Chapter 580: Chapter 579 Tactical Mutual Destruction
But in the next moment, Deng Kai sprang to his feet, pointing his fingers to the heavens as he circled out of Manchester United’s penalty area.
He pointed towards the fans in the stands.
It was then that the Manchester City supporters let out an explosive cheer.
"GOAL! A brace! Following Ronaldo, Deng Kai has also notched a brace!"
"Two to two! Just three minutes after falling behind, Deng Kai has led the team back to level the score with a strong comeback!"
"So powerful! So thrilling! Gary Neville, O’Shea, Ferdinand! Deng Kai took on almost the entire Manchester United defensive line by himself!"
"Especially during his duel with Ferdinand, it was so dazzling it made people’s scalps tingle!"
"This is absolutely a clash between top masters!"
"Look at the shock on the faces of those players on the Manchester United bench!"
"Unbelievable! This is an incredible goal!"
"Deng Kai’s left foot is just as nimble as his right! This move, even average ambipedal players cannot pull off!"
"Ronaldo shooting with his left foot as well as with his right is already astonishing."
"But Deng Kai can even ’embroider’ with his left foot on top of that!"
"This is truly ambipedal! It’s not just having no weak foot, it’s having two dominant feet!"
Boom! Thunderous applause erupted from the Manchester City fans.
Even as Manchester City players gathered to celebrate, Ferdinand still stood where he had just defended against Deng Kai.
Deng Kai’s left foot...
With Ronaldo’s help, Manchester United had carefully analyzed this player, Deng Kai.
Deng Kai’s left foot was indeed a threat.
But only when he was on the right flank.
In their analysis of numerous videos, they found that Deng Kai only used his left foot to dribble past opponents when he was on the right, and he did so with both high quality and efficiency.
But on the right flank, his left foot would become his weaker foot, he couldn’t even manage to cross with it.
So when Deng Kai was on the right, he could either make a sideways right-foot pass or use the outside of his right boot for a lofted pass; during play, he could only manage to distribute the ball with the back of his right foot.
His left foot did not participate in passing or shooting.
Not to mention dribbling control.
He didn’t have that ability, understood?
But now...
Was it not that he couldn’t use it, but that he simply hadn’t needed to?
"It seems that in the Premier League, only a top defender like Ferdinand can force Deng Kai to use his left foot for dribbling and shooting!"
"I wonder if Ferdinand should be glad or saddened by this revelation."
Deng Kai’s dominant performance clearly boosted Manchester City’s morale.
With the Key Emperor, what was there to fear?
If all else fails, just pass the ball to Young Master Kai!
Manchester City launched a series of fierce attacks.
Until the thirty-ninth minute.
Manchester United finally found an opportunity for a counter-attack.
Ronaldo’s breakthrough won a free kick.
Beckham’s banana kick curved towards goal but failed to bring down the Blues’ moon.
As the match entered into first-half stoppage time.
Tu Lei unleashed a long-range shot that led to a corner.
Deng Kai took the corner, swinging it in, targeting Adriano.
The Manchester United players focused their main attention on Grosso, Tu Lei, and Hierro, not paying too much heed to Adriano.
After all, this was a striker who hadn’t managed to score in thirteen rounds of the Premier League.
What level was he?
Bam! Adriano leaped high into the air.
Gary Neville’s physicality and jumping ability were simply not on the same level as Adriano’s.
Ferdinand immediately abandoned Hierro to come over and cover as soon as he recognized the situation.
But it was too late.
Adriano powerfully headed the ball!
The football smashed into Manchester United’s goal.
"Ah!" Adriano roared crazily on the spot, thumping his chest and stamping his feet!
Goal!
He finally scored!
Beep!
As the referee signaled the goal was valid.
The Manchester City players crazily rushed towards Adriano.
The fans also went wild once again.
"GOAL! It’s actually Adriano!"
"That was a header of very high quality!"
"Adriano was overlooked by Manchester United! He punished them!"
"You guys actually use a full-back who’s not even 1.8 meters tall to defend against the 1.9-meter-tall Adriano! This is the consequence!"
"Congratulations to Adriano, he has scored his first Premier League goal!"
"Although he hasn’t scored many, the quality is extremely high. The importance of this goal goes without saying, this is the Manchester Derby!"
"Three to two! Manchester City has taken the lead against Manchester United for the second time in this game! This is an unprecedented situation for Manchester United this season."
"Manchester United has never been in trouble again after making a comeback and taking the lead!"
Next to Adriano, Gary Neville had unfortunately become the main target of the roars.
Adriano might have simply been venting his frustrations, with no intention of targeting Gary, but from Gary’s perspective... You’ve scored one goal in thirteen games, what are you so proud of? I’ve also scored one, all right!
Damn it!
...
As the match entered half-time.
Both dressing rooms were very heated.
Manchester United dressing room.
"Cristiano, you try to stay wide more often."
"Giggs, pay attention to your coordination with Cristiano, you two take turns attacking, try to completely blow up Manchester City’s right flank!"
"Maicon simply can’t defend against you. Hierro is too slow to provide support. Chiellini’s defensive zone isn’t there, if he has to come over, the gaps will be even bigger."
"Van Nistelrooy, keep attacking, as soon as you find a chance, it’s a great opportunity!"
Ferguson’s arrangements were well-organized.
Everyone, except for Van Nistelrooy, had no objections.
Van Nistelrooy’s concern was that even if there were a ten thousand great opportunities, Cristiano wouldn’t damn pass the ball to me! What’s the point of me attacking!
Moreover, Ferguson’s strategy was, without a doubt, a continuation of boosting Cristiano’s tactical status.
Implicitly confirming that Cristiano not passing to Van Nistelrooy was not a problem.
So frustrating!
Manchester City dressing room.
"O’Shea has a yellow card, and Gary’s defensive abilities are average at best, he’s powerless against a strong breakthrough."
"We’ll focus on attacking Manchester United’s right side, try to completely blow them up! Even if Beckham comes back, it won’t help, he’s a giveaway!"
Beckham: Deng Kai, your opinion of me is really... I’m distraught!
"Ribery, you switch flanks with Baggio, we’ll rotate our attacks. You can flexibly use both your left and right foot, either cutting inside or going down the flank."
"If you go down the flank, it’s mainly to provide headers for the surging Tu Lei. Or when Adriano and Ferdinand are mismatched, pass to Adriano."
"When cutting inside... Adriano, without the ball, you’re responsible for taking Ferdinand out of the game, you’re the only one on our side who can hold him off."
"Then, Ribery’s passes should aim as much as possible for the far post, for Baggio."
"Adriano, when you have the ball, avoid Ferdinand. Everyone else is fair game, understand? It’s through your physical contests with Ferdinand that you can beat any other player in their team."
"Including Keane!"
"Right, make good use of your head, that’s your second trump card!"
Adriano nodded forcefully.
