In the Manchester United locker room, Ten Hag affirmed the team's performance, telling the players to continue playing this way, and victory would surely belong to Manchester United.
Then he called Gao Nuo over, “Gao, I might need you to play as a center forward in the second half.”
“I can, Boss.”
“Just like in training, you need to go for the point. I’ll arrange a few tactical plays behind you. Run, disrupt their defense.”
“Understood, Boss.”
Convinced that Gao Nuo was in good form, Ten Hag made tactical adjustments for the team, “Lads, in the second half, we’ll continue to attack the wings first. Rashford and Gao will spread out, Luke Shaw and Dalot will provide support, and if there’s an opportunity, they’ll cut in from the half-spaces or deliver 45-degree crosses. Wout Weghorst will act as a pivot in the middle, and Bruno and Eriksen will push forward.”
After explaining the first set of tactics, Ten Hag wiped the tactics board clean and continued his instructions, “If the situation still doesn’t open up, I’ll move Gao to the center forward position. Bruno, you need to drop back. Midfielders, remember to observe Gao’s position. I need you to play through balls behind him as much as possible, then Rashford and Antony will support from the half-spaces, and the two fullbacks will overlap and go to the byline.”
“Liverpool is now leading 2-0, lads, go! Go win the match!” All the players gathered in a circle, and led by Ten Hag, they chanted the team’s slogan, “Glory Glory Man United!”
After 15 minutes, the tactically adjusted Manchester United returned to the field. The teams switched sides, and the second half began.
In a live broadcast room on a certain platform in China, “Welcome back. The second half of the final round of the English Premier League, Manchester United at home against Fulham, has begun. Your commentators are Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu.”
Zhang took over, “Ah, just as we discussed in our halftime analysis, Liverpool is now leading 2-0, and winning the match should be no problem. So, Manchester United must also get three points to secure a Champions League spot.”
Zhan Jun controlled the pace of the commentary, “Yes, we see no personnel changes on the field. We don’t know if the coaches of both sides have made any tactical changes. Now, let’s turn our attention back to the match.”
In the 49th minute of the match, Manchester United won a free kick, 24 meters from the goal, which was very threatening. Bruno Fernandes took the shot, but the ball was not kept down and flew into the stands.
In the 55th minute of the match, Fulham took a corner kick. Mitrovic overpowered Lindelöf, heading the ball towards goal. De Gea made a crucial save at the goal line, pushing the ball out for a corner.
In the 60th minute of the match, with the situation still deadlocked, Ten Hag made a decisive move, bringing on Antony for Wout Weghorst. Gao Nuo moved to the center forward position, and Antony, upon entering the field, made a gesture of '2' to his teammates, signaling that the coach had instructed them to execute the second set of tactics.
In the 63rd minute of the match, Casemiro intercepted the ball in midfield. According to the tactical plan, he sent a long pass directly over the defense. Gao Nuo, with Ream of Fulham on his back, charged forward. He managed to gain position with great difficulty, but his momentum was too strong, and his touch pushed the ball too far, allowing the goalkeeper to come out and clear it.
In the 68th minute of the match, Bruno Fernandes played a through ball, and Gao Nuo beat the offside trap, going one-on-one into the box. He shot towards the bottom left corner, but Leno, who was playing exceptionally today, once again blocked Gao Nuo’s “certain goal” from extreme range.
The entire stadium of fans let out an incredulous “Oh—” Ten Hag on the sidelines covered his face with both hands. Through the replay, it was clear that Gao Nuo’s shot angle was already very tricky, but Leno seemed to have anticipated the ball’s trajectory, making a last-ditch effort to tip the ball with his fingertips.
Gao Nuo did not make any gestures of frustration. He simply clapped towards Bruno as he ran back to the center circle.
In the live broadcast room, Zhang still had some insight, quickly noticing Manchester United’s tactical change, “Manchester United has changed formation after bringing on Gao Nuo. It’s now a 4-3-3. It’s clear that Manchester United is now focusing on attacking through the middle.”
In the 71st minute of the match, Fulham got a chance on the counter-attack, and Mitrovic’s shot narrowly hit the crossbar.
In the 77th minute of the match, Fulham took a corner kick. De Gea made no mistake this time, securely catching the ball with both hands. Seeing Gao Nuo already starting his run, he immediately launched a long ball towards the opponent’s half.
Gao Nuo started early, taking three big strides, and his explosive power allowed him to instantly pass one defender, leaving only about 5 meters between him and the last fullback ahead.
Fulham’s goalkeeper, Leno, made a judgment and decided to rush out of his goal. Fullback Tete, seeing his goalkeeper charging out, naturally began to slow down, trying to block Gao Nuo’s path. However, he didn’t expect Gao Nuo to deftly twist and try to rush past him. In a moment of urgency, Tete grabbed Gao Nuo’s jersey.
Tete didn’t intend to foul; he just instinctively wanted to cause some interference to Gao Nuo. Before he could let go, a huge force dragged him to the ground, and he involuntarily tightened his grip on the jersey.
Gao Nuo, being pulled, only paused for a moment, then lowered his center of gravity again, stomped hard on the ground, and forcefully dragged Tete for two meters. With a “rip,” Gao Nuo’s jersey tore. Freed from the pull, Gao Nuo lost his balance and stumbled forward.
Gao Nuo, with adrenaline surging, put one hand on the ground, pressed down hard, tightened his core, regained his balance, and continued to charge towards the ball.
The referee had already put the whistle in his mouth but, seeing the situation, chose to play advantage, not interrupting the match.
Leno’s speed was far inferior to Gao Nuo’s. Although Gao Nuo made several adjustments, he still got to the ball first. The valiant Leno immediately went for a sliding tackle, willing to take a red card rather than let Gao Nuo pass.
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Leno’s form today was truly exceptional; his rushed tackle still blocked Gao Nuo’s path forward. Under normal circumstances, poking the ball to the side and then being fouled would have been the best option.
But Gao Nuo, who had trained with Neymar in the system for so many days, suddenly had an epiphany. He flicked the ball forward with his left foot, then immediately leaped high, going over Leno’s body with both himself and the ball.
Facing an empty net, Gao Nuo did not take it lightly. He carried the ball a few more steps, then calmly shot it into the goal.
After scoring, Gao Nuo once again performed a passionate knee slide at Old Trafford, leaving two deep marks on the turf. This was a Chinese player delivering the beauty of speed and power to the fans tonight.
“Goal! Gao Nuo scores! He went past the goalkeeper, and it’s a goal!” Amidst Zhan Jun’s passionate shouts, the netizens in the live broadcast room were also going wild, with a barrage of “Gao Nuo is awesome” comments flooding the screen.
In a residential area in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, at 1 AM, a sudden exclamation of “Awesome!” mixed with a few national curses, echoed through the window, exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
As the sound-activated light in the hallway came on, another voice came from upstairs: “Hey, the guy downstairs is also watching the game? Is it the Manchester United match? Wow, Gao Nuo, this kid is good! I’m a huge fan of his. Hey, buddy downstairs, let’s grab a drink sometime.”
“Definitely, let’s watch the game first, don’t disturb others’ rest.” The downstairs person said, then closed the window, feeling a bit awkward, and quietly changed his live stream username from “Xiao Heizi” to “Gao Nuo True Fan.”
Gao Nuo had no idea that another Xiao Heizi had been won over by him. The match wasn’t over yet. After changing his jersey, he returned to the field. Fulham, trailing by one goal, made two substitutions, ready to fight again.