[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-start-with-r9-template":3,"chapter-start-with-r9-template-start-with-r9-template-chapter-107":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},1388677,1840,"Chapter 107 - 107","start-with-r9-template-chapter-107",107,"\u003Cp>The digital clock on the stadium screen ticked past the 70th minute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The snow was falling harder now, creating a white veil over the Theatre of Dreams, but the heat coming from the pitch was palpable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here come the changes,\" Martin Tyler announced, his voice cutting through the tension. \"Pep Guardiola is rolling the dice. He is not a man who settles for a point, is he?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Never,\" Gary Neville replied, leaning forward in the gantry. \"He's taking off his captain, Vincent Kompany, and bringing on Ilkay Gundogan. Gabriel Jesus makes way for Eliaquim Mangala. That is a massive structural shift. He's sacrificing a defender to flood the midfield.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And Jose Mourinho responds,\" Tyler continued. \"Chris Smalling, who looked shaken after that error for the goal, is coming off. Victor Lindelof replaces him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a collective intake of breath from the Stretford End.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be honest, Martin, that's a nervous switch,\" Neville analyzed, his tone laced with genuine worry for his former club.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lindelof has been inconsistent since arriving in England. He's had difficult moments—Huddersfield away comes to mind. Throwing him into the cauldron of a Manchester Derby at 1-1? That is a sink-or-swim moment for the Swede. United are desperate for stability at the back, and the fans are terrified of another mistake.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match resumed, and the dynamic of the game transformed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't just a substitution; it was a metamorphosis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>City shifted into a fluid 3-4-3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a system rooted in the muddy pitches of the Netherlands, a ghost of Johan Cruyff's \"Total Football,\" now perfected by his greatest disciple, Guardiola.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the untrained eye, it looked like chaos. To the players on the pitch, it felt like a cage closing in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The United players immediately felt the air leave the stadium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressing intensity didn't just increase; it became suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't just man-marking anymore; it was an all-encompassing, coordinated hunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>73rd Minute, Nemanja Matic received a routine pass from Pogba near the center circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could even lift his head to scan the field, a blue wave crashed over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gundogan and De Bruyne were on him instantly, tackling with the ferocity of hungry wolves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are swarming!\" Tyler cried out as the ball spilled loose. \"City are gnawing away at United! They are absolutely relentless!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gone were the patient, intricate triangles of the first half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was direct, vertical, and ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The City players were driving forward with jaws wide open, looking to devour United's defensive shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sidelines, two men with opposing philosophies stood in the snow. Guardiola, frantic and animated, conducting his orchestra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho, hands in pockets, stoic and grim, watching his fortress under siege.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>United retreated. They had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Red Devils fell back to the edge of their own penalty area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distance between their midfield and defensive lines shrank until there was barely a meter of space for City to operate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were squeezing the life out of the game, abandoning all pretense of attacking to survive the storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mourinho has parked the bus,\" Neville observed, circling the formation on his tactical screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But look at the discipline. It's an impregnable fortress. It looks passive to the viewer, but the mental concentration required to hold this line without breaking is world-class. One lapse in concentration, one yard of space, and City will kill you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a stalemate of philosophies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>City controlled the ball 30 meters from goal, circulating it wide, probing, waiting for a crack in the red wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the 75,000 fans at Old Trafford, it felt like a tightening noose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>78th Minute, The pressure reached a boiling point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manchester City worked the ball laterally, stretching United from touchline to touchline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kevin De Bruyne, drifting into that dangerous right half-space that he calls home, spotted a flicker of movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't hesitate. He whipped a diagonal pass across the face of the defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball arced like a beautiful, deadly rainbow through the falling snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the back post, Ashley Young was isolated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under immense pressure, and blinded by the flurry, he misjudged the flight of the ball. He jumped, but the ball sailed agonizingly over his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leroy Sane was waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The German winger controlled the ball with his chest, cushioning it perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't wait for it to drop to the turf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A venomous left-footed volley whistled through the cold air, destined for the top corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The City fans behind the goal rose as one, ready to scream, their arms already raising in celebration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They saw the goal. They felt the victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a hand appeared from nowhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David De Gea, moving with cat-like reflexes that defied physics, threw a strong right hand at the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He parried it away with incredible strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A MIRACULOUS SAVE!