[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-start-with-r9-template":3,"chapter-start-with-r9-template-start-with-r9-template-chapter-33":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},1388721,1840,"Chapter 33 - 33","start-with-r9-template-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>The player tunnel at Old Trafford is heavy with history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, it was filled with warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Manchester United players broke rank, ignoring the pre-match tension to embrace the stocky, bearded man in the blue kit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handshakes turned into hugs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Long time no see, Wazza.\" \"Good to see you, legend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wayne Rooney, the club's all-time leading goalscorer, smiled, patting cheeks and gripping shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the referee signaled for the teams to line up, Rooney instinctively turned to his left, beginning the walk toward the front of the line—the captain's spot, the Manchester United side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took two steps before he froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A complex expression washed over his face—a mix of muscle memory and sudden, jarring realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down at his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Everton blue, not United red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped, shook his head with a rueful grin, and stepped over to the visitors' line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a small moment, but it spoke volumes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes later, the referee team led the players out into the cauldron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Rooney emerged from the tunnel, Old Trafford seemed to inhale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fans rubbed their eyes, the image of that Scouser in blue triggering a decade of memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the applause began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It started as a ripple and swelled into a roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't just polite clapping; it was a thunderous, standing ovation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although his departure had been quiet, his thirteen years of service, the goals, the trophies, the sheer bloody-minded will to win—that was indelible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rooney looked up, his eyes glistening slightly, and waved to the Stretford End.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as the applause died down, the gaze of the Old Trafford faithful shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked past the legend of yesterday to the figure standing on the left wing in red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-haired teenager, Jeremy Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sentiment in the stands shifted from nostalgia to a buzzing, electric anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'We loved the past', the crowd seemed to say, 'but how far can you take us in the future?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>🎙️ Sky Sports Live Broadcast Room\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good evening, dear viewers! Welcome to the Theatre of Dreams!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin Tyler's voice was crisp and energetic, cutting through the ambient noise of the stadium feed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Today, we are broadcasting the fifth round of the 2017-18 Premier League season. It's Manchester United versus Everton! A classic fixture with a heavy narrative weight today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me introduce the starting lineups. In the red shirts, attacking from left to right, is Manchester United. Mourinho continues with the 4-2-3-1 formation. And look at this, Jeremy Ling, is making his second Premier League start!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Facing them in blue is Everton. Ronald Koeman persists with a three-at-the-back system: Jagielka, Ashley Williams, and Michael Keane. Leighton Baines and Cuco Martina occupy the wing-back positions, while Schneiderlin and Idrissa Gueye anchor the midfield.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dangerous players lurk up top: the 'Icelandic Sniper' Gylfi Sigurðsson and young Tom Davies supporting Wayne Rooney.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match began at a breakneck pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The formations of the two teams immediately intertwined like fingers lacing together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everton, emboldened by Koeman's instructions, didn't sit back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They pressed high, aiming to seize the initiative and rattle the hosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under this high-intensity pressure, Manchester United's greatest fear was realized: the absence of Paul Pogba was a gaping wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the Frenchman's ability to hold the ball and glide past challenges, the link between midfield and attack was severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fellaini and Matić were strong, but they lacked that fluid creativity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the 4th minute, the cracks showed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morgan Schneiderlin, reading the game with the familiarity of a man who used to train on this pitch, anticipated a pass intended for Fellaini.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped in, intercepted the ball cleanly, and immediately slotted a diagonal pass into the half-space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tom Davies received it, holding off Matić with his back to goal, and laid it off to the flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's Sigurðsson!\" Martin tyler shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Icelandic playmaker didn't hesitate. Finding himself with a yard of space 30 meters out, he unleashed a venomous drive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball flew like a bullet from a sniper rifle, swerving violently toward the top left corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But David De Gea was the best in the world for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been tracking the movement, his muscles coiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exploded sideways, his body fully extended, and parried the ball out for a corner with a strong left hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brilliant save!\" Tyler exclaimed. \"Just minutes in, and we have a blockbuster on our hands!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>De Gea scrambled up, roaring at his defenders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Close him down! Don't give him that space! I can't save them every time!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't blame; it was a command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the touchline, Mourinho stood motionless, but his eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everton was clogging the middle, daring United to play through a concrete wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Koeman, who stood with his hands in his pockets, looking utterly confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dutchman had a reputation as a \"Giant Killer\" from his days managing Ajax, Benfica, and PSV.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He believed he had Mourinho's number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He believed he could turn this game into an attritional war and win on mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first half progressed, United struggled to advance centrally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time Mkhitaryan or Mata tried to turn, Gueye or Schneiderlin was there, snapping at their heels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, the flow of the game shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By design or by necessity, the ball found its way to the left flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Jeremy Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cuco Martina, the Everton right-back, crouched low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had watched the tapes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew if he dove in, this kid would embarrass him. So he retreated, giving Ling space but denying the breakthrough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling controlled the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, he would have driven straight at Martina, trying to force a dribble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, a voice echoed in his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Be the magnet. Draw them in.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling didn't sprint down the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he cut inside, driving diagonally into the \"half-space\"—that dangerous channel between the fullback and the center-back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, Ashley Young recognized the cue and thundered forward on the overlap, screaming for the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martina panicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to respect the overlap, but he couldn't let Ling drive into the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated, stepping back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This movement triggered Idrissa Gueye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Everton defensive midfielder saw Ling drifting inside and saw the danger. He abandoned his central post to close Ling down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a pincer movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martina blocking the line, Gueye closing from the center. From a bird's-eye view, Everton's shape compressed around the young winger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were hunting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect, Ling thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't the prey. He was the bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gueye rushed in, leaving his zone, a massive pocket of space opened up in the center of the park—right where Nemanja Matić was standing, completely unmarked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling waited until the last possible second, until he could smell the grass on Gueye's boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with a lightning-fast flick of his ankle—CRACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't a dribble. It wasn't a shot. I\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>t was a sharp, reverse pass that sliced against the grain of play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball rolled perfectly into the vacuum Gueye had just vacated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Everton players were baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had collapsed on the winger, and suddenly the ball was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matić didn't even have to take a touch to settle it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped onto the rolling ball, his head up. Because Gueye was gone, the passing lane to the striker was wide open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a knife through butter, Matić played a weighted, piercing through-ball, splitting Jagielka and Williams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Romelu Lukaku had already started his run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The big Belgian, facing his former club, muscled past the defenders and latched onto the pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jordan Pickford rushed off his line, shouting, making himself big.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukaku kept his composure. He opened his body and firmly slotted the ball into the far corner, the net rippling with a satisfying swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1-0!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Trafford erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukaku didn't celebrate out of respect for his old team, merely pointing to the sky, but his teammates swarmed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sideline, Mourinho didn't look at the goalscorer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Ling, who was high-fiving Ashley Young. He nodded with a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magnet had worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lock was picked.\u003C\u002Fp>",1353,"2026-06-05T22:48:22.783Z",1,"novelbin.me","bc6356ba2ae61297442388fdefca8c34c1f3384c4da3d28c71a5a01335bdd190","start-with-r9-template-chapter-124","start-with-r9-template-chapter-123",371,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstart-with-r9-template-cover.jpg"]