Sweeping Manchester United

Seeing Manchester City gradually gaining control of the midfield, Moyes couldn't sit still.

He ordered Rooney to drop back and help in the midfield battle.

Rooney was reluctant. Why could Van Persie stay upfront while he couldn't? After all, he was a forward too!

However, Moyes treated him well, so Rooney decided not to confront him for now and followed Moyes' instructions.

With Rooney retreating, Manchester United formed two layers of defense in the midfield.

The first layer consisted of Rooney, Ashley Young, and Valencia.

The second layer had Fellaini and Carrick.

With these two layers of defense set, Manchester United's midfield defense greatly improved.

Lin found it difficult to exploit the gap between United's defensive and midfield lines as he had earlier.

But he quickly noticed that with United's players crowded in the midfield, their flanks were left open.

So, Lin decided to give up attacking through the center and started to play more on the wings, collaborating with his teammates on the flanks.

Previously, Manchester City had attempted wing attacks, but Navas and Nasri, who were on the wings, lacked the organizational skills of David Silva.

They were qualified as wingers but weren't adept at organizing attacks in the front line, resulting in ineffective wing attacks.

During the previous match against Chelsea, United had successfully defended against wing attacks, which made them confident in their defense.

However, when Lin moved to the wings, the situation changed.

Unlike typical wing players, Lin was versatile. He could act as both a winger and an organizer.

His presence added an extra player to City's wing attacks, significantly increasing the defensive difficulty for United.

Once again, the situation shifted in City's favor. United's wing defense started to crumble under City's relentless attacks.

In the stands, Guardiola smiled in satisfaction upon seeing Lin's strategy.

"This kid is thinking the same as I am!" he thought.

By moving the playmaking to the wing, Lin bypassed the midfield battle, rendering United's defensive setup ineffective.

Now, United was in trouble.

"Coach, is Manchester United facing some trouble?" Ten Hag, not as skilled in reading the game as Guardiola, could see that United was struggling.

"Yes, their wing defense is under pressure, and their entire defensive line is starting to falter. If they don't adjust quickly, they might concede soon."

Hearing Guardiola's words, Ten Hag focused intently on the game, trying to see more clearly.

Seeing Ten Hag so serious, Guardiola asked:

"If you were United's coach, what would you do now?"

Having just heard Guardiola's analysis of United's wing defense, Ten Hag naturally thought they should strengthen their wing defense.

"Is that so?"

Hearing his response, Guardiola didn't comment, seemingly waiting for Moyes to make adjustments.

...

Moyes wasn't blind. He could see that United's situation was critical.

However, he didn't do what Ten Hag expected and strengthen the wing defense directly.

With only so many players on the field, bolstering the wings would mean weakening the center.

United had already seen City's central attacking power, and Lin, with his freedom and high football IQ, would surely exploit any weaknesses if United adjusted.

In such a case, unless Moyes could personally be on the field to adjust the tactics constantly, it wouldn't work.

So, what should United do?

Moyes thought of one solution: assign someone to specifically mark Lin.

Since the problem lay with Lin, they would target him directly!

If they could mark him out of the game, City's attacking threat would decrease significantly.

Thinking this, Moyes called Fellaini over during a break in play and gave him instructions.

...

A few minutes later, Lin noticed that United seemed to have assigned someone to mark him closely.

Fellaini was sticking to him like glue.

Seeing United's choice, Lin couldn't be happier.

He had been worrying about United's strong central defense making it hard for his teammates to capitalize on opportunities.

Now, United had essentially handicapped themselves.

He continued playing on the wings, collaborating with his teammates.

However, City's attacking route changed significantly.

Lin began collaborating more with forward Aguero!

In the 36th minute of the first half, Lin received the ball in the front, and Fellaini quickly closed in. Lin immediately passed to Navas.

Navas sprinted with the ball, with Lin supporting from behind.

Fellaini hesitated but stayed with Lin.

Evra rushed to intercept Navas, who passed back to Lin and drew Evra to the baseline.

Lin, without stopping the ball, made a through pass to Aguero.

With Fellaini gone, United had only one defensive midfielder left, making their defense somewhat vulnerable.

Carrick rushed in, but Aguero and Nasri did a one-two, bypassing Carrick and breaking into the box.

Vidic approached, but Aguero didn't try to shoot or pass by himself. Instead, he passed to Navas, who had cut in from the wing.

Facing his national teammate De Gea, Navas calmly slotted the ball into the net.

The score became 2-0.

Although Aguero provided the final assist, Lin's through pass was crucial.

Even on the wing, Lin remained the playmaking core of City's front line.

And because he was on the wing, he faced less defensive pressure than in the center.

Despite Moyes assigning Fellaini to mark him, the space on the wing was too vast.

After Lin reduced his dribbling time and focused on quick passes, Fellaini couldn't stop him.

Seeing Lin orchestrate a goal despite his close marking, Fellaini felt humiliated.

After the restart, he increased physical contact, even using fouls to stop Lin.

"Kid, don't think you'll play comfortably like before. I'll mark you out of this game!"

Fellaini growled at Lin after knocking him down in a collision, trying to intimidate him.

However, Lin ignored his threats, not even bothering to waste time lying on the ground.

He quickly got up and, while Fellaini was still talking trash, took a quick free kick, passing to Aguero.

