[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-start-with-r9-template":3,"chapter-start-with-r9-template-start-with-r9-template-chapter-89":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},1388904,1840,"Chapter 89 - 89","start-with-r9-template-chapter-89",89,"\u003Cp>The following day, all matches of the Premier League's 13th round concluded, and the major media outlets released their reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The headlines were familiar, but the subtext was growing more desperate for the chasing pack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Manchester City 2-1 Huddersfield: Despite a dip in form, City clinched victory and continue to lead the table! Are they invincible?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Manchester United narrowly defeat Brighton; defensive issues gradually emerging despite their unbeaten run.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea: Title hopes growing dimmer for both teams as they cancel each other out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Arsenal 1-0 Burnley: The Gunners gradually rediscover themselves, aiming to secure as many points as possible before the inevitable spring collapse!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The victories for both Manchester clubs left fans of the other \"Big Six\" deeply disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if these two city rivals were running a different race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they continued to avoid defeat, the gap would soon become unbridgeable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given Manchester City's dominant form under Guardiola, they seemed capable of achieving a 100-point title-winning campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's worth noting that only three clubs worldwide have ever achieved this in a major league: Real Madrid (11-12), Barcelona (12-13), and Juventus (13-14).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None were from the grueling Premier League.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a feat requires overcoming injuries, winter fatigue, and managing squad rotation across multiple competitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Manchester United, their performances had been more pragmatic than dominant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inconsistent attacking flair compounded by a lack of squad depth in key areas (full-back, center-back) meant they were walking a tightrope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with Mourinho's experience—he had won that 100-point title with Madrid—few neutral fans were optimistic about their chances of keeping pace with the blue machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The online forums were buzzing with skepticism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: RedDevil_Skeptic]: \"We should have no problem against Newcastle United, but facing Arsenal away in early December? That feels like the first 'L' of the season incoming...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: Lindelof_Out]: \"Our defensive issues are terrifying. Lindelof looks like a deer in headlights, Bailly is permanently bedridden in the physio room, and Rojo hasn't recovered. We are one injury away from disaster.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: DeGea_Save_Us]: \"Right now, we're barely holding on thanks to Dave. If De Gea has an off day, or gets a cold, the defense collapses. It's not sustainable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: Transfer_Guru]: \"I'm not too optimistic about January. I heard the board is planning to cut investments and focus on 'developing youth.' That's code for 'The Glazers are taking dividends.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: Mou_In]: \"Also, the players Mourinho requested (Perisic, Willian) haven't arrived. There's a crisis of trust with the board. Meanwhile, City just buy full-backs for fun. Oil money is a cheat code.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the 14th round of the Premier League kicked off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manchester United vs. Newcastle United.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Trafford was packed to the brim. The Saturday evening air was cold, but the atmosphere was hot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today's match held special, historic significance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manchester United was currently on a 39-match unbeaten streak at home in all competitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were just four games away from equaling the all-time top-five European league record of 43 unbeaten home matches set by Juventus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last season, Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid nearly broke the record but fell short at 40 matches, narrowly losing to Barcelona in El Clásico.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, whether Manchester United could match or break the record had become a major global storyline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortress Old Trafford was back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The starting lineups were announced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manchester United stuck with their 4-2-3-1 formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>De Gea; Valencia, Lindelof, Smalling, Young; Matic, Pogba; Rashford, Mata, Ling; Lukaku.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newcastle United, the \"Magpies,\" deployed a classic, rigid 4-4-2 setup under Rafa Benítez.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's worth noting that Benítez had previously coached Liverpool, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Chelsea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a tactical obsessive, a winner, and crucially, a long-time enemy of José Mourinho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Benítez and Mourinho shared a deep, bitter rivalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their clashes began over a decade ago during the intense Chelsea vs. Liverpool Champions League semi-finals (\"The Ghost Goal\").\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had evolved from subtle sideline mind games to heated public insults.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pre-match press conference had been particularly lively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Benítez: \"Mourinho loves to talk big, but I deal in facts. When I was at Liverpool, our squad's value was less than half of Chelsea's, yet we knocked them out of the Champions League twice. Money isn't everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho: \"How many Premier League titles has Rafa won since joining Liverpool? None! Besides, I've never managed to relegate a team—now that's a truly 'remarkable' achievement he has over me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both managers were sharp-tongued, destined adversaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The touchline would be as interesting as the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee blew the whistle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manchester United players aimed to extend their streak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newcastle United were determined not to become mere footnotes in history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pitch crackled with tension. Challenges were late. Shoulders were barged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tactically, Benítez's approach gained the early upper hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew how to frustrate Mourinho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newcastle's twin strikers, Dwight Gayle and Joselu, avoided pressing United's center-backs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, they dropped deep to mark Pogba and Matic tightly, forming a box that stifled United's forward progression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Newcastle midfielders and full-backs pushed high, supporting wide players in shutting down the flanks and severing the link between Ling\u002FRashford and Lukaku.