Arthur had been in this footballing business long enough now — more than two years as Leeds United's mastermind — and those two years had given him a sharp familiarity with Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. He knew their strengths, their weaknesses, the rhythm of their play. If the past two years had been Ferguson planting seeds and tending his garden, then this year was the harvest. The Red Devils were in full bloom, and it wasn't a bunch of pretty flowers; it was a dangerous patch of carnivorous plants ready to devour opponents.
Before the match, Arthur had done his homework. Not the lazy kind of homework where you skim the first two pages of the textbook, but the type where you underline, highlight, and even add sarcastic little notes in the margins. He'd poured over Ferguson's tactical patterns this season, studied the way United's shape morphed, and focused especially on their crown jewel — Cristiano Ronaldo.
This season, United's main tools were the 4-4-2 and the 4-3-3. The skeleton looked simple on paper, but the devil was in the details — or in this case, in the devil wearing the number 7 shirt. Ronaldo's position was the most flexible, the most dangerous, and the hardest to predict. When United were attacking, he became part of a front three with Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, a trident sharp enough to slice through most Premier League defenses. But when they slipped back, Ronaldo often retreated to the right flank, reforming the side into a neat 4-4-2. This meant that United could attack like wolves in a pack and defend like a disciplined phalanx — versatility at its finest.
Their vertical attacking play was ruthless. Pass, move, strike. No hesitation, no overthinking. The midfield and back line supporting them was just as formidable. Patrice Evra's energy at left-back, Rio Ferdinand's calmness, Nemanja Vidić's brutality, Wes Brown's doggedness, and Michael Carrick's smooth distribution — the structure was solid steel. Adding to this, Peter Schmeichel's son, Kasper, had arrived, injecting some fresh Scandinavian confidence into their defense. For opposition strikers, it was like running into a wall of red bricks with spikes sticking out.
And then there were the veterans, the legends who had been United's metronomes for over a decade. Ryan Giggs, shifting between winger and attacking midfielder as needed, and Paul Scholes, spraying passes like a sniper with unlimited ammunition. Giggs provided the rhythm, Scholes provided the knives, and together they acted as Manchester United's double brain — the tactical cerebrum of Ferguson's machine.
That wasn't all. Ferguson wasn't content to rest on history. Over the summer, he had added new blood. Nani came in as Giggs' understudy, offering pace, tricks, and youthful exuberance. His presence meant Ferguson could rest the aging Giggs while freeing Ronaldo to focus more on scoring. That in turn allowed Rooney or Berbatov to drop deeper and become more involved in linking play, creating a fluidity that unlocked Ronaldo's terrifying finishing.
In midfield, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson provided options. Anderson was the young bull, charging forward with dribbles and raw power, perfect for games where Ferguson wanted to speed things up. Hargreaves, on the other hand, was the calmer figure, able to sit beside Carrick and Scholes, keeping possession and ensuring control.
With these combinations, United had stumbled slightly early in the season but soon found their stride. Once they clicked, they started marching forward like an unstoppable army. For most opponents, Ferguson's team felt unsolvable. The heart of the problem was always the same: stopping Ronaldo.
Because Ferguson was clever. When United lost possession, Rooney and Berbatov tracked back dutifully, following the manager's orders to help defend. But Ronaldo? Ferguson often left him hanging high up the pitch. Why? Because the moment the back line won the ball, it was boom — long pass, counterattack, and suddenly Ronaldo was sprinting at terrified defenders with thirty yards of space.
But for Arthur, this wasn't as frightening as it was for others. Ronaldo was indeed strong, possibly the strongest one-on-one attacker in the world. But Arthur wasn't managing a team of amateurs. He had his own weapons, a back line polished to perfection and — thanks to his mysterious coaching gift, the [Master Coach] effect — defenders who were playing years ahead of their natural development curve.
He had Alves at right-back, quick, experienced, and annoyingly difficult to shake off. He had Vincent Kompany, the iron wall in the centre, whose timing and anticipation could snuff out danger before it bloomed. Arthur trusted them. And as the match unfolded, his trust proved well placed.
Ferguson soon realized something wasn't right. Ronaldo, who normally tore through fullbacks like they were tissue paper, was being slowed down. Alves was sticking to him relentlessly, pestering him, blocking lanes, never diving in foolishly but always staying close enough to annoy. Even when Ronaldo managed to wiggle free — because let's face it, you can't cage a beast like him forever — before he reached the danger zone, Kompany was already there, stepping in with all the subtlety of a bulldozer. Ball gone. Ronaldo stopped. Crowd groans.
It wasn't just once, either. It was happening again and again. Arthur's defensive pairing was making one of the most dangerous players in the world look… mortal. Ferguson stood on the sideline with his arms crossed tighter, his jaw clenched harder. He didn't like what he was seeing.
Meanwhile, Leeds United were having a far smoother time going forward. Their attacks had a flow that Manchester United's did not. The reason was simple — one name, four letters: Kaká.
Arthur's summer signing had transformed Leeds' midfield. The Brazilian wasn't just about tricks or pace; he brought a kind of vertical power that made defenders backpedal in panic. His ability to drive through the middle, to link with strikers, and to release perfectly timed passes gave Leeds United a whole new dimension.
Last season, Carrick had already suffered at the hands of Yaya Touré, finding himself bullied out of midfield battles. This season? Things were even worse for him. Because while Touré was a powerful athlete, Kaká was a graceful storm. He combined elegance with efficiency, speed with vision. Whenever he picked up the ball and started gliding forward, Carrick's face told the story: not again…
For Manchester United, Ronaldo was being caged, their midfield brains were under pressure, and their defensive wall was being tested in ways they hadn't expected. For Arthur, though, it was going exactly to plan.
