At the start of the game, Ferguson was sitting in the dugout. He had just taken a few sips of water and popped a piece of chewing gum into his mouth. Before he even had time to chew it a few times, he heard a wave of gasps erupt from the stands.
Then, he saw a sky-blue figure streaking across the pitch at astonishing speed. Startled, his eyes widened, and he shot up from his seat.
Right after that, he saw Suarez deliver a cross. The lightning-fast figure darted past Fletcher and O'Shea, cut into the left side of Manchester United's penalty area, and smashed a volley into the net.
Referee Howard Webb blew his whistle sharply, confirming the goal!
Ferguson was stunned.
"What just happened?" the old knight asked in disbelief.
"It was… too fast, I couldn't see clearly!" Mike Phelan shook his head in confusion.
Indeed, everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
Not only did the coaching staff on the sidelines miss it, but even the fans in the stands and many of the players on the pitch didn't catch what happened clearly.
How did a goal suddenly get scored out of nowhere?
Ferguson looked up at the big screen, where the broadcast was replaying the entire sequence.
From the moment Javi Martinez passed the ball to Robinho, Gareth Bale was already accelerating.
Without anyone noticing, he sprinted from near the halfway line into Manchester United's penalty area and struck a left-footed shot into the far corner. The speed and precision were simply jaw-dropping!
Ferguson was so shocked his mouth hung open.
My god!
Was that really a goal?
Just a fluke?
But the remaining rationality in Ferguson's mind told him it probably wasn't an accident.
Because Gao Shen had actually benched Filipe in this match and started Gareth Bale instead.
He had been puzzled by this before. Filipe Luís was one of Gao Shen's most trusted players, a veteran who had helped him win a domestic double at Real Madrid. There was no reason not to use him unless he was injured.
But Ferguson hadn't considered another possibility.
That Gao Shen planned to use Gareth Bale to strike a deadly blow!
This completely defied conventional logic, didn't it?
Gareth Bale had once gained some attention, but he was never a standout. Apart from his speed, the most memorable thing about him was the 24-game winless streak he had at Tottenham Hotspur. He was considered a jinx.
Who would've thought that this so-called jinx, who had barely made any impact this season would suddenly replace the mainstay Filipe in today's match?
Looking back now, this was likely a carefully planned move.
Did he really intend to unleash Gareth Bale from the start?
Ferguson felt a bit depressed. He turned and looked toward Gao Shen at the visiting team's technical area. He saw him giving Gareth Bale a thumbs-up from a distance, clearly celebrating Bale's goal. But at the same time, he made a hand gesture—like a forward slicing motion.
Damn it, is this guy encouraging Bale to keep tearing into United?
…
If Gao Shen knew what Ferguson was thinking right now, he'd definitely cry injustice.
When did I ever tell him to go even harder at Manchester United?
At most, I just told him to keep doing what he was doing, keep targeting United's right flank!
But truth be told, even Gao Shen was a little surprised by Bale's performance.
It was within expectations, yet still unexpected.
However, when he turned around and saw the stunned faces of the entire coaching staff as they celebrated, a deep sense of pride and satisfaction surged in his heart.
Gareth Bale hadn't let him down!
More importantly, if this tactic was executed properly, it was extremely difficult to defend against.
But after Bale's breakthrough, Gao Shen didn't find peace for long. A number of players started approaching him in private, asking when he'd give them some individual coaching and help them develop their own killer move.
Professional footballers all know—having a killer move is like carrying a lethal weapon on the pitch. Well, maybe not lethal, but it's definitely a nuclear threat to the opposition.
They weren't expecting to be as spectacular as Gareth Bale. Just being half as good, as long as it highlighted their strengths and characteristics, would be more than enough.
Gao Shen responded to every request, but he also calmed the players down and told them to take it slow.
That was perfectly normal.
If building a team were that easy, we might as well go to the moon.
…
The match resumed.
After Manchester United kicked off, Manchester City continued to press and apply pressure on the Red Devils.
Although they had conceded a goal, United's morale remained intact, and the players' fighting spirit was still strong.
Manchester United had always been a team that grew stronger when facing strong opponents. They wouldn't be knocked down just because of a single goal.
But Manchester City had tasted blood, especially with Gao Shen's pre-match tactical setup.
The Blue Moon attacked down both flanks tonight, mainly relying on Robinho and Robben cutting inside, while Gareth Bale's runs from deep had become a lethal weapon.
Put simply, the tactic was to draw Manchester United's defensive focus away from their left, allowing Bale to exploit space freely.
United responded by tightening their marking on Gareth Bale, especially Fletcher, who closely monitored that side.
At one point, just as Gareth Bale was about to accelerate, he was decisively fouled by Fletcher.
