[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-start-with-r9-template":3,"chapter-start-with-r9-template-start-with-r9-template-chapter-103":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Start with R9 Template",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1388669,1840,"Chapter 103 - 103","start-with-r9-template-chapter-103",103,"\u003Cp>\"It is a fascinating tactical battle, Gary,\" Martin Tyler observed. \"City are circulating possession at the back, trying to draw United out. But is it risky?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is high risk, high reward, Martin,\" Gary Neville replied, circling the screen on the tactical monitor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If United's forwards—Ling, Rashford, Lukaku—intercept the ball here, City are wide open. Their defenders are split. One mistake, and it's a 3-vs-2 counter-attack. Whoever blinks first loses.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>24th Minute, Fernandinho received the ball near the center circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, Jesse Lingard pressed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the designated \"troublemaker\" in the number 10 role, Lingard's job was to harass City's midfield pivot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the press, Fernandinho quickly shuffled the ball wide to the left flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling closed in immediately, trying to suffocate David Silva's turning space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had underestimated the Spaniard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn't call him El Mago (The Magician) for nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silva's ability to operate in a phone booth was rivaled only by Messi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite his slight frame, his balance was unshakeable. He took the pass on his instep, and in one fluid motion, spun away from pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panic set in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling felt the danger and instinctively reached out, tugging Silva's jersey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silva felt the contact and went down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beep!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Referee Michael Oliver blew his whistle sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He called Ling over. \"Watch your hands. Next time, it goes in the book. Understand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling nodded, walking away with a slight smirk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was part of Mourinho's instructions: Protect the central areas at all costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Silva or De Bruyne looked like they were getting comfortable, break the rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a calculated trade-off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By playing on the right wing today, Ling was also avoiding a direct physical battle with Kyle Walker, aiming to exploit the space left by City's more adventurous left side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>37th Minute\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pattern changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manchester City stopped forcing play down the wings and began playing narrow, rapid combinations through the middle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the creative players drew markers away, Fernandinho suddenly surged forward from the back, becoming the chaotic variable United hadn't accounted for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, danger here!\" Martin Tyler raised his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Smalling has stepped up too aggressively!\" Neville shouted. \"He's left a massive gap behind him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fernandinho spotted it instantly. He chipped a pass into the space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raheem Sterling sprinted onto it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his characteristic running style—arms pumping high against his chest like a T-Rex—he generated astonishing speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sterling wound up his leg for a volley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marcos Rojo didn't hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Argentine defender threw himself into the line of fire, sliding backward with zero regard for his own safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shot smashed into Rojo, deflecting out for a corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sterling held his head in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn't believe it didn't go in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brave defending!\" Neville praised. \"That is old school! He put his head where it hurts!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rojo is down,\" Tyler noted. \"He's bleeding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The United players gathered around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rojo had a cut on his cheek, likely from a grazing stud or the impact of the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood trickled down his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee signaled for the medical staff and Rojo had to leave the pitch to be patched up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match resumed with United temporarily down to 10 men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David Silva whipped in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smalling, eager to make amends for his earlier error, rose highest and powered a header clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball dropped to Pogba.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using his immense frame, Pogba held off Silva, controlled the bouncing ball, spun away from the pressure, and launched a long, raking pass to the right flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"United have an outlet!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling trapped the ball and turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The expanse of green grass ahead of him was inviting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rojo on the sideline, arguing with the physio, desperate to get back on the pitch to help his team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling felt a surge of adrenaline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'They are fighting with blood and sweat. I cannot let them down.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt electric. He pushed the ball past the halfway line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fabian Delph stepped up to meet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Guardiola's coaching, Delph had been converted from a midfielder to a left-back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had grown confident, viewing himself as a reliable cog in the City machine—perhaps even believing the media hype calling him the \"Yorkshire Maldini.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ling had done his homework.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had watched all 14 of Delph's matches this season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His conclusion? Delph was excellent at reading the game, but his turning circle was slow, and his recovery pace was average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling drove at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gap closed rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Trafford crowd held its breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Snow swirled in the air.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling made his move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Inside touch. Outside cut. Stride. Touch.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four distinct movements in the blink of an eye, shifting his body weight violently from left to right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Delph froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His anticipation meant nothing against raw speed and deception. He tried to turn, but his feet got tangled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stumbled, nearly planting his face in the turf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, he's turned him inside out!\" Gary Neville gasped on commentary. \"Delph is on the floor! That is magnificent!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A roar like a tidal wave crashed down from the stands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling was free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty meters out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vincent Kompany saw the danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He signaled Otamendi to stick with Lukaku, and he stepped out to confront Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kompany was a legend, but his body was failing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years of injuries had robbed him of his top speed. He knew Ling favored his right foot, so he angled his body to force him wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling slowed down slightly, scanning the picture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—no feints, no tricks. Just pure, explosive acceleration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kompany tried to react, but his legs felt heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched helplessly as Ling knocked the ball past him and simply sprinted around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a brutal exposure of the passing of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I'm getting too old for this,' Kompany thought bitterly as the number 7 shirt blurred past him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling entered the final third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind, the pitch was a grid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otamendi was wrestling with Lukaku. Kyle Walker was tracking Rashford at the back post. But arriving late, bursting through the middle... was Jesse Lingard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling didn't look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his ankle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball rolled perfectly across the wet turf, cutting out the entire City defense, teasing the goalkeeper as it rolled to the edge of the penalty area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lingard is arriving!\" Tyler screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jesse Lingard threw his body at the ball in a slide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fernandinho lunged desperately to block it, but he was a fraction of a second too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball flew into the bottom corner, rippling the white netting.\u003C\u002Fp>",1096,"2026-06-05T22:48:23.062Z",1,"novelbin.me","d255fd155539e4abf00d97a15bb4649529a6ddf72c2befe0f0add5688675423b","start-with-r9-template-chapter-104","start-with-r9-template-chapter-1",371,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstart-with-r9-template-cover.jpg"]