Chapter 575: Chapter 574: The Manchester Rivals Fall Out, Leeds United Goes Unnoticed
Leeds United were stunned.
Especially Alan Smith and Robbie Keane.
Was this the same Manchester City team they had faced in the first round?
Why did it feel a bit different?
If the team they encountered last time was a robot,
this time, the robot’s hands had become markedly smoother.
And that was enough to compete with Leeds United.
But unfortunately, only half of Leeds United showed up at Maine Road Stadium today.
They were too careless!
In the thirty-second minute,
Manchester City’s wings took flight, with Ribery dazzling on the right flank before making a cross.
Robbie Fowler completed a triple treat, but this time the goalkeeper saved it.
Fowler’s shooting was becoming too repetitive, lacking the spark of unpredictability.
The football rebounded towards the penalty area.
Torres rushed forward and executed a volleyed ground cutter... the ball almost shot down the migratory birds at Maine Road Stadium.
Torres didn’t keep the shot down.
In the thirty-fifth minute,
Alan Smith joined the defense, successfully intercepted the ball, and then passed it to James Milner.
The young James dribbled twice before delivering a through ball.
Robbie Keane received the ball under pressure from his marker and scored.
One to three!
Leeds United pulled one back.
But at the forty-first minute,
Ribery made an off-the-ball cut inside to collect Deng Kai’s through pass.
Bravo brought down Ribery just outside the box.
He still received a yellow card.
Two yellows turned to red, and Bravo was sent off the field.
Leeds United were down to ten men.
In the forty-fifth minute,
Deng Kai flashed past on the left wing, taking flight again.
Seeing Deng Kai nearing the goal line, Grosso cut into the penalty area from the flank.
Deng Kai followed with a backward triangle pass.
Grosso scored from a tight angle after receiving the ball.
Four to one!
Deng Kai completed a hat-trick of assists in just the first half of the game!
To be precise, one shot and three assists!
Maine Road Stadium erupted into a thunderous roar once more.
The residents of Manchester promptly whipped out their mobile phones and turned on their computers, awaiting the news alerts.
Within three minutes, news popped up everywhere.
"I’ve said the word ’king’ too many times! Deng Kai with one shot and three assists in the first half, leading the team to declare Manchester City’s advancement to the next round of the League Cup four to one!"
"Forty-five minutes to end the fight! Deng Kai bags a trio of assists, dominating the match with ease!"
"Ribery causes a red card! The Real Madrid central defender is sent off!"
"Was Hierro right? Are Real Madrid’s Pavons really not up to the challenge?"
In the second half,
Deng Kai was already sitting on the substitute’s bench.
Maxa substituted Sun Jihai for Deng Kai.
This was Deng Kai’s decision, of course.
He wanted to let more teammates get used to the game on the field.
In the fifty-ninth minute,
Fowler received a pass from Sun Jihai and curved a shot to force a corner.
Ribery took the corner kick, Grosso turned into an aerial dominator, and his header blasted past the Leeds United goalkeeper to score his brace!
Two matches, three assists, and two goals – Grosso could be called a defender with a blade!
Manchester City led five to one.
In the sixty-second minute,
Adriano was already warming up on the sideline.
He was about to replace Robbie Fowler.
But as Robbie Fowler dropped back to receive and press forward, he was injured by a flying tackle from Alan Smith.
Seeing his agony, the satisfaction of Manchester City fans vanished instantly.
Because Fowler could be out for a while.
"Damn it! Why couldn’t he wait until after the next match to..."
"Motherf***er! Alan Smith, you little punk, you’re blacklisted for life!"
"He truly is the player that my Manchester United was eyeing, Alan Smith’s tackle was critical!"
At the scene, Manchester United fans gave Alan Smith’s defense a round of applause.
Manchester City fans were furious.
The originally united fans of Manchester were suddenly at odds.
Because... in the next round of the Premier League, Manchester United was set to visit Maine Road Stadium!
The Manchester Derby!
A blockbuster clash!
As the best striker currently in Manchester City, Fowler’s absence would undoubtedly increase Manchester United’s original 90% chance of victory even further.
That’s right.
90%.
Man City, fourteenth in the Premier League, against the newly-crowned leaders, Manchester United.
This probability was quite generous.
After all, there are only twenty teams in the Premier League, and you, City, are fifth from the bottom.
What do you have to compare with United?
Usually, everyone enjoys the close relationship between our Keane and Manchester United, better to be happy together than alone.
But when it comes to a head-to-head, there has to be a distinction of primary and secondary.
Clearly, Manchester United is the main team in the hearts of more fans.
Manchester United fans are friendly when they come to City to watch football, not because they are generous, but purely because City poses no threat to United.
A single mountain cannot harbor two tigers.
There can only be one king in Manchester.
And that’s Manchester United.
It’s Ferguson!
Not some so-called Deng Kai.
And so, a surprising scene unfolded.
After a huge quarrel in the stands, more than ten thousand Manchester United fans left the stadium early.
They didn’t care about the game anymore.
This time they came as friends.
But next time... they would be enemies!
You, Manchester City, better be ready to surrender, or else... we can’t even be friends in the future!
On the field.
Adriano replaced Fowler.
Ashley Young replaced Ribery.
The 77th minute.
Manchester City’s army advanced.
Essien passed the ball.
Maicon took a long-range shot from outside the right side of the box, nailing the target.
Six to one!
The 85th minute.
The advantage of having one extra player made Manchester City’s superiority increasingly apparent.
Sun Jihai shifted the ball and found Grosso.
With no one defending him, Grosso delivered a brilliant cross from the flank.
Adriano leapt high, heading the ball into the net.
He scored his first goal for Manchester City!
With one assist and two shots, Grosso became the most outstanding player in the match next to Deng Kai, along with Robbie Fowler.
Seven to one!
Manchester City thrashed a ten-man Leeds United.
Even without Deng Kai, their second-half performance was quite decent.
But it’s hard to tell if they were really good or just looked good because they had an extra player.
Who could have guessed that a mere League Cup match would witness the fraternal split between the Manchester giants?
Ironically, Leeds United, who got thrashed, dodged a bullet as the media didn’t hound them for their thoughts on the loss.
Not sure if they should be happy or sad.
Ferguson immediately backed the Red Devils in an interview, "There’s only one Manchester in this city! Manchester United is the unique football team of this city!"
"A team in the relegation zone doesn’t have the right to be called a giant alongside Manchester United."
Those words.
Feng Te immediately retorted, "Manchester United is indeed a great club, but Manchester City also has a glorious history! In fact, when it comes to Manchester, City has more fans than United!"
"All I know is that Manchester City’s captain Deng Kai is the king of Manchester, so if there really can only be one Manchester, whose is it?"
