After a video showing Manchester City's 4–1 win over Arsenal, the broadcast returned to the studio of Match of the Day.
It was a scene every Premier League fan was familiar with.
But today, things were clearly different.
Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer, seated on either side, were both in suits, barely managing to hold back their laughter. Host Gary Lineker, sitting in the middle, was also seated, only he clearly wasn't wearing a shirt and looked extremely embarrassed.
Even though he had been retired for years, it was obvious Lineker had kept in great shape.
As the camera zoomed in, Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
Lineker looked "awkwardly" at the two beside him, took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, stomped his foot, and stood up.
Only then did the viewers in front of the screen suddenly realize, my god, he was only wearing a pair of shorts!
The two on either side were already doubled over with laughter.
"Come on, you two—show some self-control!" Lineker said in a "kind" tone.
But that only made them laugh even harder.
Since the end of the first round of the league, Lineker had made a bet with Gao Shen from afar. Although Gao Shen never responded, after every Manchester City victory, Lineker would appear on the program wearing one less item of clothing.
First the blazer, then the shirt, then the vest, now the trousers.
So by this round, he was down to just a pair of shorts.
But clearly, he had dodged the bet's full consequences by going shirtless and keeping the shorts.
"What are we supposed to control? Gary, we all have to accept the consequences of a bet. Don't you agree?" Alan Hansen said, gleefully stirring the pot.
Alan Shearer nodded. "But I have a question. Why shorts and not underwear? I remember you once said you don't wear long underwear. Don't tell me you've got another pair under those shorts."
Hansen burst out laughing again, it was too funny.
"Okay, let me explain," Lineker said, touching his lips to mask his embarrassment. "Everyone knows we're on a public TV program, so we have to keep things appropriate. That's why I'm wearing shorts."
"Why does that sound like your last stand?" Hansen said with a grin.
Shearer nodded. "Completely agree."
"I swear, there's nothing left underneath. This is the last one!" Lineker declared confidently.
"So…"
"Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson—you'd better be careful! You can't lose again! If you do, I'll have to put a mosaic on myself!" Lineker shouted dramatically.
Hansen and Shearer were nearly rolling on the floor laughing, and the entire set was in chaos.
"Honestly, we're a football show with integrity, and the BBC is a station with standards. I really don't want to be the first host in history to appear on air with a mosaic, I mean it!" Lineker said, looking utterly miserable.
Hansen couldn't resist kicking him while he was down. "But we're all looking forward to seeing you lose another layer!"
"It's alright, dear viewers in front of your TVs, even if you do see a mosaic, we'll make sure to strictly control it. There's no way he's getting off the hook," Shearer piled on.
Lineker raised both hands high, wearing the expression of a man drowning, desperately waiting for someone to save him.
In fact, not just them—no one in the entire Premier League, or even in Europe, had expected Manchester City to win five straight games.
The discussion naturally shifted to this round of the Premier League, especially Manchester City's 4–1 win over Arsenal.
Lineker used several extremely exaggerated adjectives to describe Manchester City this season.
He believed that Manchester City was already one of the best-performing and strongest teams in the Premier League.
"Gao Shen has once again proven his coaching ability in building and integrating a team. Sure, he spent a lot of money, but the results were immediate. We've seen that Manchester City is currently the team with the strongest attacking firepower and the most solid defense in the Premier League without a doubt!"
"I don't know what the rest of you think after watching, but from what I've heard, everyone in the industry is stunned. Some people are even saying that if Manchester United can't stop City at Old Trafford next round, then this team might be unstoppable."
"Don't forget, Manchester City doesn't have any European competition this season. They can focus all their energy on the league. That's their biggest advantage!"
"More importantly, in the five matches so far, Gao Shen has used five different tactical setups. I seriously feel like he's treating Manchester City like his own tactical board, using it to showcase his tactics to the world."
"You know what? I've heard more than once from top people in the industry that Gao Shen is already being seen as a tactical master!"
"Can you imagine that? In a role that relies so heavily on experience, a young man who just turned 29 and has been coaching for less than four years is already considered to be at the level of the tactical elite."
"All I can say is, he's a genius!"
…
Manchester United's match kicked off earlier than Manchester City's.
Since Sneijder's arrival, the Red Devils' midfield passing had improved significantly.
