Chapter 579: The March EFL Cup Final: Opponent is Aston Villa

【De Bruyne: I'm taking a dump.】

【It's up to you now, Tang Tang Qiuwang!】

【What's there to panic about? Manchester United is still leading by two goals; no need to panic at all.】

【So classic. Ten Hag is choking again in the second half. Can't he learn something from Guardiola's in-game adjustments?】

Ten Hag boasts a high win rate with his team, but gamblers hold players and coaches to the strictest standards, so the moment anything seems off, Ten Hag faces immediate backlash.

Yet the facts indeed appear to bear this out.

Previously, some newspapers had analyzed Ten Hag's in-game tactical abilities; let alone comparing him to Guardiola or Klopp, Ten Hag's capacity for in-game adjustments couldn't even guarantee superiority over Escrivá.

The camera cut to Ten Hag on the sidelines; unlike his relaxed demeanor in the first half, he now looked somewhat tense.

The clock reached the 67th minute of the second half.

"Don't panic, brothers. Manchester United is playing quite steadily now; I feel like there won't be any problems."

"Manchester United still leads by two goals. Just keep it steady; even if they score one, it'll be fine."

"Tang Tang Qiuwang, hey, drop back a little!"

The fans wanted Manchester United to play more conservatively, but after conceding a goal, the team only stabilized for a few minutes before launching another counterattack.

Tang Ye and Rashford executed a crossing run on the left flank, ending with Tang Ye receiving the ball near the left baseline.

"Oh!!"

Walker remained highly focused, seizing the opportunity to close the distance with Tang Ye, forcing Tang Ye almost back to the corner flag.

A simple attempt, followed by a small adjustment move.

Tang Ye maneuvered for quite a while but quickly realized that with his current abilities, he couldn't get past Walker.

"Hey!"

With that shout, Rodri and Luke Shaw simultaneously moved up to provide support.

Tang Ye decisively shielded the ball with his back, using his body to hold off Walker, then played a backward pass.

Luke Shaw received the ball!

After a series of consecutive passes, Manchester United shifted the ball to the right flank.

Ousmane Dembélé!

He struck a curling shot with his left foot, but it flew wide.

"Oh!"

Beep beep beep beep!!!!

"It's fine!"

Tang Ye called out to Dembélé: "It's okay, it's okay!"

Given the 4:2 aggregate score, Manchester United currently faced little pressure to score.

Running alongside Luke Shaw, Tang Ye placed his hand on his teammate's back: "Keep it up."

"..."

"De Gea goes straight for Rodri!"

"Rodri, beautiful!"

"Damn, yellow card, yellow card!"

Rodri had just received the ball when Walker tackled him, sending the Manchester United defensive midfielder crashing to the ground.

"Beep!!!"

Yellow card: Kyle Walker.

The opponent received a yellow card; originally, this meant nothing serious for Manchester United, but Rodri remained on the ground after falling, causing the Manchester United players to become unsettled.

"Hey!"

Tang Ye rushed over to prevent opponents from approaching Rodri, then joined De Jong and Dembélé in surrounding Rodri to assess their teammate's condition.

"Come on, get up, get up!"

Amid the combined shouts of the referee and the Manchester United players, the team doctor entered the field.

"Hiss..."

While the team doctor examined Rodri, Tang Ye specifically leaned in to observe closely.

"He got stepped on the ankle; the stud from the front shoe hit it, slightly higher up. Yes, yes, that's right."

Drawing upon his memory, Tang Ye pointed out to his teammates the exact location where Rodri had been stepped on, even describing roughly how the impact occurred.

Come on, Rodri...

Tang Ye and Rashford crouched down, helping the team doctor remove Rodri's sock.

"How is it?"

Tang Ye looked at the team doctor: "Is there a problem?"

"..."

Instead of answering directly, the doctor rubbed the area where Rodri had suffered the impact.

Hearing the cries of pain, the team doctor shook his head.

"Substitution, substitution!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: In the 70th minute, Rodri was substituted off due to injury, replaced by Amrabat.

"Damn, brothers, something's not right!"

The pressure is mounting!

The camera followed Rodri as he left the field; Manchester United prepared to bring on Amrabat as a substitute.

The two players prepared to high-five, but suddenly the scene cut away.

"Get lost!"

Tang Ye pushed Walker away, but the latter came right back up, and soon the two were tangled together.

No one knew what had happened, but a slight conflict had erupted between Tang Ye and Walker.

"Hey, Tom!"

Rashford pulled Tang Ye back, while De Bruyne held onto Walker.

"No need, no need."

"It's not a big problem."

Rashford whispered in Tang Ye's ear, "Let's win this first; I don't think it's serious."

"..."

Rodri's sudden substitution dealt a massive blow to Manchester United's defensive line, causing many players on the team to fall into poor form.

Clap! Clap!

Tang Ye clapped his hands lightly, signaling Dembélé to return to his position.

After De Bruyne scored from the set piece, the match officially entered its white-hot phase, while Rodri's substitution symbolized the official arrival of Mancheng's counter-attacking opportunities.

"Blue Moon!"

