Cough!
Standing in front of the technical area at Wembley Stadium, Ferguson watched the game unfold and let out a long sigh.
Another Manchester United corner had just been headed wide by Vidic.
It was United's sixth corner of the match, yet only two of those had resulted in shots, neither of which hit Manchester City's goal.
Ferguson could clearly sense Manchester United's disadvantage and the growing pressure on the pitch. He knew his players had given everything, but still couldn't break Manchester City down.
Ultimately, it was a matter of strength.
Manchester City not only dominated possession and tempo, but also clearly held the edge in overall squad quality.
Ferguson had anticipated this scenario long ago.
One of the reasons he often chose to attack right from kickoff was because he knew that once City took control of the game, United would be left chasing shadows, reduced to playing on the counter.
But that kind of passive game was never what Ferguson wanted.
Still, the facts showed that even if they played on the front foot, winning was not guaranteed.
This is what it means to have strength.
Having it doesn't guarantee victory. But without it, defeat is inevitable.
"I'm afraid the Premier League will belong to Manchester City from now on," Ferguson muttered with a sigh.
It reminded him of something Gao Shen had said at the very beginning.
He had declared that his most important task in the Premier League was to knock Manchester United off their throne.
Those were Ferguson's own words once, said when he took aim at Liverpool. Now, Gao Shen had thrown them right back at him.
Each generation has its own talents, and Ferguson had to admit, he was getting old.
Young people often fail to understand the mindset of their elders—just like the young Ferguson once failed to understand those who came before him.
And by the time you finally understand them, you've become someone young people no longer understand.
Now, Gao Shen looked seasoned and composed, just as Ferguson himself had back then.
No, Gao Shen had done even better.
Ferguson's heart was filled with melancholy, but for some reason, a flicker of frustration and resistance burned inside him.
He had once sworn he would never become like the old managers he used to despise. He had vowed that even in old age, he would remain as driven and ambitious as ever. He had promised himself...
Gradually, Ferguson's clouded, weary eyes regained their determination.
He didn't want to live the way he once hated.
He wanted to be different.
Because he was Ferguson.
With that thought, he drew a deep breath, cast off the distractions in his mind, walked straight to the bench, and scanned the players.
His eyes landed on Scholes.
"Paul, warm up. You're going on!" he commanded.
Then, without hesitation, he turned and headed back to the touchline.
…
"Manchester United will make the first substitution."
"We're now into the 65th minute of the second half, and we see United preparing to bring on veteran Paul Scholes."
"Scholes is the creative heartbeat of United's midfield. By bringing him on now, Ferguson clearly wants to push for an equalizer and add more attacking flair in the final third."
"But let's not forget, United's defense hasn't exactly been solid tonight. If the Red Devils push too high, City's counterattack could become even more dangerous. It'll be interesting to see how Ferguson manages this."
"It's O'Shea!"
"Scholes is replacing O'Shea."
"Oh my God, is United switching to a back three?"
"Ferguson's substitution is risky. This is definitely a gamble."
"We see Ferguson making adjustments. Valencia is dropping back into the defensive line to play as right-back. It's a bold decision to move a winger into the back line while bringing in an attacking midfielder to increase creativity and ball retention in the final third."
"This move shows Ferguson's determination."
…
Gao Shen didn't need to hear the commentators to understand the decision. It was exactly what he'd expected.
At the same time, he was even more impressed.
Trailing on both the scoreboard and in performance, making such an attacking substitution by replacing O'Shea with Scholes was a bold decision. But it fit Ferguson's character perfectly.
The godfather of Manchester United was never one to back down. What he hated most was being passive.
If he had to go down, he would go down swinging.
"This old man is tough," Sarri said admiringly.
No doubt about it.
To make this kind of change in a final, under pressure, was admirable.
What's more, after the substitution, United's midfield noticeably improved.
Sneijder had already been a dynamic presence in both attack and defense since joining. Scholes, though aging, still had exceptional passing vision and creativity. Once the two linked up, Lass Diarra was pushed out to the right.