Aguero passed to Fernandinho, who switched it to Nasri on the left.

Nasri cut inside and shot, forcing De Gea to make a crucial save, tipping the ball over the bar.

"Stay focused, don't lose concentration!"

De Gea was furious with his teammates' lack of focus after making the save.

Quick free kicks were common, and with more concentration, United wouldn't have conceded a shot.

Fellaini apologized to his teammates, as the mistake was clearly his fault.

He glared at Lin, but Lin just smiled and nodded at him before jogging away to take the corner.

It was definitely a provocation!

Fellaini was fuming, trying to unsettle Lin but ended up being unsettled himself.

"Manchester City has a corner. Lin steps up to take it."

"The corner is delivered, headed out by Smalling, but it falls to City again."

"Zabaleta sends it back to the left. Yaya Toure shoots, but it's off target!"

"The ball is still in play. City has it. Aguero shoots, De Gea saves it, but wait, it falls to Lin. Wasn't he at the corner flag? How did he get to the box?"

As the ball rolled to Lin, the City fans behind the goal stood up.

Will it go in?

Lin had run along the byline, receiving the ball at a near-zero angle.

In such situations, most would choose to pass.

United's defenders thought the same, blocking passing lanes but not closing Lin down.

This was a critical mistake!

"Don't let him shoot!"

De Gea, seeing the ball at Lin's feet, broke out in a cold sweat.

As Lin's national teammate, he knew Lin's skill well.

A zero-angle shot wasn't necessarily safe, as Lin had a wicked curved shot.

De Gea guessed right!

Lin, without hesitation, curled the ball towards the far post.

De Gea anticipated this and dove to the far post.

But the ball's curve exceeded his expectations.

It curved around De Gea's reach, hitting the far post and going in.

De Gea was too slow!

Even knowing it was coming, he couldn't stop it.

Having seen Lin use this move in national team practice, De Gea always found it impressive.

But facing it on the pitch, he felt the despair of a goalkeeper.

After scoring his second, Lin ran past Fellaini while celebrating, giving him a glance as if to ask:

What were you saying?

Fellaini's face turned pale with rage.

After his threats, Lin assisted one goal and then scored another while he was distracted.

These two goals felt like slaps in Fellaini's face.

...

Seeing City lead 3-0 by halftime, Guardiola proudly puffed out his chest, eager to praise Lin's brilliant performance.

Witnessing Lin's excellence firsthand, he felt immense pride as a mentor.

Beside him, Ten Hag didn't understand:

"Coach, City's strong form is bad news for Bayern. Why are you so happy?"

"Uh..."

Guardiola hesitated, then nodded:

"You're right. We should be more serious."

Though he said this, when City fans began a wave to celebrate the goal, Guardiola joined in, forgetting his previous words.

Ten Hag covered his face:

Coach, please remember our position!

We're Bayern's coaches. What will Bayern think seeing you like this?

What Bayern thought was unknown, but City owner Mansour, watching Guardiola blend with the crowd, had a bright idea.

Although Pellegrini's results were good, with a potential sixth straight win in all competitions, his reputation was still lacking.

If he had to choose between Pellegrini and Guardiola, Mansour would pick Guardiola without hesitation.

Seeing Guardiola's affection for City, could they lure him over?

Mansour recalled his invitation to Guardiola during a visit to Munich.

Guardiola,

 though citing his contract, hadn't outright refused City.

So, there was still a chance!

...

After Lin's third goal, the first half soon ended.

In the second half, United made changes, bringing on Cleverley for Ashley Young.

However, this change had little effect, and United remained on the back foot.

City, relaxed with their lead, played even better, showing excellent teamwork upfront.

Just two minutes into the second half, Aguero scored again, making it 4-0!

City was rampant, while United was stunned.

Picking the ball out of his net for the fourth time, De Gea angrily kicked it, venting his frustration.

United played frustratingly, full of effort but unable to show it, getting overwhelmed by City's relentless attacks.

On the sidelines, Moyes was helpless. Seeing his players' dejection, he couldn't even muster words of encouragement.

Moyes couldn't help but wonder:

What would Ferguson do now?

He seemed to forget Mourinho's previous criticism, falling into Ferguson's shadow.

With a huge lead, Pellegrini began making substitutions.

In the 71st minute, Milner came on for Navas.

Five minutes later, Aguero was substituted, leaving only Lin of the main attacking trio on the field.

Seeing United's attack pose no threat and the players completely demoralized, Pellegrini finally substituted Lin in the 86th minute.

As Lin left, the crowd stood up, applauding him.

His performance deserved the standing ovation. Even the cameras caught City owner and club chairman clapping for him in the box.

Seeing United's number 10 steal the show, Rooney was both angry and envious.

After Lin left, Rooney suddenly seemed to find his fighting spirit, becoming more active.

In the 87th minute, Rooney was fouled, giving United a free kick.

Rooney took the free kick himself, aiming for the top right corner.

The shot was perfect, beyond Joe Hart's reach, and into the net!

4-1, United pulled one back.

This was Rooney's fifth consecutive goal against City, but it came too late.

City ultimately won 4-1, claiming victory in the Manchester Derby.

After this match, Manchester's sky changed colors!

Red faded, and blue emerged.