[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-start-with-r9-template":3,"chapter-start-with-r9-template-start-with-r9-template-chapter-138":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},1388743,1840,"Chapter 138 - 138","start-with-r9-template-chapter-138",138,"\u003Cp>On March 6th, following a generous nine-day rest period, the Manchester United squad traveled south to London.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their destination was Selhurst Park, the raucous home of Crystal Palace, for the 29th round of the Premier League.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eagles were flying high, having just pulled off a shock victory against Tottenham in the previous round to climb to 11th in the table\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>. Their manager, Roy Hodgson, was a tactical veteran who knew exactly how to set up a low block against top-six sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the opening whistle, Palace adhered strictly to the game plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They refused to engage in a high press, sitting deep and waiting for a singular moment of weakness to launch a counter-attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That moment arrived sooner than anyone expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 7th minute, James McArthur collected the ball in midfield. Spotting a gap in the United defensive line, he launched a precise lofted pass over the heads of Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Christian Benteke, timing his run to perfection, sprang the offside trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big Belgian striker brought the ball down, rounded David De Gea with terrifying composure, and slotted it into the empty net.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1-0.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selhurst Park erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noise was deafening, a mixture of joy and spite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The South London locals made it clear: they would rather see Manchester City win the title a thousand times over than witness the Red Devils lift the trophy again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trauma of the Ferguson era ran deep here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unbelievable scenes in South London!\" Martin Tyler shouted from the gantry. \"Palace have caught them napping! Benteke with ice in his veins, and United are chasing the game early on!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the early setback, there was no panic among the United players. This season, they had forged a mentality of steel. They knew they possessed superior quality, and time was on their side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the match resumed, United began to dominate possession, with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic rotating positions to overload the left flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were looking for their spark, and as usual, it came from their Number 7.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 26th minute, Pogba executed a sharp V-pull drag-back to evade McArthur's pressure. With his head up, he drilled a diagonal through ball toward the left wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling killed the ball dead with his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a touch of class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Andros Townsend charged in aggressively, Ling didn't panic; he simply lifted the ball with a delicate chip, bypassing the winger entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the danger wasn't over. A dark shadow was sprinting toward him from the fullback position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Aaron Wan-Bissaka.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Promoted from the U23s in January, the youngster had quickly established a reputation. Although raw, his defensive instincts were elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a master of the recovery tackle, often letting wingers think they were past him before sliding in with telescopic legs to steal the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was nicknamed \"The Spider\" for his reach, but his physicality had earned him the moniker \"The English Bulldozer\" among the youth ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan-Bissaka launched himself into the slide. He was confident. He had the angle. He was going to send both the man and the ball into touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I tame dribblers for a living,' the defender thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ling was operating on a different frequency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the slide coming, he didn't try to knock it past on the ground. Instead, he reacted with a fusion of instinct and technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cushioned the dropping ball and chipped it a second time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball popped up like a sprite, floating gracefully over the sliding body of Wan-Bissaka.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defender, committed to the momentum of his tackle, couldn't stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slid uncontrollably across the wet turf and crashed hard into the advertising hoardings with a dull thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw stars, his vision blurring as he hissed in pain, his mind unable to comprehend how the ball had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my word!\" Gary Neville gasped on the commentary. \"That is absolutely filthy! He's chipped him! Wan-Bissaka hit the boards! That is world-class skill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The United fans in the away end gasped collectively before roaring as Ling accelerated into the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the defense scattered, he cut the ball back as Jesse Lingard was waiting at the penalty spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lingard finishes it! 1-1!\" Tyler cried. \"Ling provides the magic, and Lingard provides the finish! Crystal Palace have been dismantled by a moment of genius!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jesse Lingard sprinted toward the corner flag, grabbing Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two performed a choreographed robot dance, much to the delight of the traveling supporters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Playing with you is amazing, bro!\" Lingard laughed, doing the robot motion. \"I just wait for you to tear the wing apart, and I get a tap-in! Keep this up, and I might challenge for the Golden Boot!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Romelu Lukaku watched from the center circle, feeling a twinge of envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early in the season, he was the main man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, his increased muscle mass was making him feel heavy and sluggish compared to the sharpness of his teammates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Later, drag the center-backs wide for me,\" Ling whispered to Lingard as they jogged back. \"I want to cut inside and shoot. Salah is scoring every week; I need to keep up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling had his eyes on the prize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The System had promised a Platinum Treasure Chest for the Golden Boot. With Mohamed Salah in alien form, Ling needed every goal he could get!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match resumed, and it became the Aaron Wan-Bissaka torture show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young defender, usually so composed, was rattled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the next fifteen minutes, he endured a nightmare. He had the explosive speed to match Ling, but he couldn't read the feints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 42nd minute, Ling isolated him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two quick step-overs left Wan-Bissaka flat-footed. The defender instinctively jabbed a leg out, but he was grasping at shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling pushed the ball past him, cut inside onto his right foot, and unleashed a curling shot from the edge of the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball arced beautifully, bypassing the goalkeeper's dive and nestling into the far corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's done it again!\" Neville shouted. \"That is the Thierry Henry finish! He's turned the defender inside out and bent it into the top bin. Just before halftime, United lead 2-1!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From a goal down to leading at the break,\" Tyler added. \"This United team has resilience in their DNA. They simply refuse to panic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Social media was instantly ablaze with reactions to the goal and the skill that preceded it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>@RedDevil_DNA: \"Wan-Bissaka is going to need therapy after this. Ling has absolutely cooked him on national television. 😭😭 #mufc\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>@TacticalTim: \"People said AWB was the best 1v1 defender in the league. Ling just ended that debate in 45 minutes. Levels.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>@LiverpoolLad: \"Salah is still winning the boot, but fair play, that chip was naughty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>@UtdStand: \"2-1! The mentality of this team is elite. Mourinho has turned them into monsters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sidelines, Roy Hodgson shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan-Bissaka was a brilliant prospect, but he had run into a buzzsaw today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 4-4-2 flat formation left the fullback exposed with no cover, and against a player of Ling's quality, that was suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the halftime interval, the game settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>United controlled the tempo, and in the 67th minute, they put the game to bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It started on the left again, a dummy attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Palace defense shifted heavily to support the beleaguered Wan-Bissaka, Paul Pogba looked up and launched a trademark 40-yard switch of play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball landed perfectly for Marcus Rashford on the right. With the defense out of position, Rashford surged into the box and drilled a low shot past the keeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1-3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And that surely seals it!\" Tyler announced. \"Rashford joins the party! It's a clinic in attacking football from Manchester United.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho immediately signaled for the bus to be parked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Defensive substitutions were made, and United sat deep, absorbing pressure and killing the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>De Gea made a couple of routine saves from long-range efforts, but the result was never in doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee blew the final whistle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crystal Palace 1, Manchester United 3. another three points, and the Red Devils marched on.\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>",1357,"2026-06-05T22:48:23.062Z",1,"novelbin.me","2a4b165341513ea56f94ab921771d990d498f6c8bcd0c87da562577626ec0485","start-with-r9-template-chapter-139","start-with-r9-template-chapter-40",371,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstart-with-r9-template-cover.jpg"]