Chapter 687: I Want to Score Again
Chelsea's 0–6 humiliation at the hands of Manchester City had a massive impact. By the weekend's FA Cup 5th round, they still hadn't recovered from the blow and ended up losing 0–2 at home to a Bruno-less Manchester United. This loss eliminated them from the FA Cup.
First, they were thrashed by City on the road, and then they suffered a comprehensive defeat to a United side fielding mostly reserves. Sarri's managerial capabilities came under heavy scrutiny, with calls for his dismissal dominating media coverage.
For Manchester United, however, this unexpected victory was a pleasant surprise. Mourinho had essentially written off the FA Cup by fielding a reserve team, yet they still managed to secure an unexpected win over his former club.
Buoyed by the result, the United squad boarded their flight to Germany in high spirits.
...
February 20: Champions League Round of 16 First Leg
Manchester United visited the Veltins Arena to take on Schalke 04.
Schalke 04 was struggling, sitting 14th in the Bundesliga despite finishing as runners-up the previous season. Their head coach, Domenico Tedesco, was under pressure and determined to upset United at home.
From the start, both teams played without holding back, making the match open and dynamic.
Bruno Fernandes continued his red-hot form, forcing an interception in the 18th minute before delivering a horizontal pass to Harry Kane, who scored to give United an early lead.
However, what followed left the United players frustrated.
In the 33rd minute, Caligiuri's shot struck Maguire's arm. After consulting VAR, the referee awarded a penalty.
Bentaleb stepped up and converted, equalizing for Schalke.
Just before halftime, Schalke launched another attack. Fred pulled down Salif Sané in the box, and the referee awarded yet another penalty.
Bentaleb scored his second from the spot, turning the game around for Schalke.
Conceding two penalties and falling behind despite their early lead, United's luck seemed to have abandoned them.
...
At halftime, Mourinho criticized United's defense, demanding more focus. But the second half didn't start any better.
In the 68th minute, Maguire fouled Burgstaller from behind, earning his second yellow card and being sent off.
Playing away, trailing on the scoreboard, and reduced to ten men, it appeared United's 19-match unbeaten streak in the Champions League was about to end.
Mourinho was forced to adjust, bringing on Lindelöf for Fred to stabilize the defense.
Schalke launched a wave of attacks but couldn't breach United's now-intact backline. The score remained 2–1.
As the clock passed the 80-minute mark, Schalke switched to a more conservative approach, focusing on ball control to wind down the game and protect their lead.
But Schalke's hopes of securing the win were dashed.
In the 85th minute, United earned a free kick in a dangerous position. Bruno stepped up and sent the ball curling into the top corner, leveling the score at 2–2!
This was Bruno's 8th Champions League goal of the season, putting him ahead of Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski at the top of the competition's scoring chart.
...
After equalizing, the dynamics of the match shifted completely.
Schalke ramped up their offense, desperate to regain the lead, while United carefully controlled the game, exploiting Schalke's impatience to create opportunities.
Bruno was particularly active, and in the 88th minute, he noticed Mourinho signaling to substitute him with Mata. Bruno hurried to the sideline to speak with his manager.
"I want to score again. Let's take the win back home!" Bruno said firmly.
Mourinho and the coaching staff respected Bruno's determination and allowed him to stay on the pitch.
"Don't rush it. The more you rush, the harder it is to score," assistant coach Michael Carrick reminded him.
Bruno nodded resolutely.
...
When play resumed, Bruno became even more proactive, constantly searching for chances. His teammates, understanding his intent, worked hard to create openings for him.
Schalke's defenders, exhausted from tracking Bruno all match, finally made a mistake.
In the 90th minute, Kante passed the ball to the right flank, where Cancelo advanced and sent it to Bruno near the edge of the box.
Bruno turned sharply, dribbling inside. Schalke's left-back stuck to him tightly, while a defensive midfielder blocked the path near the penalty area, giving Bruno no space to shoot.
Bruno suddenly cut left, pushing the ball into the box and darting after it. As the left-back caught up, Bruno performed a sudden stop, pulling the ball back with his right foot.
The sequence of movements was lightning-fast. Before the defenders could react, Bruno found a narrow opening and curled a shot with his left foot.
The ball arced over the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Fährmann and into the net.
3–2!
Against all odds, United had turned the game around with ten men.
After 3 minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle. The score remained 3–2, and Manchester United emerged victorious in a dramatic comeback.
...
Despite being a man down, United left Germany with three crucial points, giving them a significant advantage heading into the second leg. With one foot already in the Champions League quarterfinals, the result was a massive boost.
However, the match had taken a toll on United's starting players. Playing with ten men for nearly 30 minutes had forced them to cover more ground to compensate for their numerical disadvantage.
Returning to the Premier League, United faced Liverpool in the second leg of the season's doubleheader.
The midweek Champions League clashes had drained both teams. United lacked sharpness after their grueling match, but Liverpool, having endured a similarly exhausting battle with Bayern Munich, was equally fatigued.
After 90 minutes of hard-fought play at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the match ended in a 0–0 stalemate.
Both legs of this season's rivalry between United and Liverpool ended in draws.
On the Premier League table, United maintained their 9-point lead over Liverpool. However, Manchester City had reduced the gap to 10 points.
(END CHAPTER)
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