After the referee's whistle, the match resumed.
Playing away from home and conceding two quick goals had clearly disoriented the Arsenal players, manifesting in frequent mistakes on the pitch.
On the touchline, Unai Emery was as restless as an ant on a hot pan.
He paced incessantly in the narrow technical area, wishing he could control the players on the pitch with a video game controller.
He didn't want history to repeat itself—having their 19-match unbeaten run ended at Old Trafford, just like the Invincibles.
"Defend! Drop deeper!" Emery yelled furiously. "Don't neglect the flanks either! Push out on the counter! Faster!"
Meanwhile, Mourinho stood with his arms crossed, continuously chewing gum, his expression as calm as still water.
The match was unfolding exactly as he had envisioned.
Ling was suppressing Arsenal's defense, forcing Arsenal to drop their entire formation deeper to maintain shape.
The result was the same as before—the spring had lost its elasticity.
Arsenal's counterattacks simply couldn't get going.
Man United kept something in reserve, not committing everyone to attack but firmly controlling the midfield and forward areas.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was having a torrid time, experiencing familiar frustrations from his time at United.
Whenever he received the ball, either Matić or Ander Herrera would immediately press him, constantly disrupting his rhythm with physical challenges, then combining with nearby teammates to win possession.
As Arsenal struggled to resist, the match time flew by.
In the 43rd minute, Mahrez delivered an angled cross from the flank, but the quality of his right-footed pass was poor.
The ball flew too close to the goal and was easily collected by Leno.
Leno immediately threw the ball long into the attacking half to launch a counter.
Peter Drury: "Leno throws it long... aiming for Aubameyang!"
The Gabonese striker, Borussia Dortmund's former star and Arsenal's savior, wore the famous number 14 jersey.
Instead of controlling the dropping ball with his back to goal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cleverly let the ball run past him before swiftly turning!
Harry Maguire misjudged the situation and could only spin around to chase back. But Aubameyang's speed was simply electrifying.
He burst toward Manchester United's half like lightning, leaving Maguire two strides behind in the blink of an eye.
Moreover, he angled his run toward the left, perfectly cutting off David Luiz's covering path!
Many critics doubt Aubameyang's overall ability, but how many strikers in the Top Five Leagues have averaged nearly a goal per game over the past three seasons?
The answer is only four: Messi, Luis Suárez, Robert Lewandowski, and Aubameyang.
However, the reality is that most of Aubameyang's goals come from lethal finishes inside the box, with relatively few from open play or solo counterattacks.
This is because although Aubameyang possesses blistering pace, he often has to slow down due to less fluid ball control.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with his exceptional physical gifts and explosive acceleration, rapidly closed the gap from the side!
Coupled with the intense 1-on-1 defensive training sessions Ling had recently put him through, Wan-Bissaka's defensive skills had improved significantly, especially in reading opponents' movements!
Wan-Bissaka slightly raised his arm to disrupt Aubameyang's rhythm while angling his body to squeeze the striker's space.
The two tangled all the way to the edge of the penalty area.
Peter Drury: "Aubameyang breaks away... but Wan-Bissaka is matching him stride for stride! Aubameyang goes for the shot... but the effort isn't particularly convincing under that pressure!"
Jim Beglin: "De Gea gets down comfortably to make the save. Arsenal's counterattack comes to nothing—and this might well be their last chance of the first half."
Arsenal fans in the stadium clutched their heads in frustration.
Given how the game was unfolding, Arsenal's chances of equalizing looked increasingly slim.
Then, they gasped as Manchester United launched a rapid counterattack of their own, almost giving Arsenal a lesson in how it's done.
De Gea hurled the ball out to the right flank, where Wan-Bissaka collected it and drove forward a couple of steps.
Wan-Bissaka and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold represent two extremes—the former an elite defensive fullback, the latter an elite attacking one.
Fortunately, Manchester United's forward line is potent enough not to require excessive involvement from their fullbacks in buildup.
Wan-Bissaka played the ball along the touchline to Mahrez, who, with his back to goal, shifted it inside onto his left foot.
Spotting space behind Arsenal's defensive line, Mahrez lofted a beautiful sweeping long pass forward!
This was a new skill he'd recently developed: using his trademark cut inside to evade defenders before linking up with Ling, who led the attack.
It was evidence that every United player was improving steadily, united in striving toward a common goal—a testament to the influence of their spiritual leader on the training ground.
The roar at Old Trafford swelled abruptly.
United fans watched as Ling anticipated the pass, hoping he would complete a first-half hat trick!
Peter Drury: "Mustafi mistimes the header! He's made at least five identical errors this season! Ling is rapid! Could this be a one-on-one?!"
In the end, it was the experienced Sokratis Papastathopoulos who intervened, sprinting over and wrapping both his arms around Ling's waist without hesitation, dragging him to the turf!
As for why he didn't just pull Ling's shirt? Perhaps he was worried about the tearing quality of the Adidas fabric against Ling's strength.
The referee immediately blew the whistle to signal a cynical foul and showed a yellow card.
In truth, Marriner was somewhat lenient.
Given the situation, as long as Ling got past, it would have been a clear one-on-one with the keeper.
Sokratis had destroyed Man United's clear goal-scoring opportunity, which is equivalent to directly preventing a goal from occurring. It should have been a straight red card.
Man United fans immediately erupted in piercing boos, putting pressure on referee Marriner, but Marriner's stance was very firm.
Ling protested a few words but didn't press further.
If the Premier League had already implemented VAR technology, this decision might have been overturned.
But in reality, Ling wasn't very fond of VAR technology either.
Because VAR, with its rationality of "technology and ruthless precision," erodes the emotional aspect of football, significantly reducing the match's entertainment value and fluidity.
Moreover, it's quite unfriendly to fast forwards, with offside calls based on armpits, toes, noses, and even body hair.
Since the resulting free-kick was too far from the goal, Man United chose not to continue attacking.
Instead, they passed the ball around in their own half, running down the remaining time.
After the referee blew the whistle for halftime, players from both teams returned to the dressing rooms.
Emery didn't say much about tactics.
Instead, he pointed outside the dressing room and yelled, "Are you going to let the Arsenal fans who came all the way from London watch such a poor match?! In the second half, forget about the score. Everyone just focus on doing their job!"
Finally, Emery's expression turned very serious.
"Arsène is in the stands!"
In the home team's dressing room, Mourinho also didn't make many adjustments, telling the Man United players to continue with their highly effective first-half tactics.
The fifteen-minute break passed quickly.
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