Robinho and Robben also repeatedly dribbled forward, putting pressure on Manchester United's defense and creating numerous threats.
This allowed Manchester City to suppress United, as if they were trying to devour them in one bite.
Ferguson's team compressed from the halfway line all the way back to the edge of their own penalty area, trying to contain City.
As the game began to reach a stalemate, in the 13th minute, Gareth Bale once again popped up on the left side of the halfway line and received a pass from Javi Martinez.
As soon as he got the ball, he saw O'Shea approaching from the nearest position, while Fletcher was charging in from midfield.
Facing O'Shea, Bale shifted the ball sideways to evade the challenge, then suddenly accelerated from the inside, squeezing between O'Shea and Fletcher, relying on his raw pace and explosiveness to break through.
All of Old Trafford gasped in unison, the crowd letting out a collective cry of shock.
Bale tore down the left wing at full speed, galloping forward with the ball.
Ferdinand quickly stepped up to intervene, and Bale initially slowed down slightly. But when he noticed Ferdinand blocking the inside route and attempting to keep him out of the penalty area, he adjusted his direction slightly and veered to the outside before accelerating again.
In a flash, the Welshman had left Ferdinand behind and tried to break through from the flank.
But Ferdinand's experience showed. He quickly turned and, just before Bale could reach full stride, decisively slid in with a tackle, poking the ball off Bale's foot and out of play for a corner.
It wasn't until that moment that United fans in the stadium finally exhaled in relief.
That last sequence had been nerve-wracking!
Anyone with a weak heart wouldn't have survived it!
"Gareth Bale is so quick, Manchester United's defense is struggling to contain him, especially O'Shea, who was almost left for dead in an instant."
"Ferdinand did very well there, not giving Bale a good chance."
"But we should also recognize—it's only the 13th minute, and Bale remains a massive threat."
"Gao Shen has once again delivered a big surprise tonight."
"Take a look at this Manchester City corner, it's actually being taken by Gareth Bale! My god, how good is he at set-pieces?"
"Corner driven to the near post—Javi Martinez gets his head on it!"
"Just over the bar!"
"High-quality delivery."
"Gareth Bale, easily the most impressive player in tonight's Manchester derby."
Bale, still panting after his disrupted run down the left, walked back slowly. As he passed the home team's technical area, he saw Ferguson standing tensely on the sideline, a serious look on his face.
In front of the away team's bench, head coach Gao Shen was also on his feet. He gave Bale a thumbs-up and pointed toward Manchester United, mouthing something. Bale couldn't read lips, but he could roughly guess what the coach had said.
"Kill them! You're the coolest guy in Manchester tonight!"
Bale smiled faintly, nodded, and jogged back with renewed energy.
…
Play resumed.
Manchester City continued their high press against United. They weren't stopping now, they wanted to drive the dagger in.
After regaining possession, City circulated the ball patiently, building up in United's half.
With David Silva, Rakitic, and Javi Martinez combining with the front three and the two center-backs, Manchester City maintained strong ball control.
Manchester United had no good way to counter this. All they could do was maintain defensive shape and try to break quickly after recovering possession.
But United's counterattack began to show cracks.
Lack of pace!
Whether it was Berbatov, Rooney, or the aging Giggs—none of them were particularly quick. Facing City's two mobile center-backs, they couldn't gain much ground on the break.
Javi Martinez's defensive coverage and the pressing from Rakitic and David Silva made it hard for United to mount any direct attacks.
The result was that Manchester City held possession, organizing carefully and pressing forward, while United could only respond with largely toothless counterattacks.
It wasn't until the 21st minute that Robinho once again carried the ball diagonally inward and laid it off to David Silva. But Silva, under pressure from Fletcher, turned, dribbled to the left, and passed to the rapidly advancing Gareth Bale.
As soon as the Welshman received the ball, he surged forward down the left touchline, not waiting for Fletcher to close in, and gradually approached O'Shea.
Just as United's right-back came in to challenge, he saw Bale suddenly hugging the touchline, sticking wide. He first faked a cut inside, then shifted gears, using his raw speed to power past on the outside.
The sheer explosiveness of the move caught O'Shea off guard. He had no answer, he could only turn and give chase from the side and behind, trying to prevent Bale from cutting in.
But this time, Bale wasn't even thinking about cutting inside. After leaving O'Shea behind, he reached the left edge of the penalty area. Without waiting for Ferdinand to close him down, he swung in a left-footed cross, driving the ball low to the back post.
Robben, who had just been lurking near the penalty spot and drawing defenders in front of Suarez, ghosted in from behind, met Bale's cross, and headed home from point-blank range, smashing the ball into Manchester United's net.
0-2!!!
(To be continued.)