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>14th Minute. Ling received the ball on the left wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to surge forward, looking to isolate the full-back, DeAndre Yedlin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Matt Ritchie, the Newcastle winger, had tracked back diligently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He harried Ling from the side, disrupting his rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling lost control for a split second and that was all Yedlin needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The American speedster stepped in, dispossessed him cleanly, and charged down the flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manchester United were caught out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashley Young was too high. Yedlin delivered a low, fizzing cross into the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lindelof slipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dwight Gayle met it with a first-time finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball struck the inside of the left post and bounced across the line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>0-1!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The away section in the corner of Old Trafford erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Toon Army went wild, shirts off despite the cold. They glimpsed victory—eager to conquer both Manchester clubs and announce their survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brilliant! Just keep playing like this!\" Benítez screamed from the technical area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They only know how to defend! They cannot break us down!\" Benítez excitedly waved his arms and raised an eyebrow toward the opposing dugout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last season, when he led Newcastle to relegation, he had endured plenty of taunts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now was his moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, to his disappointment, Mourinho paid him no attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was busy scribbling in his notebook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the pitch, Ling stood with his hands on his hips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My fault,\" he said, with a hint of frustration in his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn't settled into the rhythm of the game yet; his first touch had been loose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't worry about it, shake it off!\" Romelu Lukaku clapped his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We go again!\" Juan Mata ran over. \"Forget it, Ling. Next play.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by their expressions, the senior players weren't overly concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>United had staged numerous comebacks this season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had resilience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, they often felt that Ling was almost unnervingly calm like a robot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him make a human error was strange, but they knew he would bounce back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had the mentality of a veteran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was important to remember that Ling had just turned 18.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still learning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling patted his thigh hard, stinging the skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Wake up.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the match resumed, Manchester United began to pick up the pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slow, side-to-side passing vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling, Lukaku, and Rashford started making direct, aggressive runs forward, stretching the Newcastle block.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Paul Pogba, angry at being marked out of the game, began to drop deeper to collect the ball, using his strength to roll defenders and deliver passes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>22nd Minute (8 minutes later). Pogba received the ball deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up and saw Ling isolating Yedlin on the left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pinged a perfect diagonal ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling trapped it dead with his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DeAndre Yedlin, known for his recovery pace, stood off him slightly, wary of the knock-and-run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling didn't knock it. He executed two rapid step-overs—left, right—freezing Yedlin's feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then.... he exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't go down the line; he cut inside, accelerating past Yedlin as if the defender was standing still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drove to the byline inside the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The angle was tight. He looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the penalty area, the cavalry had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lukaku dragged the near-post defenders. Pogba was arriving late at the edge of the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at the far post, Marcus Rashford had peeled away from his marker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling didn't blast it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chipped a delicate, left-footed cross to the back stick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rashford rose high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He attacked the ball with venom, heading it down into the turf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It bounced up and into the roof of the net.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1-1!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Trafford roared its relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roles on the sidelines instantly reversed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho celebrated with a triumphant punch of the air, turning to the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Benítez fell into a brooding silence, adjusting his glasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling high-fived Rashford.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Great header, Marcus.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Great ball, Jez. You skinned him alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game was back on and the streak was safe... for now.\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>",1506,"2026-06-05T22:48:23.062Z",1,"novelbin.me","05c046e254753b019bc45b365c3ac659ec908a75195fab30ac1ef4c4e832108b","start-with-r9-template-chapter-90","start-with-r9-template-chapter-88",371,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstart-with-r9-template-cover.jpg"]