Chapter 445: The Situation Becomes Clearer
As the match progressed, Manchester United, holding the lead, gradually took control of the game. Bruno firmly controlled the tempo, and even with Ki Sung-Yueng trying to disrupt him, he no longer found it bothersome. For him, Ki Sung-Yueng was not a significant challenge compared to other opponents he had faced. Apart from being a bit rough with fouls, Bruno wasn't afraid of fouls.
When Bruno got the ball again, Ki Sung-Yueng tried to press him, but Bruno suddenly accelerated, breaking away from his defense. Ki Sung-Yueng froze for a moment, realizing that Bruno was about to get past him. A thought suddenly emerged from the depths of his mind, a voice echoing in his ears: "Tackle him! Tackle him! Tackle him!" His eyes were fixed on Bruno's feet.
Driven by this thought, he lunged forward, targeting Bruno's ankle. Bruno, sensing danger, quickly lifted his left foot just as Ki Sung-Yueng's foot came in, hitting the bottom of his shoe. Bruno lost his balance and fell forward.
"Foul!" shouted the commentator.
The referee's whistle blew immediately.
...
Old Trafford erupted with boos and curses directed at Ki Sung-Yueng. Ki Sung-Yueng got up and signaled to the referee that he hadn't fouled Bruno, claiming it was a dive. At that moment, Bruno also got up and pointed at him, saying, "If I were diving, I'd be rolling on the ground clutching my ankle. You definitely fouled me, there's no doubt about it."
"Impossible! You're a diving cheat!" Ki Sung-Yueng shouted in agitation. His reaction was understandable; having already received a yellow card earlier, another yellow card for a tackle from behind would mean a red card and being sent off. He naturally wanted to argue his case.
Before Bruno could respond, Maguire rushed over and shouted, "Bullshit! You know how many times you've fouled Bruno this game! Calling him a diver? You're the..."
Before Maguire could finish his harsh words, Bruno quickly pushed him away to prevent escalating the situation into a conflict that could earn Maguire a yellow card too. There was no need to risk another card when Ki Sung-Yueng's sending-off was inevitable.
Kanté, who wasn't carrying a card, wasn't afraid to step up. He pointed at Ki Sung-Yueng and said angrily, "You know damn well you fouled Bruno! You're the liar!"
...
As tensions rose, the referee blew his whistle urgently, reminding both teams to calm down. He then called Ki Sung-Yueng aside and pulled out two cards, a yellow and then a red, sending him off.
"Red card! Ki Sung-Yueng has been sent off!"
"Ki Sung-Yueng was incredibly foolish. Did he forget he already had a yellow card? That tackle in midfield was completely unnecessary and dangerous."
"Let's look at the replay... Even though he only hit Bruno's shoe bottom, it was a dangerous tackle. Regardless of the outcome, the action alone warrants a yellow card..."
"Did he get carried away by his pre-match bravado? It seems he's lost his head..."
...
Swansea coach Paul Clement didn't jump up and down in anger this time; he just shook his head in resignation. He had anticipated this when he decided to use a foul-heavy strategy to contain Bruno. While effective, it was a double-edged sword that could lead to losing players. Such tactics work best when a team is ahead, making the fouling less risky.
No matter how much Ki Sung-Yueng protested, he had to accept his fate: he was sent off.
...
With one less player, Swansea fell into chaos. Without Ki Sung-Yueng marking him, Bruno found the midfield wide open and frequently launched attacks with deadly passes.
Ki Sung-Yueng's red card also reminded Manchester United's players that arguing with the referee or retaliating against opponents was pointless. With Swansea a man down, this was their opportunity. There was no need to get entangled in conflicts.
Even Maguire's behavior normalized significantly.
In the 68th minute, less than five minutes after Ki Sung-Yueng was sent off, Bruno received the ball near Swansea's penalty area. Federico rushed to defend, leaving space behind him. Bruno exploited this gap with a through ball to Rooney, who timed his run perfectly and was not offside.
Facing the excellent Fabianski, Rooney turned and shot, sending the ball past the keeper and into the net.
2-0!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!"
"Rooney! Rooney! Rooney!!! Rooney scores!"
"This is Rooney's 7th Premier League goal this season and the 200th of his career! He becomes only the second player after Alan Shearer to reach 200 Premier League goals!"
Old Trafford erupted in cheers for their loyal captain. Despite his reduced playing time this season, Rooney had shown remarkable efficiency, scoring 7 league goals in limited appearances.
...
With a two-goal lead, Manchester United played with more confidence. The players tried more daring moves, with Bruno and Rooney even exchanging backheel passes, eliciting screams from the fans.
Swansea had to abandon their foul-heavy tactics and focus on scoring. The game returned to a more traditional style.
In the 79th minute, during a corner kick, Maguire leapt high and headed in Bruno's cross, making it 3-0.
Fabianski, who had performed well, seemed to collapse mentally after conceding the second goal, allowing another goal in quick succession.
After scoring, Maguire excitedly hugged Bruno, grateful for the advice to control his temper and then score.
"We've won!" shouted the United players as they celebrated together.
"Although Swansea fought hard to stay in the Premier League, they were no match for Manchester United. Faced with United's sharp attack, Swansea's foul tactics failed. United showed maturity, keeping their cool under constant fouling. Ki Sung-Yueng's red card was a microcosm of Swansea's game—they focused more on fouling than playing football, leading to their inevitable defeat..."
While the commentator believed this, Swansea coach Paul Clement would disagree. He felt the problem wasn't the fouling but conceding the first goal, giving Manchester United a psychological edge. If Swansea had scored first, United might have struggled.
...
But football doesn't deal in "ifs." The harsh reality was that Swansea was trailing by three goals with no way to equalize. Scoring three goals in ten minutes was nearly impossible.
As a coach, Clement had little recourse. He substituted all available attacking players, hoping to reduce the defeat's margin.
In the final moments, Swansea capitalized on a defensive error by United to score a consolation goal, avoiding a complete shutout.
But this provided little solace. Losing to United left their relegation battle in a precarious position.
...
With this victory, United extended their lead over Chelsea to 10 points with both teams having played 33 matches. Chelsea would face Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday. If Everton couldn't stop Chelsea, United's lead would shrink back to 7 points.
With five rounds remaining, a 10-point lead was very secure. United needed only two more wins to clinch the league title. Even securing just five points would suffice, given their superior goal difference.
Currently, United had scored 91 goals and conceded 23 in 33 matches, with a goal difference of 68. Chelsea, having scored 70 and conceded 32, had a goal difference of 38.
Catching up 10 points and a 30-goal difference in five matches was nearly impossible.
Chelsea's only hope was for United to collapse under a packed schedule, but this was highly unlikely.
This victory was crucial, providing United with greater room for error in the remaining matches.
(End of Chapter)
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