When Ferguson led the team back to Manchester from London, he received the news that Manchester City had beaten Arsenal 4–1 and that Robben had come off the bench to score twice and assist once.
From that moment on, the look on Ferguson's face never relaxed.
Sitting in his office, staring blankly at the wall, no one knew what he was thinking, but it was clear that his concerns stemmed from Gao Shen and his Manchester City.
Manchester City wasn't the only team with five consecutive wins, Chelsea and Liverpool had also done it. Especially Liverpool, where Benítez's team had shown clear improvement thanks to the arrival of Biglia.
But Manchester City was different from those teams.
Their rise would definitely disrupt the traditional Premier League order.
In the past, regardless of who rose or fell, the top four positions could still be preserved. Everyone fought for the title, but the loss of interest wasn't too significant.
Now, things were different. With Manchester City's rise, any team that performed poorly could be immediately knocked out of the top four.
Missing out on the Champions League would mean tens of millions of euros lost, who could afford that?
No one understood better than the Big Four what the Champions League truly represented. It wasn't just about the money, it was about attracting world-class players. It was the foundation and bargaining chip that allowed them to poach talent from other Premier League teams at will.
Lose that status, and who could guarantee you wouldn't spiral downwards?
"I knew it. I actually always knew it!"
Ferguson muttered in his hoarse voice as Mike Phelan and René Meulensteen walked in.
It sounded like he was speaking to his assistants, but also like he was talking to himself.
"Ever since Gao Shen started coaching in the Premier League, I knew he'd be a major problem. After he built his squad and brought in players, I had a rough idea that this Premier League season was going to be trouble. Now I see it more clearly."
Ferguson let out a cold snort as he spoke.
"Top four? I doubt Gao Shen even believes that nonsense. Anyone who thinks he spent that much money just to fight for a top-four finish is a fool!"
"He's smart—really smart! He spent just over ten million euros to take Napoli from Serie B to Serie A champions and then to a treble. You think he spent all this just to be top four?"
Ferguson was full of frustration, while Phelan and Meulensteen stood silently, not daring to interrupt.
Sir Alex Ferguson's authority at Manchester United was unmatched.
"Just look at the squad. It's clear he's going for the title and not just this season's, but next season's and the one after that. With his deep tactical understanding and Manchester City's financial backing…"
Ferguson didn't finish the sentence but let out two bitter chuckles, clearly dissatisfied with the current situation.
With his wealth of coaching experience, he could roughly judge an opponent's strength and potential just by looking at their performance, lineup, and individual player quality.
So before every season, Ferguson would assess the Premier League landscape.
Tottenham Hotspur's target this season was to break into the top four, which was why they held on to Modrić.
Redknapp clearly understood the principle: control the midfield, control the game.
But Tottenham still fell slightly short of the top-four standard, which was why Manchester United had beaten them 3–1 away.
Liverpool also had five straight wins, but their biggest problem remained their attack. They only had Torres. Benayoun exploded this round, but his form was inconsistent.
To win the title, a team needed a group of players capable of consistently delivering top-tier attacking output. Relying on Torres alone wasn't enough. That was Liverpool's biggest hidden danger.
If Torres stayed injury-free and in top form all season, Liverpool had a shot. If not, forget it.
Chelsea were another title contender.
Especially after Ancelotti took charge. To fix Chelsea's lack of attacking threat in the final third, he pushed both full-backs, Ashley Cole and Bosingwa forward to provide support. This brought advantages, but also risks.
Everything now hinged on Joe Cole and Deco. If Ancelotti could make the most of those two, Chelsea would be title favorites.
That had been Ferguson's assessment.
But now, his view had changed.
After five rounds, he had seen the true strength of Gao Shen and this Manchester City side, what Gao Shen aimed for, what he had shown, and how much the City players had improved.
There was someone stepping up in every game, and the team visibly progressed with each match. That kind of team was frightening!
"I always knew he'd challenge for the title and to become the world's top manager, but I didn't think he'd arrive so soon!"
Gao Shen and Manchester City's performance had placed immense pressure on Ferguson and even shook his confidence slightly.
He needed time to recover and adapt.
At his age, with his coaching experience, he could still manage the situation and prepare Manchester United to face Manchester City in their best condition.
But Ferguson had a very strong and deeply worrying—intuition:
If Manchester United couldn't stop Manchester City at Old Trafford, that rising powerhouse would become unstoppable!
(To be continued.)