De Gea angrily punched the goalpost.
His mouth opened slightly as if to say something to Maguire, but he ultimately swallowed his criticism.
Nearby Manchester United players rushed to comfort the distraught defender.
"Harry, don't take it to heart. Everyone makes mistakes."
"Right, just be more careful from now on."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Hearing the pity made Maguire feel even worse.
Suddenly, someone heavily patted his shoulder. He looked up to see it was Ling.
"You did nothing wrong. If I were in that position, I'd have gone for the tackle too!" Ling's tone was completely serious.
"Without you, we'd concede more goals. No one will blame you for one mistake! Right, David?"
De Gea forcefully slapped his gloves together and said with a smile, "Of course, we're teammates!"
Ling added, "Be bold with your actions. Believe in yourself, and believe in us!"
Maguire's large head nodded vigorously.
The feeling of being trusted by the young captain was wonderful—he felt filled with energy again.
But then he heard De Gea's follow-up.
"Harry, being bold doesn't mean dribbling in our own penalty area! Don't misinterpret Ling's meaning!"
Maguire scratched his head awkwardly.
"Alright everyone, stay alert when the match restarts," Ling commanded. "Luke, tuck inside more to prevent Aubameyang from breaking through with his pace again. Marcus, drop deeper with your positioning. David, communicate with Harry and the others earlier—don't wait until the ball arrives. Let's go! We'll push for another goal!"
After delivering all these instructions, Ling waved and headed toward the center circle.
The Manchester United players, hearing their specific tasks, felt their disappointment from conceding dissipate somewhat as they took their positions.
On the sidelines, Mourinho remained silent for a moment.
He turned to the bench. "Phil, no need to warm up for now."
Substituting Maguire at this exact moment would only damage his confidence forever, and mentality is the most important thing for a footballer.
Mourinho chose to trust Maguire, just like the Manchester United players on the pitch.
...
Peep!
The match resumed with Ling passing back to Pogba before immediately turning to penetrate Arsenal's defensive line.
As long as he could apply sufficient pressure on Arsenal, he could indirectly reduce their attacking threat.
As captain, he had to take responsibility!
The match had only resumed for a few minutes when Emery made another substitution.
Alexandre Lacazette came on for Kolašinac, shifting Arsenal's overall formation from 3-4-3 to a highly attacking 4-3-3.
Peter Drury: "Arsenal are going all out now! Lacazette enters the fray!"
Jim Beglin: "If I recall correctly, Ramsey's best season came when he played as a right winger. He and Bellerín have excellent chemistry down that side! Let's see what kind of sparks these two teams can produce in the remaining time!"
Mourinho responded immediately to counter the threat.
Peter Drury: "Mourinho is making substitutions after all. Jesse Lingard replaces Rashford, and Scott McTominay replaces Pogba. Manchester United have used all their remaining substitutions to shore up the midfield."
Holding threw the ball to Guendouzi, who deftly turned away from McTominay's pressing and quickly drove forward with the ball!
As Matić and Herrera closed in together, Guendouzi curled a pass with his left foot toward the right flank.
Peter Drury: "Ramsey makes a brilliant run, letting the ball roll past him... BELLERÍN is there!"
Although Bellerín was no longer in his prime, Luke Shaw—who had also suffered a severe leg fracture in his past—was still no match for the Spaniard's explosive pace.
Bellerín carried the ball to the right side of the penalty area before suddenly sweeping a cross toward the goalmouth!
Aubameyang and Lacazette arrived like twin demons.
Both possessed a "deadly finish" trait, boasting high shooting efficiency inside the box, particularly excelling at poaching.
Maguire stared at the spinning cross, Ling's words echoing in his mind: Believe in yourself.
This time, he still chose to believe in his instincts!
Peter Drury: "MAGUIRE SLIDES IN AGAIN! But this time... BEAUTIFUL! He blocks the ball out for a corner!"
Jim Beglin: "A crucial, heroic intervention! If he'd let the ball run across the goal, I can't think of any reason why Lacazette would miss from half a meter out—unless he skyrocketed it!"
"Here comes Arsenal's corner!" Drury announced. "No suspense here—Arsenal's average height is too low to pose much threat against Man United's land of the giants."
Maguire leaped and won the first header, heading the ball out of the box.
Peter Drury: "Cleared by Maguire! And Man United's rapid counterattack is on!!!"
Herrera controlled the second ball, shrugged off Torreira and passed to the right flank.
Jesse Lingard received the ball and charged madly toward the byline! Bellerín's severe fatigue left him stranded upfield, creating a vast gap on Arsenal's right flank.
Man United players sprinted forward in support.
