Chapter 600: Chapter 599: The Glamorous English League Cup
He patted his arm, signaling that Fran had handled the ball first.
Fran argued that he had stopped the ball with his shoulder.
But the main referee believed what he had seen.
And the replay on the big screen confirmed it.
Twenty-fourth minute.
Deng Kai attempted another long-range shot. He could get many chances from that position today without even needing to pass inside.
This time Fletcher was finally in position and blocked the football to the baseline.
Thirty-third minute.
Fran’s long-range shot resulted in a corner kick.
Davies took the corner kick, Fran contested at the near post, and his header changed direction and went straight into the goal.
One to one!
The young Manchester United team actually managed to score.
Or rather, Fran’s individual ability was noticeably showcased in this match.
He was a player who could change the scoreline all by himself.
But even so, in Manchester United’s formidable frontline, he could only rank fourth!
Not to mention van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo, even Solskjaer was ahead of him in the order of appearance.
Ronaldo, "Why mention van Nistelrooy’s name first? Am I not standing high enough?"
Thirty-eighth minute.
Deng Kai performed a Marseille Turn in the middle, getting past a flustered Fletcher, then passed the ball to Ribery.
After receiving the ball, Ribery took two steps and broke into the penalty area, finishing with a shot from a tight angle.
Unfortunately, it hit the post and bounced out.
Forty-fourth minute.
Deng Kai passed the ball to Baggio.
From the left side of the penalty area, Baggio attempted a curling shot, but it didn’t curve much, and Barthez pushed the football out.
At half-time, both teams were tied at one to one.
Manchester United performed quite well.
This group of youth players actually resisted Manchester City’s offense.
Keep in mind, although Manchester City’s Premier League ranking was outside the top ten, their offense is definitely within the top three.
Disregarding goals conceded, they have scored more this season than Arsenal!
In the second half, the fifty-first minute.
Deng Kai pulled away Manchester United players’ attention with his forward run.
Tu Lei took the opportunity for a direct through pass.
Ribery rushed forward and finished with a low shot into the goal.
But likewise, the linesman raised his flag immediately.
Ribery was offside beforehand.
Manchester United narrowly escaped.
Fifty-fifth minute.
Deng Kai flashed by Roche on the flank and crossed.
O’Shea, who was prepared, leaped to block with his leg, and the football rebounded back.
Grosso moved up from behind.
Deng Kai simply bent over.
Grosso passed immediately without stopping the ball, which grazed the back of Deng Kai’s head and flew toward the penalty area.
Deng Kai’s cross had already thrown the penalty area into chaos.
Grosso’s cross saw Robbie Fowler reacting the quickest; he didn’t even jump, just dashed forward and nodded downward.
The football smacked into the ground and bounced into Manchester United’s goal.
Two to one!
Manchester City once again took the lead!
The young players from Manchester United began to get anxious, their movements noticeably intensified.
Although increasing physicality might be a good thing, if the sense of positioning is poor, it’s easy to charge past the mark.
And sense of positioning, apart from a few rare geniuses, largely depends on experience.
And what do young players lack? Experience, of course!
Suddenly, Manchester United’s attack, although fierce, began to show more flaws.
Sixty-first minute.
Davies dribbled past a player and found Fran with a back pass.
Fran made a wall pass for a direct through pass.
Danny Webber got a one-on-one opportunity.
But the nervous striker unfortunately misfired.
Manchester United fans groaned in despair.
This was definitely a manifestation of immense psychological pressure.
And this situation was definitely not limited to Danny Webber alone.
Many players from Manchester United were facing this situation now.
The sixty-eighth minute.
Deng Kai made a flick on the flank and nutmegged his opponent to cut inside, then lobbed a pass to the far post.
Ribery was knocked down by Brown in the penalty area.
However, the referee did not award a penalty.
Ribery received a yellow card for protesting.
Reasonably speaking, it should have been a penalty.
In the seventy-second minute, Manchester City substituted Baggio with Adriano.
Fowler moved to Baggio’s position as a shadow striker, while Adriano played as the center forward.
The seventy-fourth minute marked the turning point of the game.
Adriano retreated to receive the ball, turned, and prepared to shoot.
Dai Weisi, in his urgency to defend, made a dangerous slide tackle that brought Adriano down.
It was a very dangerous action, and Adriano nearly got injured.
The referee immediately showed the red card.
Dai Weisi left the field in tears.
The seventy-ninth minute.
Maicon and Ribery coordinated on the wing, successfully breaking through.
Bang!
Maicon passed the ball across to the center.
Adriano’s movement pulled apart Manchester United’s defense, leaving the football for the back post.
Fowler arrived and made a curved shot that successfully bypassed Barthez’s hands.
Three to one!
The outcome of the match was all but decided!
Subsequently, Maxa substituted Ribery with Torres and Hierro with Thiago Silva.
The eighty-fourth minute.
Torres got fouled by Fletcher on a forward run, creating a free-kick opportunity.
Deng Kai executed a tactical free kick, passing it to Maicon up front.
Maicon crossed the ball.
Tu Lei jumped high, performing a header that scored, crushing the opponents.
Four to one!
Manchester City had killed the game.
As the whistle blew three times, the match ended with a score of four to one.
The Manchester City players were overjoyed.
Since the prize money was now theirs!
The fans of Manchester City were also exuberant on site.
Twenty-eight years!
The last time Manchester City won the League Cup was twenty-eight years ago!
This was their most recent victory in England’s top league competitions—The FA Cup, League Cup, and Community Shield Cup.
Although they had also won the Division One league title last season, genuine honors seldom count these second-tier league championships.
The Manchester City fans were crying passionately.
Each season, there are only a few champions, and they had never imagined Manchester City could be one of them.
This season was enough!
The camera soon focused on a special fan.
It was Keira Knightley.
She had come to the stadium to watch the game today.
This British rose was becoming increasingly famous; she managed to enter the stadium, running up to Deng Kai.
"Congratulations! Could you sign this for me?" Keira approached Deng Kai with a hug and handed him a marker pen.
"Of course!" Deng Kai took the marker pen, but the next moment, he froze.
Because Keira suddenly pulled open her collar, revealing her white sports bra, "Sign here!"
Uh...
"This..." Deng Kai was a bit reluctant.
After all, right next to that white sports bra was her bare skin.
"I need this to hit back at Katie Price," Keira explained, "Her fans and friends have been chasing me recently."
"So I plan to do something she could never achieve in her lifetime."
"You mustn’t sign like this for her, otherwise my effort would be wasted."
"Besides, don’t look so pressured; this is just a piece of cloth, I didn’t ask you to sign directly on my chest!"
With Keira putting it that way, what could Deng Kai do?
He quickly signed his name to avoid further complications.
Later, even as Deng Kai lifted the Championship Trophy as the captain, the scent still lingered on his hand.
Thus, Manchester City, under Keira’s influence, captured their first championship with a special fragrance.
