Chapter 837: The Foxes Block the Path
Before Christmas, the EFL Cup quarterfinals began to unfold.
The first match produced an upset as Premier League side Newcastle United lost 0–1 away to Championship team Brentford.
In another high-profile clash, Arsenal suffered a heavy defeat at home, falling 1–4 to Manchester City—Mikel Arteta once again schooled by his mentor, Pep Guardiola.
On December 23, the two remaining quarterfinals were played. Tottenham Hotspur cruised past Stoke City 3–1 away.
Then, at 8 PM, the final fixture kicked off at Goodison Park—Manchester United visiting Everton.
Mourinho rotated his squad once again, with Harry Kane and Bruno leading the line. Thanks to Kane's goal in the 88th minute and Bruno's stoppage-time strike in the sixth added minute, United defeated Everton 2–0 to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.
The ensuing draw set up another Manchester Derby—United vs. City—while Tottenham drew the favorable tie against Brentford.
It marked the third Derby semifinals in four years, after the 2017–18 and 2019–20 seasons, both won by Manchester United.
Due to the pandemic, the tournament schedule had been condensed, so this year's semifinals would be single-legged rather than two-legged affairs.
According to the fixture list, the Manchester Derby semi-final would be played on January 6.
...
After overcoming Everton and advancing to the semi-finals, Christmas arrived—but United did not rest. On Boxing Day afternoon, they had their 15th Premier League match, away to Leicester City—the "Christmas Clash."
Fresh off five consecutive wins in all competitions and twelve straight victories in the league since their early-season loss to Crystal Palace, United were flying.
Just sixty hours after the Cup match, Mourinho again rotated his lineup at the King Power Stadium. Sergio Romero started in goal, with Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelöf, Axel Tuanzebe, and Luke Shaw forming the defense. In midfield, Bruno partnered Fred and Jude Bellingham, while Riyad Mahrez, Scott McTominay, and Marcus Rashford led the attack.
At the King Power Stadium, with the score tied late on, the decisive moment arrived. In the 77th minute, United won possession near their own 30-yard line, and Bellingham launched a brilliant long pass over the top to ignite a quick counterattack.
Bruno surged down the left flank at full speed.
"United on the counterattack!"
"No whistle—the run is onside!"
Bruno accelerated toward goal, trapping the ball at the left edge of the box.
Leicester's young full-back James Justin rushed back. He had marked Bruno tightly all game and now faced him one-on-one, braced for the duel.
As Bruno advanced aggressively, Justin reminded himself again and again—don't take the bait!
...
As soon as Bruno entered Justin's zone, he suddenly accelerated and dipped his left shoulder, feinting toward the byline.
Justin had warned himself countless times not to be fooled—but it happened again. Bruno's change of pace and left-shoulder feint drew him in.
The midfielder could shoot or cross; both feet equally deadly. Justin reacted instinctively, lunging—yet in that blink, Bruno pulled the ball back, slipping inside almost brushing against his defender's side.
Justin realized too late, tried to recover, but Bruno was already bursting into the box. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he struck.
...
"Bruno shoots!"
"It's in!!!!"
"In the 78th minute, United win possession and counterattack! Bruno surges down the left, cuts inside, and fires a composed strike past Justin's desperate challenge!"
"Leicester's keeper, Kasper Schmeichel Jr., reacted fast but couldn't stop the shot!"
"What precision from Bruno—carving out the angle before rifling home. You can see he thrives in that area of the pitch!"
"That's the third goal of this match and United's second—an absolutely thrilling encounter!"
"From kickoff, neither side has played conservatively."
"Mourinho clearly understood United's defense wasn't impregnable—no amount of rigidity could guarantee containment against Leicester, one of the league's sharpest attacking sides with 26 goals already this season. So, he chose aggression, betting on Bruno's brilliance—and it paid off."
"Bruno hasn't let his manager down. In the first half, he assisted Rashford's opener in the 22nd minute with a world-class pass."
"But in the 31st minute, Leicester capitalized on a defensive mistake—Harvey Barnes blasted home from distance to level the score."
"It's been pure attacking football from both sides—magnificent to watch."
...
Bruno climbed up from the turf, embracing his teammates one by one. It was his 18th goal of the Premier League season.
Behind him in the scoring chart were Mohamed Salah on 13, and Jamie Vardy, Son Heung-min, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all on 11.
But Bruno's ambition wasn't just numbers—it was to win.
The match had shown just how strong Leicester were. Their midfield trio, Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans, possessed remarkable control—perhaps superior to Bellingham and Fred—but United had matched them blow for blow in possession.
Bruno hadn't expected such balance; with Kanté and Gündoğan resting, the young duo had exceeded all expectations.
He knew Bellingham would one day be a world-class all-round midfielder, but seeing the 17-year-old already hold his own was remarkable.
The midfield's dynamism freed United's attack—McTominay through the middle, Rashford on the left, Mahrez on the right—combining fluidly, relentlessly.
If United had a weakness that day, it was their defense. Lindelöf and Tuanzebe, both short of match rhythm, looked uneasy under pressure.
Still, Mourinho doubled down, betting on attack over caution.
...
Such intensity consumed energy fast, so at the 65th minute, Mourinho substituted N'Golo Kanté for Fred to strengthen midfield defense while keeping the attacking shape intact.
Sometimes football is about risk—it's about believing in that gamble.
United's tradition had always favored bravery. True creativity, as Mourinho often said, requires risk; safety breeds stagnation.
Leicester, sitting third before the match, faced fierce pursuit from Everton, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Manchester City. Any slip could cost them Champions League qualification—every goal now was crucial.
One goal down, they threw everything forward, pressing high and committing numbers to attack.
United, using a mostly rotated lineup, inevitably struggled against Leicester's full-strength offensive swarm. Eventually, their defense cracked.
In the 84th minute, Leicester's intricate play on the right saw Justin chip forward to Ayoze Pérez, who crossed low across goal. Jamie Vardy slid in to finish, Tuanzebe lunged to block—but instead deflected the ball into his own net.
2–2—the Foxes were level again, courtesy of an unlucky own goal.
...
It was the final goal of the match. On Boxing Day, the Christmas showdown ended 2–2 at the King Power Stadium.
Yet United could breathe easy. Their main rivals slipped, too—Liverpool drew 1–1 with relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion, Southampton were held 0–0 by Fulham, and Chelsea lost 1–3 away to Arsenal.
United's eight-point lead at the top remained intact.
The infamous "festive fixture chaos" had shown its full force that weekend.
With the draw at Leicester, United's twelve-match Premier League winning streak came to an end.
So too did their record of eleven consecutive away league victories. But the unbeaten away streak continued—fifteen matches since their loss at Anfield last season.
The Red Devils' road record stood strong: 12 wins, 3 draws, and counting.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10