An unstoppable tide seemed to be sweeping across the pitch!
Facing Arsenal's porous defense on the counter, Lingard dragged the ball inside, evaded Sokratis, and curled a shot from the right side of the penalty area.
The ball whistled toward the goal, but his lack of full power resulted in an insufficiently angled attempt.
Leno stretched to his limit, palming the ball away with one hand for a corner.
Jim Beglin: "Leno has been exceptional today! Keeping Arsenal's hopes of an equalizer alive!"
Peter Drury: "But only if they can survive Man United's impending corner."
On the touchline, Mourinho waved emphatically, instructing United's tall players to flood the box while leaving only a few midfielders back.
'If you abandon attack for fear of failure, you'll never achieve victory.'
The rejuvenated Mourinho was no longer hesitant.
...
Arsenal's cramped penalty area was packed with players, all watching Riyad Mahrez in the corner quadrant.
Jim Beglin: "Peter, I recently saw a tactical blogger online. They dubbed Man United the 'Manchester United Air Force Squadron' and gave military nicknames to every player. Care to guess which nickname belongs to whom?"
Peter Drury: "Go on then, Jim."
Jim Beglin: "Hehe, the B-1B Lancer Bomber is Ling, the B-52 Stratofortress is Maguire, the B-2 Spirit Bomber is McTominay, and the EA-18G Growler Electronic Warfare Aircraft is Mahrez delivering the crosses. As for the RQ-180 Stealth Drone? That would be Lingard, because he does tend to disappear from matches often!"
Peter Drury: "Haha! Well, let's see this Air Force in action! Mahrez to take..."
Mahrez held up three fingers, signaling the execution of 'Tactic C', then he swung his foot to deliver the cross.
Mahrez's left foot was highly skilled, sending the ball accurately toward the penalty spot.
Man United players immediately seized advantageous positions, setting basketball-style screens to shield their teammates from Arsenal players.
Ling charged into the box from outside the penalty area, using his momentum to leap incredibly high and press Mustafi beneath him.
At this moment, he seemed like a god descending from the heavens!
Everyone in the stadium held their breath, watching Ling's poised posture with tension.
He arched his body like a drawn bow, and at the peak of his jump, he snapped his core forward and headed the ball with immense force.
Boom!!!
The ball shot toward Arsenal's goal like a cannonball, whistling through the air!
Peter Drury: "LING HEADS IT POWERFULLY! Oh, but Leno makes another crucial save! He parries it back into the danger zone!"
Maguire, seeing the ball rebound toward him, reacted purely on instinct.
He thrust out his head and nodded the ball back toward the goal!
Leno, still on the ground from the previous save, could only watch as the ball flew over him and into the net.
3-1!!!
Peter Drury: "AND MAGUIRE NODS IT IN! REDEMPTION FOR HARRY MAGUIRE! Manchester United seal the victory!"
Old Trafford erupted instantly, with Man United fans cheering wildly, pumping their fists in exhilaration.
Ling excitedly wrapped his arm around Maguire's neck, shouting in his ear, "How does it feel to score? Amazing, isn't it?!"
"Scoring feels amazing!!!" Maguire's grin stretched from ear to ear.
At Ling's urging, the Man United players huddled together, embracing each other tightly.
Under the spotlight at Old Trafford stood the Man United squad clad in their red jerseys.
They were the inheritors and promoters of the Man United spirit, committed and determined to fight to the end, tirelessly paving the road to the Red Devils' revival!
That goal completely shattered Arsenal's spirit.
For the remainder of the match, the Man United players, as if injected with adrenaline, tirelessly contested for possession.
McTominay, Lingard, Maguire, Ling... No matter how exhausted they were, they never stopped running.
In the VIP box, Wenger set down his glass of red wine and sighed with emotion.
"When a team has players willing to sacrifice for the badge, and a leader who can guide them through mistakes... that team isn't far from success."
"Hahaha, old friend, feeling envious?" Ferguson laughed heartily.
"If I were envious, it would be of Jose. What does that have to do with you?" Wenger rolled his eyes.
Ferguson fell silent at that, feeling a twinge of regret.
If Ling had appeared a few years earlier, if he had retired a few years later... perhaps the Premier League would have been even more interesting for him to manage.
Finally, the referee blew the whistle to end the match.
@RedDevilsDaily: MAGUIRE REDEMPTION ARC! What a response after the own goal!
@ArsenalFanTV: We played well in the second half, but you just can't defend against that kind of physicality. Mustafi got bullied again.
@TacticsNerd: The tactical foul on Pogba for the first goal, the deceptive free-kick, the leadership to keep Maguire's head up... Ling is a goddamn natural born leader!
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