\" Martin Tyler screamed, his voice cracking. \"David De Gea is not human! He is radiating pure invincibility!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The rebound falls to Gundogan!\" Neville shouted, panic rising in his voice. \"He strikes it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor Lindelof threw his body across the turf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball smashed into the Swede's chest with a sickening thud and deflected away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Great block, Victor!\" De Gea roared, hauling his defender up by the shirt. \"That is how you defend! That is the passion we need!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>United scrambled the resulting corner clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were hanging on by their fingertips, battering back the waves of blue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is brave defending,\" Neville said, exhaling loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are putting their bodies on the line. What are teammates for? Mutual trust. Suffering together. United are suffering right now, but they are holding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High above the pitch, behind the glass of the VIP box, the atmosphere was thick with tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Lanxia sat with her hands clasped tightly in her lap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She watched her son, Ling, down on the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was covered in mud, his chest heaving as he chased shadows on the wing. His face was flushed with the cold and exertion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't speak. She didn't cheer. She just watched with a mother's heartache and pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew he was suffering down there, pushing his body to the limit, but she also knew this was his dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All she could do was offer silent prayers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next to her, Ling Changzheng clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind drifted back to the old days in Dalian, watching Shide FC in the bitter cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In those desperate moments, when the team was on the ropes, a hero would always step up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Be the hero, son,' he thought fiercely. 'Grind it out.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seats away, Sir Alex Ferguson stood up, pacing slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched the City onslaught with a grim expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He often called them the \"Noisy Neighbors,\" but he was a football man first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He respected their power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could see the future champions in them. If United wanted to restore their glory, they had to survive moments like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had to prove they could suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>80th Minute, The game had become a war of attrition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho made his move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Jesse Lingard makes way,\" Tyler announced. \"He has run himself into the ground today. An exceptional shift from him. Juan Mata replaces him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lingard trudged off, gasping for air. Ling and Rashford weren't much better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their legs were heavy with lactic acid, their lungs burning from the freezing air. But Mourinho kept them on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed their raw speed for one last roll of the dice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>83rd Minute, The intensity finally took its toll on the visitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>City's pressing dropped—just a fraction. They weren't machines, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They couldn't sprint at 100% for the full 90 minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>United sensed the shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Red Bus\" began to unlock its brakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"United are pushing out,\" Neville noted, surprised. \"They aren't settling for the draw. They want the win.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tempo accelerated again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 1-1 draw would preserve the unbeaten home record, but in the context of the title race, a draw was useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today had to have a winner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>De Bruyne, looking for a way through, tried to fire a pass through the lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To bypass Rashford's screen, he put extra power on the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was slightly erratic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ilkay Gundogan received it awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His touch was heavy—the ball bouncing a few inches too far away from his boot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tiny mistake. But in the Premier League, a tiny mistake is blood in the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mata is closing down!\" Tyler yelled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juan Mata, with fresh legs and a sharp mind, lunged at the German midfielder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panic set in for City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gundogan couldn't turn; the trap had sprung too quickly. He was forced to play a blind, panicked square pass toward David Silva to reset the play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite having run a marathon already, despite his legs screaming in protest, he found a reserve of energy from deep within his soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sprinted at Silva, using his body to slam into the Spaniard, disrupting his balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are fighting for every inch!\" Neville shouted. \"Look at the desire! Look at the hunger!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>City, usually so composed, cracked under the ferocity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David Silva tried to recycle the ball back to Gundogan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Mata had anticipated it and the little Spaniard gambled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped into the passing lane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Interception!\" Tyler screamed. \"Mata has won it high up the pitch! The City defense is split! United are in!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>patreon (.)com\u002FNewbietranslator\u003C\u002Fp>",1570,"2026-06-05T22:48:23.062Z",1,"novelbin.me","f4a8576aa3292490d5cacaaabea6003557c33cc4c40f007c78ce514e96e878cc","start-with-r9-template-chapter-6","start-with-r9-template-chapter-5",371,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstart-with-r9-template-cover.jpg"]