"Damn it! Alexander! He's gone!"
Dejan Lovren cursed under his breath, the color draining from his face as he realized the horror of the situation.
In a normal scenario, he and Virgil van Dijk could cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive lapses.
But this was a transition moment, a chaotic flicker between attack and defense where structures crumbled. They had been preoccupied with wrestling Lukaku and Pogba in the center of the park, and by the time they reacted to Ling blowing past Arnold on the flank, the damage was already done.
The gap was five yards.
Then ten.
They could only watch the number 7 shirt shrinking in the distance.
But they didn't resign themselves to standing still; Van Dijk, fueled by pride and desperation, turned and sprinted, his long strides eating up the ground.
Even a one-in-ten-thousand chance was worth chasing.
Ling didn't look back as he drove into the box, his eyes locked on the terrified figure of Loris Karius.
The Liverpool keeper came rushing out, arms spread wide in a desperate attempt to make himself look big, but the fear in his eyes was visible.
"One-on-one!" Gary Neville screamed, his voice cracking into a high pitch. "Ling have a 100% conversion rate! He never misses these!"
Ling slowed his pace for a split second, a predator toying with his prey. Karius bit on the hesitation, planting his feet in anticipation of a shot.
That was the trigger.
Ling dropped his shoulder and accelerated past the keeper to the right, leaving Karius swiping at fresh air like a drowning man.
The net was empty.
But behind him, a shadow was flying.
Virgil van Dijk launched himself into a heroic, last-ditch sliding tackle, throwing his massive body toward the goal line to hook the ball away.
Ling tapped the ball with his instep.
It rolled over the white line a fraction of a second before Van Dijk's boot arrived. The Dutchman crashed into the net, tangling in the mesh like a caught fish.
"HE'S DONE IT! LING HAS DONE IT!"
3-2 Manchester United! 82nd Minute.
"They've turned it around! From 2-2 to 3-2! This is the spirit of Manchester United!" Neville roared, ripping off his headphones and slamming them onto the table.
He stood up, veins bulging in his neck, towering over his co-commentator.
"Jamie! You fucking lost! Put it on! Right now! Put on the damn shirt!"
Old Trafford lost all semblance of rationality.
It was a tidal wave of red frenzy.
Seventy-five thousand people were screaming, hugging, and crying, unleashing a noise so loud it felt like the stadium was lifting off the ground.
And it wasn't just inside.
Outside, on Sir Matt Busby Way, tens of thousands of fans who couldn't get tickets were watching on their phone screens.
As the notification flashed—GOAL: LING (82')—the street erupted. The ground seemed to tremble as if an earthquake had hit Manchester.
On the pitch, Ling didn't dance this time.
He ran toward the Stretford End, stopped, closed his eyes, and raised his arms wide as if embracing the entire world.
Got equalize... then taking the lead...
His passion burned like wildfire in his chest. He finally understood the meaning of the anthem.
As the Reds go marching on!
This goal—the touch, the speed, the composure—people could call it luck, but Ling knew it was the manifestation of his relentless spirit.
The [Three-Dimensional Spatial Awareness] module had helped him control the high ball, but the will to run when his lungs were burning? That was all him.
Old Trafford carries the tears and sweat of legends.
Best. Charlton. Cantona. Ronaldo.
Today, Ling etched his name into that granite history.
His teammates swarmed him. Lukaku lifted him into the air, screaming incoherently. Pogba grabbed his face, shaking him with joy. The fatigue vanished from their legs, replaced by pure, unadulterated adrenaline.
In contrast, the Liverpool players collapsed.
Van Dijk lay in the net for a moment, staring at the grey sky.
They had fought back from behind. They had done the hard part.
And now, it was gone.
...
In the away dugout, Jurgen Klopp froze mid-stride. He had been preparing to celebrate a clearance, but now he just stood there, looking hollow. After a long pause, he let out a deep, shuddering sigh.
But he would never admit defeat.
"You three! Get ready!" Klopp barked at his bench, his voice hoarse. "We go all out! One last push!"
The fourth official raised the LED board.
Liverpool Subs:
OFF: Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Chamberlain.
ON: Wijnaldum, Lallana, Solanke.
United Subs:
OFF: Mata, Lingard, Lukaku.
ON: McTominay, Fellaini, Darmian.
It was All-Out Attack vs. All-Out Defense.
Trent Alexander-Arnold trudged off the pitch, his face was full of fury. He refused to high-five his teammates. He kicked a water bottle into the advertising boards, sending water spraying everywhere.
He felt humiliated.
Klopp grabbed Wijnaldum before he ran on.
"Gini," he whispered, eyes intense. "Stop the Number 7. I don't care how. Even if it's a red card. Do not let him counter-attack again."
While the players fought a war of attrition on the pitch—a sloppy, desperate battle of tired legs and frayed nerves—a different drama was unfolding in the Sky Sports commentary box.
Gary Neville was grinning like a Cheshire cat. He pushed the red Manchester United jersey across the desk toward his partner.
"Here, Jamie. Take it. Put it on."
Carragher sat motionless, his face pale. He stared at the jersey as if it were a toxic waste.
"No way?" Neville taunted, leaning into the microphone so millions could hear. "Surely no one would refuse to honor a bet? The whole world is watching, Jamie."
"You know," Neville continued, twisting the knife, "there is an old saying from Ling's homeland: 'A gentleman's word is as good as his bond.' It means once a man speaks, even four horses cannot drag the words back."
"You wouldn't want everyone to think Scousers have no integrity, would you?"
Carragher's arm trembled.
He looked around.
Commentators from other networks—French, Spanish, Arabic—had stopped talking and were pointing their phones at him, filming the humiliation.
He was trapped!
"Fine," Carragher spat, his voice trembling with rage. "Give me the damn rag."
He grabbed the jersey. His hands shook as he unfolded it.
LING 7
The name of his tormentor.
Carragher closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled the shirt over his head.
It was humiliating.
"It suits you, Jamie!" Neville cackled, snapping a photo. "You finally look like a winner!"
...
On the pitch, the game had descended into chaos. Liverpool poured forward, launching high balls toward Dominic Solanke, but Marouane Fellaini, United's giant tree, headed everything clear.
Ling was running on fumes.
Every muscle screamed for rest.
But he kept moving, positioning himself near the halfway line to threaten the counter, forcing Liverpool to keep two defenders back.
The clock ticked past 94 minutes.
Craig Pawson checked his watch and he put the whistle to his lips.
Peep-peep-PEEP!
FULL TIME.
Manchester United 3 - 2 Liverpool.
The Theater of Dreams exploded one last time.
In the stands, Zhang Wei was jumping up and down, hugging strangers he had never met before.
"Beautiful! Ling! Fucking beautiful!"
"This was worth every penny!" another Chinese fan screamed, wiping tears from his eyes. "Two goals and an assist! He is the King of Manchester!"
"Old Li!" Zhang Wei shouted at the tour guide over the noise. "When are we doing this again? I'm booking it now!"
On the sideline, Mourinho mimicked Klopp's earlier sprint, running down the touchline to hug De Gea.
But his steps were smaller, careful not to pull a hamstring in his suit. Rui Faria sat on the bench, shaking his head in disbelief.
"So similar..." Faria muttered, looking at Ling, who was applauding the fans. "That performance... it was extraterrestrial. It was Ronaldo-esque."
Klopp walked onto the pitch, hugging his devastated players one by one.
He looked at the scoreboard, then at the celebrating United squad.
He wouldn't forget this.
But today, Manchester was Red.
And Jamie Carragher, sitting in the studio with his head in his hands, was wearing the proof.
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