Clearly, this was meant to help protect Valencia and contain Gareth Bale.
In Ferguson's view, Bale was every bit as dangerous as Robben.
After the change, Scholes and Sneijder's combination brought more fluidity to United's midfield, and they soon mounted a direct threat.
In the 72nd minute, it was Scholes who played a brilliant through ball. Rooney lost Jerome Boateng and fired a shot from the edge of the area. Neuer charged out to block it heroically.
Sneijder's follow-up effort was also blocked in time by Fernandinho.
That was easily United's most threatening attack of the match so far.
Realizing the danger, Gao Shen made his first substitution, bringing on Henderson for Hazard.
This was actually Manchester City's usual cup lineup.
Henderson had performed well and progressed steadily in this role.
With Henderson forming a midfield trio with Fernandinho and Yaya Touré, it might have looked like Hazard had been sacrificed, but in reality, it freed Yaya Touré.
This configuration gave Touré more license to push forward, especially in his trademark late runs into the box.
…
Gao Shen's substitution seemed conservative on the surface, but it stabilized the midfield and quickly quelled the threat that United's attack had begun to pose.
But Ferguson wasn't done yet. He immediately made another bold move, replacing Park Ji-sung with Berbatov and switching to a 4-4-2, pairing Berbatov and Rooney up front.
This was the very definition of a gamble.
After the change, United's formation became even more aggressive and unpredictable.
In attack, Sneijder and Scholes pushed forward. In defense, Carrick and Lass Diarra dropped deep, often lining up just in front of the back four. Scholes and Sneijder were the only ones left in midfield, with Rooney frequently dropping back, creating a midfield trio, leaving Berbatov up top.
On the break, Valencia surged down the right, using his pace to exploit space on the flank.
This style did pose a threat to City, but Gao Shen quickly responded.
In the 84th minute, Valencia made a run down the right and had just received a pass from Scholes. Before he could accelerate, he was immediately challenged by Henderson.
The two battled for the ball on the wing, and it went out of play.
Valencia thought it should be a United throw, but the referee signaled otherwise—City's ball.
Felipe stepped up quickly, grabbed the ball, wiped it, and threw it to Gareth Bale.
Bale shielded the ball from Lass Diarra, laid it off to Felipe, who passed inside to Henderson, then on to Fernandinho.
Fernandinho saw Robben dropping back and passed to him on the right.
Robben received the ball on the wing, turned, and began driving towards the penalty area.
Van Persie had drifted to the right side of the box arc, using his body to pin Vidic, and signaled for the ball.
Robben passed it to him, then immediately darted forward into space.
Van Persie understood and, without hesitation, played a quick return pass into Robben's path, letting the Dutch winger burst into the box past Vidic.
But Ferdinand had already tracked the move. He stayed close, preventing Robben from facing goal directly. Robben had to stop and lay the ball back.
Van Persie had already turned and stepped into the box. He met the pass and fired a first-time shot.
But Vidic read it well, diving in front to block the shot.
The ball deflected off Vidic and bounced toward the penalty spot.
Chaos erupted in the box.
It all happened in a flash. Carrick was still searching for the ball when Yaya Touré surged in from deep and reached the spot first. Without hesitation, he smashed the falling ball.
Van der Sar spread his arms and dived, trying to close the angle, but the shot was too powerful.
Yaya Touré had unleashed everything into that strike, sending the ball flying into the back of the net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
"84th minute, another goal for Manchester City!"
"Yaya Touré! It's Yaya Touré again!"
"All the City players have rushed forward to celebrate. Yaya Touré pulls up his jersey to reveal a white undershirt with the number 28 written on it."
"This is his birthday gift to himself, just one day late!"
"Yesterday, Yaya Touré celebrated his 28th birthday with the entire squad. Today, he scores a thunderous goal at Wembley to help Manchester City win the FA Cup!"
"Two-nil! There should be no more suspense now!"
(To be continued.)
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