And as the clock ticked on, the battle lines became clear. Ferguson's reliance on Ronaldo's explosiveness was meeting Arthur's carefully crafted defensive net. Leeds' smoother attacking play, powered by Kaká, was asking questions United hadn't faced in weeks.
The chessboard was set. Both managers stared from their technical areas, their teams clashing on the field, but deep down they knew — this wasn't going to be an ordinary ninety minutes.
*****
The tenth minute ticked onto the Old Trafford scoreboard, and the game was already boiling with intensity. Leeds United had just broken up a Manchester United attack in their own half. Ronaldo, frustrated by Alves' relentless shadowing, had been forced to surrender the ball back toward the middle, rolling it off to Giggs. The Welsh veteran had barely put a boot on it before Vincent Kompany came charging in like a lion spotting dinner.
Snap — ball stolen. Leeds had their moment.
Kompany didn't hesitate. He pushed the ball quickly into the feet of Xabi Alonso, the midfield maestro with his head always up and his boots always ready to dictate. Alonso looked up, saw space ahead, and surged forward diagonally across the pitch. His movements were elegant but decisive, each stride carrying him closer to the halfway line.
The Manchester United defenders were already scrambling back, but Alonso didn't bother overcomplicating things. Just as he crossed the centre line, he let loose a perfectly measured pass, a straight and clean delivery to the onrushing Kaka.
Now, Ferguson had made something very clear before the match in the dressing room. His orders had been simple: Wherever Kaka goes, you follow him like his shadow. Smother him. Don't let him breathe.
So when Alonso's pass found the Brazilian, Carrick was already on his tail. Vidic, who had just started to sprint back, didn't think twice. He pivoted, charging directly into Kaka's path. The Serb's body language screamed: You're not coming through here, sunshine.
Manchester United's defensive line was impeccable. When Kaka received the ball on the left channel just outside the penalty box, he found his forward route cut off. Vidic blocked the inside lane, Carrick hounded from behind, and Bale, waiting on the left touchline, was tied up in knots by John O'Shea. The avenues were closing fast.
For a split second, Kaka looked boxed in. The temptation to force his way through flickered across his face, but then a familiar voice cut through the noise of Old Trafford.
"Here, Kaka!"
It was Alonso.
Kaka glanced to his right and felt a wave of relief. Not only had Alonso made the initial pass, but he hadn't stayed back admiring his work — he'd bombed forward, sprinting into the perfect supporting position at the top of the arc.
"Good lad," Kaka thought, quickly making his choice. He slowed his run, pulled the ball under his sole, and with a slick body feint dodged Carrick's lunging attempt to nick it. Then, with his left foot, he slid the ball horizontally across the face of the penalty area toward Alonso.
It was a pass that came sharp and sudden, so sudden that even Rio Ferdinand, who was retreating into the defensive line, was caught slightly flat-footed. The England centre-half stretched desperately, throwing his right leg across to block. He managed to graze the ball, slowing it down but not fully diverting it.
That tiny deflection turned Alonso's golden chance into a small nightmare. He had been already adjusting his body for the incoming ball, but the flick off Ferdinand's boot forced him into a split-second recalibration.
The Spaniard gritted his teeth. There was no time to hesitate.
He gathered the slowed ball with his left foot, shifted it forward with a little touch, and swung his right leg through in one smooth motion. The technique wasn't as composed as he would have liked, but Alonso's reputation wasn't for nothing. Even with the awkward setup, his strike was pure, clean, and powerful.
Thwack!
The ball flew like a missile, rising towards the top-right corner of Manchester United's goal. The crowd behind the posts gasped in unison, a sharp intake of breath that echoed around Old Trafford. For a split second, it looked destined to smash into the net.
But Manchester United had spent €18 million in the summer for exactly this kind of moment.
Between the sticks stood Kasper Schmeichel, son of the legendary Peter. While some fans still debated whether he was truly worth the money, Schmeichel was about to justify every cent of his transfer fee. It wasn't that he was objectively "better" than Van der Sar, Ferguson's veteran keeper. It was that Schmeichel knew Alonso's habits — the way he shaped his body before shooting, the telltale signs of where he might strike. He'd studied him, remembered his tendencies, and read this one like a book.
Even before Alonso's boot made contact, Schmeichel had been shuffling left with small, controlled steps.
So when the shot screamed through the air, he was already in position.
With perfect timing, his palm met the ball, not with a desperate slap, but with a calm, firm block — the kind of save that makes it look like he was plucking an apple off a tree. The ball slammed into his hand, slowed, and fell under his body as he rolled smoothly on the grass.
And just like that, the danger was gone.
Schmeichel pressed the ball tight against his chest as if hugging a treasure, the Manchester United fans erupting into relieved applause. Alonso stood a few yards away, hands on his hips, eyebrows raised in mild disbelief. He'd caught that shot as well as anyone could under the circumstances, and still, it hadn't been enough.
Leeds' bench rose slightly in frustration, Arthur pacing at the edge of his technical area. "Bloody typical," he muttered, half amused and half annoyed. Alonso had struck clean, Leeds had executed the counter perfectly, and yet the ball had found the one goalkeeper in Europe who probably knew Alonso's shooting angles better than Alonso himself.
It was that kind of game already — margins razor-thin, every chance contested by inches, and no side giving ground easily.