Chapter 898: Guardiola Is a Fraud!

The second half began.

As the commentator had guessed, Palmer, who had performed poorly in the first half, was quickly substituted off by Guardiola.

In his place came the team’s rookie, Rico Lewis!

This player is truly extraordinary—so young, yet already a first-team player at Manchester City.

Guardiola’s choice to trust Lewis over Palmer clearly reveals this player’s footballing talent.

In contrast, Manchester United’s situation was awkward: the combination of Tang Ye and Rodri was used until the end, with no other player stepping up to replace them.

Tragic!

“Eoncity!”

“Eoncity!”

“…”

“The final 45 minutes of this match carry the last hope of Manchester City’s fans this season.”

“Yes, but in my view, it’s extremely difficult for Manchester City to overturn the score in these 45 minutes. If possible, the best strategy is to score two goals first and force extra time—then find a way in extra time or a penalty shootout.”

The commentator had already begun offering advice to Manchester City, and the players on the pitch were delivering brilliantly.

Stones broke free from defense and quickly passed to Rico Lewis.

Lewis pulled the ball under his body, saw Tang Ye charging toward him, and decisively passed to Kudion.

Thud!

Tang Ye lunged to intercept—but failed!

A superb pass from Rico Lewis!

Kudion dribbled and turned, dragging Grealish with him; both quickly advanced to a more forward position.

Manchester United’s defenders bunched tightly together, making it an urgent problem for City to get the ball into the box.

Kudion returned the pass to Akangji, who surged forward from the flank.

He dragged the ball and cut inside, skimming the baseline toward the box.

“Wow!!!”

Akangji is putting pressure on Dalot!

Dalot is extremely cautious, but Akangji’s change of direction is truly astonishing.

Triangle pass to De Bruyne!

De Bruyne.

Long shot!

Thud!

Duang!

The ball struck the crossbar and bounced out.

“Oh!!!”

The crowd was startled.

“Both sides are fighting for the rebound.”

“B. Silva, any chance to get the ball?”

“Ah, too slow—Luke Shaw’s challenge was perfectly timed; he cleared it straight to Tang Ye.”

What had been an exciting City attack turned instantly into a United counterattack.

“Go press!”

Dias reminded his front-line teammates.

If they don’t stop Tang Ye immediately, their goal is in trouble!

Without hesitation, Stones and Lewis rushed from two different directions, determined to intercept Tang Ye’s pass.

!!!

Tang Ye drove toward Stones on the left front and signaled to Rashford.

Stones made a move!

Sensing Stones’ tackle intent, Tang Ye feinted and shifted the ball instantly to the right.

Swish!

He adjusted his stance with a half-volley.

Timing it perfectly, Tang Ye slipped the ball cleanly between Lewis’s legs.

“Wow!!”

That was a nutmeg—Tang Ye toyed with Lewis during the counterattack.

He bypassed the defense and secured the ball.

“Hey!”

Thud!

!!!

Tang Ye acted decisively, launching a direct through-ball forward.

Kane was startled by this sudden move; realizing he had a chance, he immediately sprinted forward.

“Walker is right beside him—Kane will struggle to control this pass.”

“Will he even have time to shoot?”

As soon as Kane received the ball, Walker was already glued to his back, leaving no room to turn and shoot.

“Beautiful!”

“Nice!”

Just as Manchester City fans exhaled in relief, Kane returned the ball to Luke Shaw, who was sprinting up from behind.

Pah!

A 45-degree cross from Luke Shaw!

The ball split to the back post!

Dembele!

Thud!

He headed it past Ederson, then collapsed into the penalty area.

Good news: the goal was in!

“3:0!”

“Dembele scores!”

“3:0!”

“My god, it seems Manchester United didn’t even show their full strength in the FA Cup.”

Live update: Dembele heads in! Dembele scores a high-difficulty header—61st minute, score now 3:0, Manchester United extend their lead.

【Dembele, you’re not human!】

【I don’t get it—how did that City rookie get nutmegged? Tang Ye treated him like a toy!】

【Guardiola, you said we had a chance to beat United—why are we down 3-0 now? Any explanation?】

【66666, Dembele should be second in this year’s Ballon d’Or—this header was pure class, just brutally cool.】

【Counterattack, counterattack—get Foden on now, take Grealish off, and what about Haaland? Seriously, stop vanishing—can’t you even get the ball?】

Haaland was truly pitiful: during the first half, when City had possession, he occasionally got chances.

But after the second half, as United fully took control, Haaland barely got any touches.

“Pass me the ball!”

Haaland called for De Bruyne and Kudion—but received only Kudion’s weary reply: “We’re too passive!”

By the 65th minute, both sides had completed their latest substitutions.

Ten Hag clearly understood Rashford well—he immediately substituted him the moment his performance dipped in the second half, without hesitation, because you can’t assume Rashford’s second-half form matches his first.

“United have brought on B. Fernandes to play as a winger—actually, given United’s current advantage, perhaps Ten Hag should focus more on defense.”

“Hey, that’s not right, Coach He.”

“For United, attack is the best defense!”

“…”

Guardiola was at a loss and could only signal his players to target United’s defense—specifically, exploit De Ligt and Lima.

The tactic worked reasonably well, but De Bruyne and the newly introduced Foden both missed their shots—five minutes, two attempts, both flew high over the bar.

“Fuck!”

Guardiola sat at the front row of the bench, gripping his scalp with both hands, his face flushed red—as if he were allergic to something on the pitch.

As the second-place team in this season’s Premier League, Manchester City earned a total of 91 points in 38 matches.

Their outstanding league performance gave Guardiola the idea that he could crush Manchester United.

And yet!

Why is the match like this!?

“Tang Ye, oh, so close!”

“Oh, he fell again—that’s a foul by Lewis. Lewis is young, but his tactical fouling instincts are sharp.”

“Hey, he just shot!”

Mancheng was still retreating, waiting for the opponent to set up a set piece, when Tang Ye, showing off, launched a quick free kick.

Snap!

The ball sped forward, caught by Dembélé, who had sprinted forward desperately.

“Mancheng!”

“Mancheng’s reaction! That shouldn’t happen.”

Dembélé went all out, maneuvering close to the goal, while Akangji hurried into defensive stance.

Snap!

A curled shot, aimed at the far corner.

It brushed past the post and into the net—Ederson had no chance.

“gooo——aaaa——lll!!!”

“Dembélé!!!”