"We're not really here!"

"City till I die!"

"..."

The fans' chants elevated the players' mental state, and soon the second conflict of the second half occurred, this time between Agüero and De Ligt.

The consequences of this clash were relatively severe, with both sides receiving a yellow card.

"You can't make a swap like this; Manchester United is losing out..."

Exchanging a yellow card between a striker and a center-back indeed meant a huge loss for Manchester United.

And right after this foul, Ten Hag made his second substitution.

Lin Lin Jiade comes on for Rashford!

"..."

Raising his right hand, Tang Ye received a pass from a teammate.

He jumped and completed a turn in mid-air.

Pretending to pull wide, Tang Ye actually chose to drive straight into the penalty area.

Tap!

It was a very nimble, small-amplitude toe poke.

Tang Ye completed a nutmeg on Otamendi!

"Wow!!!"

Driving straight into the penalty area, with teammates providing cover nearby.

Boom!

A shot was unleashed.

"Damn, that didn't go in!?"

The substitute goalkeeper was on the field, but this Mancheng substitute keeper's performance was truly too outstanding.

"Roar!!!"

The goalkeeper and Stones chest-bumped, expressing their excitement at blocking Tang Ye's shot.

"..."

Ptooey!

Spitting his gum into the wrapper, Tang Ye crumpled the paper into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket.

If open play couldn't break through, then at least try a set piece.

After a few simple hand signals exchanged among the Manchester United players, Luke Shaw pushed the ball to Tang Ye.

"Beep beep beep beep!!!"

Manchester United chose to let Tang Ye take this corner kick, and Tang Ye, standing near the corner flag, inevitably became a target for the opposing fans.

"Don't kick it, don't kick it!"

"Go directly out of bounds, wow!!"

"TY, come to Mancheng, we'll give you double the salary!"

"..."

Somewhat speechless, Tang Ye turned toward the stands and spread his hands: "Keep it down!"

Beep!!!

The referee blew the whistle; Tang Ye raised both hands, and then began his run-up.

Thwack!

A pass was delivered.

It carried a quick downward spin.

The ball speed was extremely fast!

At the far post!

De Ligt leaped high, heading the ball while marking Otamendi!

Goal!

"Damn!"

"Goal! It's in! De Ligt!"

"Tang Tang Qiuwang, the third assist!!!"

After the ball entered the net, the stadium fell silent almost instantly.

The goal came a bit too suddenly; Mancheng fans seemed unable to accept this outcome.

"Wow!!!"

Tang Ye raised both hands, watching a large group of teammates run toward him.

Ye He was the closest to him.

Tang Ye had an idea: to step back down to the area beneath the stands.

He stepped onto the advertising board, facing the crowd of Mancheng fans in the stands, leaving his back to his teammates.

As the one who completed the assist hat-trick, Manchester United's number 10 was about to perform his celebration.

"Hey, hey, here it comes!"

Signaling the teammates behind him to be careful, Tang Ye crossed his arms over his chest and threw his body backward.

"Wow!"

Aare and Ye He caught Tang Ye: "Not bad, right?"

"Haha!"

Tang Ye stood up. De Ligt knelt on one knee, signaling Tang Ye to place his foot on his knee.

De Ligt pretended to hold a rag in his hand, vigorously wiping Tang Ye's Adidas cleats.

"3:1! Total score 5:2, brothers, the victory is secured!"

On the large screen at the venue, Guardiola hung his head.

Trailing by three goals over two legs, any fan who watches Mancheng matches often knows this is the most Mancheng has lost this season.

The remaining match time is...

Hmm, 12 minutes.

To score three goals in 12 minutes seems like a tall tale.

Turning his head to look toward the away team's bench, he realized Ten Hag was also looking at him.

Upon noticing his gaze, Ten Hag turned his head away again.

"..."

"Beep, beep beep!!!"

"Brothers! The full match is over! The score is 3:1, total score 5:2. Let us congratulate Manchester United on advancing to the final."

"By the way, I will also stream the final. Everyone remember to come to my streaming room. Also, you can join the streamer's QQ group!"

【The Blue Moon Never Fades!】

This was the banner unfurled by the home team fans in the stands.

It was a very good slogan, indeed, but after this match, Mancheng had already been eliminated.

"Wow, Jason, looking at it now, the only trophy Mancheng can win is the FA Cup, hmm, and the Champions League (English)."

"The league is also an opportunity (English)," Jason reminded.

"The league? Haha, to be honest, Jason, I feel winning the Premier League title is harder than winning the Champions League title (English)."

The broadcast of this match ended with Sky Sports' commentary.

The opponent and time for Manchester United's final have not yet been confirmed, but the commentators offered a prediction.

If nothing unexpected happens, the opponent will be Leicester City, and the final should be in early March.

By then, Manchester United will launch an assault on the championship trophy!

Check Dongqiu Di match report: Assist hat-trick wins MVP! Tang Ye's 10.0 unstoppable performance helps Manchester United advance to the final with a total score of 5:2; Rodri injured and substituted. (82399 comments)

Immediately after the match ended, the Manchester United players did not start their celebrations directly; instead, they began arguing with the opponents in the player tunnel.

