On May 4, 2023, Manchester United faced Brighton away in a rescheduled English Premier League match for Week 28.
Brighton has performed exceptionally well this season, currently sitting in 8th place in the League table. With one game in hand, they are 10 points behind 4th-placed Newcastle United, retaining a chance to compete for a top-four finish with 7 remaining rounds.
Manchester United's defense has been plagued by injuries, with Lisandro Martínez out for the season, Varane injured, and Harry Maguire and Malacia still underperforming. Fortunately, Lindelöf and Wan-Bissaka have been playing exceptionally well recently.
The match against Brighton saw both sides attacking and defending, battling for 90 minutes with the score still 0-0, until Luke Shaw conceded a penalty for a handball in injury time, and Mac Allister scored a decisive penalty! Gao Nuo, who came on as a substitute, could not change the situation.
Despite the loss, Manchester United remains in fourth place in the League table, one point ahead of Liverpool, who have played two more games. The race for the top four is becoming increasingly fierce. Manchester United's offense and defense are both facing immense challenges.
The media once again criticized Ten Hag's in-game adjustments, particularly his decision to keep Fred on instead of bringing in Eriksen when Manchester United struggled to control possession effectively.
Also under criticism was the 'hundred-million-pound man' Antony; his goals and assists are far from sufficient for his transfer fee and Manchester United's standards.
Three days later, in Week 35 of the English Premier League, Manchester United traveled to face West Ham United.
Facing a West Ham United team fighting desperately to avoid relegation, Manchester United dared not underestimate them. The starting lineup released before the match showed that, apart from Gao Nuo replacing Antony, all other positions were filled by Manchester United's available key players.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: De Gea
Defense: Dalot, Luke Shaw, Lindelöf, Wan-Bissaka
Midfield: Casemiro, Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes
Forwards: Rashford, Martial, Gao Nuo
Amidst the thunderous cheers of the live audience and the colorful barrage of comments from fans in the live stream, both teams' players took the field, and the match began.
Immediately after kickoff, Manchester United and West Ham United went full throttle, and the game's pace was incredibly fast.
In the 20th minute, Martial capitalized on a mistake by an opposing defender, intercepting the ball in the attacking third. He then sent a high, diagonal pass to Gao Nuo, who headed it back to the onrushing Wan-Bissaka. Wan-Bissaka dribbled inside towards the center, and facing a stretched defense, he opted for a direct shot, but the ball sailed over the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Bruno Fernandes received the ball in the center from the right, then made a wide pass to the left wing. Dalot received the ball and played a brilliant one-two with Rashford along the wing. Rashford then broke into the penalty area and crossed it into the middle, where Martial, arriving at full speed, took a shot that was bravely saved by the goalkeeper.
In the 38th minute, West Ham United's right winger, Bowen, lost possession in the attacking third. Before Manchester United could launch a counter-attack, Bowen quickly won the ball back and sent a high cross into the penalty area. Luke Shaw's header clearance didn't go far enough, and West Ham United's Benrahma collected the ball on the left. He again sent a high cross, and Antonio's looping header inside the box sailed over De Gea's outstretched hands, hitting the post and rebounding into the net, giving West Ham United a one-goal lead.
In first-half injury time, Manchester United took a quick throw-in on the left. Bruno Fernandes launched a long pass towards the penalty area, and Gao Nuo, who had pushed forward, won the aerial duel, his header narrowly missing the goal, almost leveling the score.
At halftime, West Ham United led Manchester United 1-0.
In the Manchester United locker room, Ten Hag expressed his dissatisfaction with the team's numerous missed scoring opportunities in the first half. He made no personnel changes, only motivating the players to stay focused and return to the field to win the match.
As vice-captain, Bruno performed well today, excelling in ball distribution. He also fulfilled his captain's duties, encouraging his teammates to run actively.
In the second half, Gao Nuo began his performance.
In the 46th minute, Manchester United attacked. Gao Nuo passed back to Casemiro, then pulled back to the center. Casemiro continued the pass to Lindelöf. Just as West Ham United's formation pushed forward, Lindelöf launched a long pass, accurately finding Dalot on the left wing. Dalot dribbled forward, then suddenly chipped a cross from a 45-degree angle. Martial at the near post and the defending player both failed to connect with the ball, allowing Gao Nuo, who had ghosted in at the far post, to easily tap it into the net.
With the score tied, both teams unleashed their full potential and began an all-out offensive battle.
Manchester United's Luke Shaw and Lindelöf played excellently, denying their opponents easy shooting opportunities.
West Ham United's defense was equally solid, and with several saves from their goalkeeper, neither side could change the score.
In the 58th minute, West Ham United successfully beat the offside trap, but Lindelöf covered well, sliding to block Bowen's shot.
In the 65th minute, Manchester United launched a quick counter-attack. Casemiro linked up with Gao Nuo, and Gao Nuo once again successfully shrugged off the center-back to go through on goal, but his final shot was tipped over the crossbar by the goalkeeper.
In the 73rd minute, Gao Nuo received a pass from Wan-Bissaka, intentionally letting it run through, splitting the defense without touching the ball. He successfully broke through the defensive line and sent a low cross into the middle, but Martial once again failed to get to the ball first and it was cleared out for a throw-in by a defender.
Ten Hag watched Martial's performance with a furrowed brow, shaking his head repeatedly. He then substituted Martial for Wout Weghorst and Eriksen for Sabitzer.
In the 83rd minute, Manchester United took a corner kick from the left. Wout Weghorst flicked a header at the near post, and Rashford leaped for a volley, but the ball hit the goalkeeper squarely in the chest before he could react. A frustrated Rashford clutched his head, and Ten Hag on the sidelines could only rub his bald head in exasperation.
In the 92nd minute, Manchester United intercepted the ball in midfield. Wout Weghorst made a tackle, Bruno received the ball and played a through pass. Rashford on the left wing successfully beat the offside trap, going through on goal. A composed Rashford then crossed the ball into the middle, where an unmarked Gao Nuo tapped it into an empty net, scoring the winning goal in injury time.
After scoring, Gao Nuo lay on the ground as his teammates ran over one by one, piling on top of him in a celebratory dog pile. Ten Hag and his assistant coaches embraced tightly on the sidelines, and the players on the bench also cheered with raised arms.
The full-time whistle blew, and Manchester United successfully came from a goal down to secure a valuable 3 points in the race for the top four.
In a live broadcast room on a certain platform in China, commentators Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu were reviewing the match.
"Congratulations to Manchester United on their victory! We saw that when the team repeatedly missed opportunities, Gao Nuo stepped up, scoring twice in the final moments of second-half injury time to complete the decisive win. Zhang, please analyze Manchester United's performance in this match for everyone."
"Alright, Gao Nuo's two goals today were very similar; both were tap-ins at the far post, relatively easy finishes. We can see that Manchester United's ball movement was excellent today, especially Bruno, who effectively stretched West Ham United's defense with his constant switching of play from left to right."
"Thank you for the analysis, Zhang. This concludes the Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United, brought to you by commentators Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu. We look forward to seeing you next time!"
The director replayed the highlights of the match, and amidst the joyful and humorous comments from the fans, the match came to a close.