"Brilliant! Manchester United have won the match! 3-1, what a magnificent scoreline to end the North West Derby!"
"After conceding the first goal to Liverpool early on, Manchester United staged a powerful, physical comeback, even scoring consecutive goals in the final stages to kill the game off!"
"I believe this will be one of the most wonderful weekends of the year for all Manchester United fans! Old Trafford is absolutely rocking!"
In the Sky Sports studio, Gary Neville shouted excitedly, then glanced down at the statistics sheet in front of him.
"This was the 202nd North West Derby in history. Let me share some interesting stats with everyone," Neville beamed. "Ling has now scored in six consecutive home matches, officially surpassing the Dutchman Robin van Persie, and is just one goal away from 60 Premier League goals for the club! And on the other side, Mo Salah has extended his rather embarrassing record of failing to score against Manchester United!"
"Oh, and David De Gea failed to achieve his 100th Premier League clean sheet today. I imagine he's probably cursing Harry Maguire right now in the dressing room—that big oaf cost him his clean sheet bonus by letting Salah cut inside!" Neville laughed. "Haha, that last part was a joke. Mostly."
After finishing his remarks, Neville's expression suddenly turned solemn, looking directly into the camera.
"On a much more serious note. Our beloved Mr. Eric Harrison worked in the Manchester United youth academy for a full 27 years, discovering and nurturing talents like Mark Hughes, David Platt, and the most famous of all—the 'Class of '92'."
"Unfortunately, on the afternoon of February 13, 2019, Mr. Eric Harrison passed away at the age of 81. If he could watch today's match from heaven, I believe he would be immensely proud of the young Red Devils carrying on his legacy today."
At Old Trafford stadium, the massive screen on the east side began playing a touching video tribute to Mr. Eric's life.
He had essentially devoted half his life to Manchester United.
He was one of the true architects of the former Red Devils empire under Sir Alex Ferguson and one of the most revered figures among countless fans.
The raucous stands gradually fell silent.
Even the traveling Liverpool fans did not make a commotion, instead sitting quietly and respectfully in their seats.
Because they deeply respect the deceased.
Moreover, just like the love-hate relationship between Neville and Carragher in the studio, the same exists between Manchester United and Liverpool.
They despise each other yet depend on each other, they oppose each other yet elevate each other.
They will continue their rivalry throughout history—Manchester United singing of the glorious era of 20 league titles, Liverpool celebrating their continental triumphs with 5 European Cups.
But no matter what... the hatred belongs only to the 90 minutes of football, not to life.
...
On the green pitch, Ling also led his teammates in bowing their heads for a moment of silence.
He had met Mr. Eric before—a very amiable old gentleman.
In his free time, the elderly coach loved telling the new youth academy players stories about how he first discovered Beckham and Scholes as scrawny kids.
During that period, he truly gave young Jeremy hope. Because Jeremy believed that one day, he too could emerge from the academy and become the star of the Theatre of Dreams.
The joy of the derby victory was somewhat overshadowed by the solemnity of the tribute.
After the moment of silence, Ling and the others did not celebrate wildly on the pitch, instead returning to the locker room early to rest.
"After today's match, our points gap with Liverpool has returned to six points," Mourinho said gravely in the dressing room.
"However, we still need to work incredibly hard in the future. Manchester City defeated Watford 3-1 in yesterday's match and continue to lead the league table."
To be honest, with the Premier League season entering its final stretch, Mourinho couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.
After all, watching Pep Guardiola's Manchester City win continuously, match after grueling match, puts immense psychological pressure on everyone chasing them.
If everything continues to develop as it currently stands until the end of April, when Manchester United and Manchester City face off directly, United will only be able to close the gap by winning the derby.
As for a draw or a loss? They will likely miss out on the championship.
Unless Manchester City slips up in the remaining rounds.
But Manchester City's opponents in the final few weeks—Fulham, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, Burnley—are basically all mid-to-lower-table teams. The possibility of an upset is very low.
"Boss, there's no use thinking too much about the table right now," Ling stood up and said with a reassuring smile.
"What we need to do now is simply win every single match in front of us. If we really don't win the championship in the end after doing that, at least we won't have regrets, right?"
Focusing too much on the future leads to anxiety over gains and losses, which in turn affects what needs to be done in the present.
This was also his personal experience from his past life.
"Right, Ling is correct. There's no use thinking too much," Mourinho nodded, the tension easing from his shoulders.
Then, he added jokingly, "If you're really feeling tense about the title race, then don't take a break tomorrow. Come to the training ground and do a few sets of grueling drills. I guarantee you'll forget all your worries about City."
"That won't do, boss! We still need our days off!" Rashford quickly protested, waving his hands.
Since the start of 2019, they had been working nonstop for several months.
Finally, they had a chance to take a full day off.
They definitely couldn't let this opportunity slip away!
"Alright, hurry up and go home, all of you!" Mourinho waved his hand with a smile, then turned to Ling. "On the 15th, there's the Champions League quarter-final draw. You'll come with me to UEFA headquarters in Switzerland."
"Sure," Ling nodded.
He was quite looking forward to seeing who they would draw.
According to his memories from before his rebirth, Manchester United would face Barcelona in this stage.
But back then, United had scraped through and advanced as the group runner-up.
Who knows how the butterfly effect of his presence might have altered the timeline and which team United would draw this time?
Besides, there were several players he wanted to meet at the ceremony.
For example, Gianluigi Buffon.
This old guy still hasn't retired even now, truly a living legend in the football world.
Ling's father, Ling Changzheng, had mentioned during a phone call a while ago that he desperately wanted to get a signed jersey from the Italian keeper.
Wasn't that something Ling had to take care of as a good son?
Although their family wasn't short on money now and could easily buy an autographed jersey at an auction, the meaning of getting one personally would ultimately be different.
'Really tired out the kid, but made the old man happy,' Ling grumbled inwardly about his dad.
With all kinds of swapped jerseys piling up at home, Ling was thinking of buying a bigger house just to avoid the hassle of moving things around later.
...
March 13th.
A villa in Hale.
Ling was lying on his back on the sofa, taking a small sip of the coffee Maria had brewed for him.
On the TV screen, Leroy Sané, after scoring the fourth goal, was sprinting wildly across the pitch, basking in the cheers of the traveling Manchester City fans.
The aggregate score in the top right corner showed 7-0.
"Maria, has your dad been in a bad mood lately?" Ling asked.
Otherwise, beating a team 10-2 over two legs—aren't they afraid Schalke 04 might actually go crazy and fold as a club?
"Ever since losing the Carabao Cup final to you guys, he's been staying up until 2 a.m. every night, muttering over his tactical boards about settling the score with you," Maria couldn't help but laugh as she sat beside him.
"It's just beating him a few times, right?" Ling muttered quietly, then added righteously, "You should really talk some sense into your dad later. It's just a game."
'Who would have thought my future father-in-law held such a grudge?'
But it had to be admitted that Guardiola was formidable.
Since the start of 2019, Manchester City had won all 19 matches across all competitions. Scoring 61 goals while conceding only 8, averaging over 3 goals per match.
This staggering statistic directly demonstrates just how terrifying Manchester City has become.
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