Chapter 833: I'm Going to Accept the Golden Ball Award Next Week

"Goal! Antony!"

"Oh, haha!"

Having opened the scoring against Mancheng at the Etihad Stadium, Antony was so excited he nearly fell over.

He adjusted his center of gravity, then sprinted quickly toward the sideline.

"Roar—!!!"

Antony shouted with all his might.

This was his second goal of the season!

As the hundred-million-yuan Mr. Piggy Xia Chuang, Antony had only scored two goals by the tenth round; this performance clearly failed to meet Manchester United fans' expectations, causing the Brazilian to face countless doubts since joining the team.

Now, finally, after suppressing his feelings for so long, he had directly breached Mancheng's goal.

That's it, Antony!

Bang!

Tang Ye collided with Antony, grabbed the Manchester United winger's arm, and lifted the latter's hand straight up.

"Antony!"

"Antony!"

"Ah!!!"

After letting out another roar, Antony seemed to be crying.

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay!"

Tang Ye placed his hand on Antony's head, vigorously ruffling his new teammate's hair.

Antony's performance this season was indeed lackluster, certainly not matching his 95 million euro transfer fee.

But Tang Ye was the team captain, and a captain should view teammates with an inclusive mindset.

The Master believed that all Antony needed was sufficient time!

"United!"

"Man United!"

Although Antony had just scored, the current score was still 2:2, meaning Manchester United had only just equalized.

After all, this was the Etihad; taking three points from Mancheng was indeed no easy task.

"Harry!"

Tang Ye shouted to Kane, "Just be bold and push forward when making your runs; I'll keep my eyes on you the whole time!"

"You're too hesitant!"

Having transferred only a few months ago, Kane was not yet fully accustomed to certain aspects of Manchester United.

Manchester United's greatest strength lay in their midfield or wide players being able to deliver the ball at any moment, and to a suitable position; for a positioning machine like Kane, this was simply too comfortable.

"Come on!"

Clap clap!

Tang Ye clapped continuously, signaling his teammates to lift their spirits.

"..."

"Yes, I think creating a gap with Mancheng is Manchester United's most important task right now. Because, looking at the current Premier League standings, the only team capable of threatening Manchester United's position is Mancheng; although Arsenal and Newcastle are close behind, their point deficit is relatively large!"

"Foden, eh, Foden's performance in this match has indeed been excellent; let's see if he has a chance for a hat-trick."

"Intercepted!"

"De Jong!"

De Jong directly intercepted Foden's pass and immediately looked for Dalot up front.

Dembélé began drifting toward the center!

"Oh!!!"

Judging by the roar from the crowd, the Mancheng fans seemed to have realized something was wrong.

Slap!

Dalot lifted his right leg, delivering a precise 45-degree cross to find Dembélé in the empty space at the center.

There were Mancheng defenders ahead, but Dembélé remained completely calm.

Because he knew the person he trusted most was right beside him!

Slap slap!

Dembélé suddenly accelerated into the penalty area, received a through ball from Tang Ye, and immediately fired a shot.

"Goal!"

"3:2!"

"Manchester United has completed a comeback against Mancheng away from home!"

On the live feed, Guardiola began scratching his scalp with his fingernails again.

Poor Spanish manager; his scalp was covered in red marks.

Sigh.

The pressure was too great.

How to defeat Manchester United and win the Premier League title—this was a question Guardiola might spend his entire life researching.

"... Mancheng is in a very difficult spot now; yes, they must find a way to equalize, or at least secure a draw."

"This is a six-pointer; if they lose at home, it will be very hard to catch up later, allowing Manchester United to maintain their lead..."

"..."

Slap!

The corner kick is delivered, and Tang Ye, waiting at the edge of the arc, takes control of the ball.

The Manchester United captain is extremely cunning; he first pulls the ball back in a feint, causing Bernardo Silva beside him to stumble and fall.

Immediately following this is a chipped pass.

Sent into the penalty area.

Kane!

Boom!

"Goal!"

"A header from Kane!"

"4:2!"

"Manchester United has once again extended their lead!"

"..."

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

2022-23 Premier League Standings (after Round 10):

1. Manchester United, 28 points.

2. Mancheng, 24 points.

3. Arsenal, 22 points.

4. Newcastle, 19 points.

5. Tottenham, 19 points.

The home match was played with great fervor, full of passion, yet Mancheng could not escape the fate of being thoroughly thrashed by their city rivals.

After the match, Guardiola stood before the substitutes' bench in deep thought, while before him on the grass stood the Mancheng players with their heads bowed.

"Erling."

Tang Ye took the initiative to approach Haaland and gave him a hug: "You played well."

"But we still lost."

Haaland sighed helplessly.

It had not been easy to finally play a match against Tang Ye, only to do so as opponents.

What was worst of all was that he was on the side that lost the match!

"Winning and losing both happen; it's perfectly normal."

Tang Ye pressed one hand firmly against Haaland's back: "You've just lost for now; there will be chances later. Keep going."

"Haha."

Haaland embraced Tang Ye: "Keep going."

"By the way, do you... regret joining Mancheng?"

After pondering for a moment, Tang Ye finally voiced his question.

"Me? Well, actually, I don't regret it; I think things here are quite good."

Tang Ye nodded: "Mm, then Mancheng is indeed very suitable for you; I can feel that."

Click-click!

"Very impressive; as I said before, Haaland is currently one of the most outstanding strikers in the entire football world. Compared to Harry 【Kane】, he may lack some match experience, but I remain very optimistic about his prospects."

Tang Ye expressed his support for his former teammate: "In the future, he will also maintain his status as a top-class striker, just like Harry."

"The Ballon d'Or ceremony is next week. Before the awards begin, you and James filmed a commercial for Apple? Will that commercial be revealed during the Ballon d'Or ceremony?"

"I don't know; the timing of the commercial's release is up to Apple; I'm not very familiar with that."

Tang Ye seemed inclined to brush it off, but the reporter persisted decisively.

"Alright then, what was the reason behind filming this commercial? Did you already know in advance that you had won the Ballon d'Or?"

"Oh, no! Of course not; you misunderstand. Right now, I know just as little as you do. Half a month ago, I replied to the Ballon d'Or voting email and cast my vote for the player I believed was outstanding. As for the result, we will only know that next week."

Tang Ye shrugged.

"Then do you look forward to winning your fourth Ballon d'Or?"