to provide support.

Combining with Amrabat, they finally managed to pick the ball out of the encirclement.

"You go up front, you go up front!"

Signaling Tang Ye to push forward quickly, while Rodri took on the supporting role.

In the duel with Milner, Rodri came out on top in the end.

Dribbling forward!

After playing into the 90th minute Rodri was already showing some fatigue, but he still maintained a decent driving speed.

*Snap! *

Pass to Rashford!

The Manchester United winger was in a good position to accelerate forward, but Rashford's second-half slump was still very much in evidence.

"Hey, actually I think Ten Hag should have used Ziyech to replace Rashford."

"But Dembélé's stamina drain really was too big."

Rashford ran a few steps, but because he had no pace he was quickly locked down by Alexander-Arnold.

In the first half Rashford had treated Alexander-Arnold like a road to drive on, but now replicating that feat was no easy matter.

"Here!"

A lateral pass looking for Tang Ye in the middle.

Pretending to trap the ball, but actually suddenly leaping up, Tang Ye successfully fooled the defender marking him.

Lofted forward to Martial!

Trap and adjust — Martial set himself up to deal with it.

In the box he collided with Gomez, and Martial went down.

"Wow!!!"

Martial stayed down on the ground and didn't get up, but before falling he had sent the pass on.

Manchester United decided to finish this attack!

Ziyech cuts inside!

To Rashford!

Chest trap — Rashford pushes the ball and cuts inside.

He overhit it, and because he overhit it so badly, Alexander-Arnold failed to block it at the first attempt.

*Snap! *

The low drive headed straight for the bottom-right corner of the goal.

*Duang! *

It hit the post and bounced back out.

Ziyech spurred his horse to arrive in time and successfully knocked the ball in.

"Goal! Ziyech!"

Martial lifted his head to take a look, saw his teammate had scored, and then climbed up from the grass.

Of course the Manchester United striker's fall just now wasn't faked — Martial really had been hit pretty badly, and even now as he ran off to celebrate he was hobbling along with a limp.

3:3!

In the 92nd minute of the match, Manchester United have equalized once again!

"Damn, Coach La is awesome, he finally stood up!"

"I never saw Ronaldo at 18, but luckily I got to see... how old is Coach La this year?"

"I told you we'd definitely bet on a draw today; title deciders in the Premier League are basically always draws, trust me, there's a script."

"Klopp, you took your hat off too early!"

"Booooo!!!"

"Booo!!!"

Whistles erupted across the stadium; Liwupu fans, who had already prepared themselves to tie with Man United, could not accept the reality of a draw.

The gap between three points and one point was still just a bit too large.

"Haha!"

Tang Ye put his arm around Ye He's shoulder, and the two sat down together near the sideline.

"Why are you sitting down?"

"A bit tired, need to catch my breath," Tang Ye said softly.

"Oh, oh."

"..."

"Beep, beep-beep!"

The final whistle sounded; Tang Ye raised both hands and embraced Rodri.

Although it was only a 95-minute match, every starting player had played very tiredly.

"I think we still need to prepare properly when playing against Liwupu... Mr. Sitting Like was too careless."

Tang Ye shook his head helplessly.

Damn it, if he hadn't won the Laureus Award, the team would definitely have gone all out to prepare for the match against Liwupu, and then it wouldn't have been so exhausting.

But it was all okay; Tang Ye was still relatively optimistic.

In the first half of the league season, Man United had already beaten Liwupu once, so currently Man United's record against Liwupu was one win and one draw; considering both sides were title contenders in this season's Premier League, Man United's record was still very good.

Whether Man United profited or not was unknown, but Liwupu definitely lost out!

"I feel like Liwupu must have prepared for this match for a long time."

"Mm, judging from the situation on the field, that's the case."

In the camera frame was Liwupu's head coach, Klopp.

Although they lost the match, Klopp still smiled bitterly as he hugged his players.

How much preparation Liwupu had done for this Red Devils derby was something only Liwupu's own players and coaches knew.

Premier League Official: Martial selected as the fan-voted Man of the Match for the Man United vs. Liwupu game.

Sky Sports Reporter: After falling injured to the ground, Martial felt discomfort in his ankle, but the issue shouldn't be major, so he chose to finish the match.

Check Dongqiu Di Hot Discussion: How much gold content does this have? In Man United's 9 matches in January, 4 were against the Premier League's Big 6; in the 3 Big 6 clashes played so far, they remain undefeated.

Click!

This wasn't Ten Hag's first time coming to the Anfield press room, but it was Tang Ye's first.

"Our goal is still to win the title; that won't change. As for the captaincy issue you mentioned..."

Reporters believed Tang Ye becoming Man United's captain at 20 was a bit too early, and regarding this, Ten Hag needed to make a response.

"Although he is only 20, in two more months Tang will be 21."

"Tomorrow he'll be 22, and the year after that he'll be 23."

Ten Hag looked at the now dumbfounded reporter: "Time passes very quickly, and moreover, I believe the most important thing for a captain's armband isn't experience, but macro control over the entire match."

Ten Hag spread his hands: "Can you find a player better than Tang at controlling the rhythm of a match? I'm not saying find one within the Man United squad, but find one anywhere in the world."

"..."

The reporter fell silent and could only change the subject in the end.

"You will soon play the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Mancheng; if you advance, you will participate in the EFL Cup final in March. Will this be Man United's first trophy of the season?"

This question was not directed at Ten Hag, but was a question for Tang Ye.

"I can't confirm that, but I believe we will win the semi-final because we are already ahead from the first leg, and then we will go to Wembley to play the final, although we don't yet know who the final opponent will be."

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Red Devils Derby + Title Decider, Liwupu and Man United draw 3:3; Tang Ye scores from a free kick to open the scoring, Ye He comes off the bench to equalize at the death. (Comment count: 101,182)

Hot Discussion: Is the first trophy arriving? Currently, there are less than 40 days remaining until the 2019-20 EFL Cup final.

Last season Man United gave up on the EFL Cup, but this season the situation has changed.

The EFL Cup is very likely to be the first trophy Man United wins this season.

(End of Chapter)