"Is this the reason for tackling his foot?"

Tang Ye approached Walker, the muscles on his shoulders appearing prominent.

Among attacking midfielders, Tang Ye belongs to the relatively tall and strong type; combined with the Golden Ball buff, the sense of pressure was unusually high.

Walker stepped back, then walked forward again, pushing Tang Ye back with both hands: "I said I didn't mean it!"

"Are you sure? I think you were aiming for his foot."

The conflict between Tang Ye and Walker escalated further. Sterling arrived immediately, blocking in the middle and holding Tang Ye to prevent the latter from moving forward.

Sterling found it a bit hard to hold him back. Soon, De Bruyne came over to take over, also blocking between Tang Ye and Walker with a hug: "It's our fault, let it go, Tom. I apologize to you on behalf of Kyle. Really sorry."

"..."

Walker still looked somewhat annoyed, because losing the match was already an unhappy thing, but there were more rational players within the Mancheng team. Mahrez walked over and directly took Walker away.

"Are you okay, Rod?"

Tang Ye and Dembele stood together while Rodri sat before them, binding his ankle with a specially made ice pack.

"I have too much experience with this; I feel it should be fine."

Tang Ye judged.

However, his judgment was wrong.

"The situation is not very good."

The team doctor explained nearby: "It was a direct stomp, so I suspect it was very likely intentional."

"This..."

"About how long will that take?"

Fan Fan Dejiahe felt the pressure.

"Three weeks, roughly; counting rehabilitation training... returning to matches should take close to a month."

"..."

Manchester United's team doctor was quite experienced, especially regarding collision injuries in athletes.

If he said a month, then it would most likely be a month.

"That's not good news..."

Fan Fan Dejiahe stepped back and let out a long sigh.

Tang Ye and Rodri were the two most critical figures within the Manchester United squad.

Now that one had fallen, Manchester United's strength would inevitably be weakened.

"It's fine, it's fine."

Tang Ye tapped Rodri's arm: "I feel a month isn't that long; nothing serious should happen."

Tang Ye was very optimistic, but he always tended to overlook certain things when considering matters.

After today's match, Manchester United would enter February.

The Champions League knockout stage was just around the corner, and Manchester United's opponent was Real Madrid from La Liga!

The super-strong combination of Hazard plus Bale plus the Ceremony Midfield Trio!

Sky Sports: Advancing with a one-goal lead over two legs! Aston Villa to face Manchester United in the EFL Cup Final.

The FA: After comprehensive consideration of both participating teams' schedules, the 2019-20 EFL Cup Final is confirmed to be held on March 2nd at 19:00 (London time); the venue is Wembley Stadium.

If one were to discuss the capability of an English club, then the number of times it has stepped onto Wembley Stadium is absolutely worthy of becoming a topic of discussion.

Only clubs strong enough can step onto London's Wembley Stadium!

It is worth mentioning that, looking at the last two seasons, Manchester United has stepped onto Wembley Stadium the most times, exceeding both Mancheng and Liwupu.

However, as a Manchester United player, Tang Ye was not too happy at this moment.

At this moment, Tang Ye was lying prone on the bed in the rest room, receiving a massage from the team physiotherapist.

Oriental Consulting: As of 12:00 on February 1st, the national cumulative confirmed cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia exceeded 13,000.

"..."

"Damn, my home has been stolen."

"I've seen this before."

The physiotherapist behind him saw Tang Ye's phone screen; he was an Italian who had learned some simple Chinese during university.

"Seen what?"

Dembélé asked, while Tang Ye spread his hands: "The one I told you about before, that virus or bacteria thing; damn it, this thing kills people."

"You told me?"

Dembélé's eyes widened as he carefully pondered his previous conversations with Tang Ye.

But no matter how he recalled, he couldn't remember: "Are you sure you told me?"

"Uh..."

Dembélé made Tang Ye lose confidence: "Well, maybe?"

"Oh, it was Rod; I told Rod, but he's not here right now."

"Haha!"

As expected, Tom had gotten it wrong; the teammates in the room wore expressions of 'I saw through everything long ago.'

"To be honest, I initially thought this thing wouldn't have much impact; over ten thousand people—that's quite a lot, right? Damn..."

Realizing something was off, Tang Ye switched screens and opened the calculator.

Hmm.

"Damn, 2,000 more people every day... this is going to be a huge disaster."

A virus capable of killing people, with over ten thousand already infected.

Although he didn't know the fatality rate of this virus, Tang Ye knew the situation was already very bad.

"If possible, fans should be made to wear masks; there are too many people in the stadium, making accidents easy to occur,"

Tang Ye said.

"This is England, not China; we're fine."

Dembélé acted relaxed because he knew how far England was from China: "Besides, none of us are sick; why wear masks? If you walk down the street wearing a mask, won't everyone else run away, Tom?"

Tang Ye spread his hands: "You should still be a bit careful, Ousmane; I read online that with this disease you won't even be able to breathe on your own; you'll be lying in bed unable to even play games; this is a big deal."

(End of Chapter)