On August 19, 2023, in the third round of the Premier League, Manchester United, full of momentum, hosted Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
Last season, Newcastle United finished third in the League, ahead of Manchester United, and further strengthened their attacking capabilities by signing Gonçalo Ramos from Benfica during the summer.
Before the match, the media unanimously believed that Newcastle United would cause Manchester United a lot of trouble, predicting the match would end in a draw.
However, after two matches of integration, Manchester United's offense became increasingly sharp.
For this match, Erik ten Hag made personnel adjustments, with Antony replacing Neymar and Wan-Bissaka replacing Dalot in the starting lineup.
In the 5th minute of the match, Manchester United took a corner kick from the left. Sven Botman of Newcastle United fouled Varane during a scramble. The Referee ignored Newcastle United players' protests and decisively pointed to the penalty spot. Bruno Fernandes converted the penalty.
Manchester United took a 1-0 lead with a penalty kick.
In the 8th minute, Newcastle United won the ball in their own half and launched a quick counter-attack. New signing Gonçalo Ramos unleashed a sudden shot from outside the box. De Gea was highly focused and made a brilliant save, catching the ball.
In the 18th minute, Varane played a long pass from the back. Gao Nuo won the first ball, headed it back to Rice, and then quickly turned and ran forward. Rice, understanding perfectly, received the ball and played a through pass, helping Gao Nuo get past the defender. Gao Nuo didn't stop the ball, but instead passed it diagonally to the left. Rashford, following up, received Gao Nuo's pass, went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and gently slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Goal!
Manchester United extended their lead to 2-0 with a brilliant team effort.
In the 19th minute, immediately after the kickoff, Newcastle United's center-back Sven Botman made another mistake. Bruno Fernandes intercepted the ball in the attacking half. Manchester United's three forwards reacted quickly and sprinted forward. In an instant, Manchester United had a 4-on-2 situation in the attacking half. Fernandes faked a shot and made a true pass, fooling the defender. Gao Nuo received the ball and easily scored.
Before the home fans could celebrate, the Referee's whistle blew. Gao Nuo was offside, and the goal was disallowed.
Bruno Fernandes, as captain, immediately approached the Referee and was very displeased with the offside call. Erik ten Hag was emotional and loudly protested to the fourth official.
The Referee was very 'confident' in his decision, ignored Manchester United's dissatisfaction, and signaled to continue the match.
This puzzling decision left commentators Zhan Jun and Zhang speechless: "From our perspective, there was no problem with that goal. The Referee didn't even consult VAR, nor did he show any replays with lines, and just disallowed Gao Nuo's goal like that. This decision lacks professionalism!"
Amidst a screen full of 'biased Referee' comments in the live broadcast, Gao Nuo silently ran back to midfield. The decision was made, and there was nothing he could do.
In the 26th minute, Newcastle United counter-attacked. Gonçalo Ramos had a one-on-one opportunity. In his confrontation with De Gea in front of the goal, his shot was heroically saved by De Gea. Pau Torres cleared the ball with a big kick. Casemiro won possession in midfield, looked up to assess his teammates' positions, and played a through pass. Rashford also got a one-on-one opportunity. Unlike Gonçalo Ramos's weak attempt, Rashford calmly slotted the ball into the net.
3-0! With an excellent transition from defense to offense, Manchester United continued to extend their lead.
In less than 30 minutes, the team had a three-goal lead, and the celebration of the home Manchester United fans continued.
In the 32nd minute, Sven Botman contributed a hat-trick of gifts. On his own penalty box line, he tried to dribble past Gao Nuo's press but failed to control the strength, directly passing the ball to Bruno Fernandes in the center. The Manchester United captain didn't hesitate with the generous gift, unleashing a powerful shot. With a 'swish', the ball found the back of the net.
The home fans had screamed themselves hoarse. Manchester United had dismantled Newcastle United in half an hour, leading 4-0.
Before the end of the first half, Newcastle United players' morale had collapsed, and Manchester United also didn't press for more goals. The last 10-plus minutes passed without incident.
During halftime, netizens in the live broadcast finally saw the offside line for Gao Nuo in the highlight replays. The two lines were almost perfectly superimposed, showing a very marginal offside position for Gao Nuo. Thus, a discussion about 'hairline offside' dominated the live broadcast's comments. Zhan Jun and Zhang, meanwhile, discussed the accuracy of VAR.
Back on the field, the second half began. Manchester United, with a four-goal lead, played exceptionally relaxed. Newcastle United, trailing by a large margin, also didn't attack with full force. In a situation where a comeback was practically impossible, avoiding injuries was paramount. Accepting a defeat was not a big deal.
In the 55th minute, Manchester United won a free-kick in the attacking half. Bruno Fernandes, taking the kick, chose to cross it into the box. Gao Nuo headed the ball into the net from the far post. This time, the goal was 'clean and clear'; the Referee had no way to stop it! The scoring Gao Nuo jumped onto the GG board, faced the fans, pointed to the Manchester United crest on his chest, and loudly shouted: "Welcome to Old Trafford!"
Seeing Manchester United continue to score, Newcastle United players became somewhat agitated. After the score became 5-0, their actions on the field became a bit aggressive. The Referee issued two consecutive yellow cards before Newcastle United players reined themselves in.
Erik ten Hag, seeing the situation threatening to get out of control, immediately substituted Gao Nuo, Rashford, and Rice. Newcastle United also replaced their key players, leaving the remaining time for the substitutes to find their rhythm.
Although both sets of substitutes played with great effort, the numerous fouls made the match less smooth. Neither side managed to seize an opportunity. Ultimately, the 5-0 score remained until the end of the match, with Manchester United securing a big home victory over Newcastle United and winning all three opening Premier League matches.
Post-match media reports immediately criticized Newcastle United. Their aggressive fouls while trailing by five goals were deemed unsportsmanlike, making Newcastle United lose both the match and their dignity.
Manchester United's official media expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Referee's decision, publishing a screenshot of Gao Nuo's offside, questioning whether there was a problem with the Referee's call, and implying that the Referee was targeting Gao Nuo!
Erik ten Hag even spoke out publicly, believing that the Referee's decision would definitely affect the outcome of the match and that Gao Nuo was treated unfairly.
Neymar, who was rested, reposted Manchester United's official media screenshot with the caption: "Was Gao Nuo's hair offside?" Manchester United teammates and fans liked and reposted it.
Zhan Jun updated his social media, stating, "Football should be equal for everyone."
Gao Nuo, encouraged by everyone's support, wrote on his social media, "Thank you all for your support. I will prove myself with goals."
Most of Gao Nuo's fans could not attend the matches to cheer him on. They supported Gao Nuo in their own way. Initiated by 'Da Ai Gao Nuo', Gao Nuo's number one loyal fan and the moderator of the 'Gao Nuo Abroad' forum, the sales of Gao Nuo's number 9 jersey increased fivefold overnight. Upon receiving this data, Manchester United Football Club was amazed by the new owner's wise decision to heavily rely on Gao Nuo.