The whistle blew, releasing the tension in the stands.
Thousands of Manchester United fans flooded the concourses, heading straight for the food stalls.
After cheering and jumping for forty-five minutes in the freezing cold, they were starving.
The famous Red Cafe was packed to the rafters.
The smell of hot pies and chips filled the air.
A few lost Manchester City fans tried to approach the entrance, hoping for warmth and food, but they were quickly rebuffed.
"Wrong door, mate!" a burly United fan jeered, blocking the way with his mates. "This is Red territory. Go find a chip van outside!"
It wasn't violent, just the tribal law of the Derby.
In these matches, the division was absolute.
...
Home Dressing Room (Manchester United)
Inside the warmth of the changing room, the atmosphere was focused.
Ling changed into a fresh, dry kit and sat before the tactics board.
Mourinho stood at the front, his eyes scanning the room.
"First half was excellent," Mourinho began, his voice calm but commanding. "We capitalized on the transition. We have the lead. But listen to me."
He tapped the board.
"City adjusted late in the half. Our defensive efficiency dropped. In the second half, they will stop crossing. They will dribble horizontally across the edge of the box, looking for the cutback or the long shot."
"De Gea, be ready," Mourinho warned.
"The snow is getting heavier, Boss," De Gea said, carefully wiping his gloves. "The ball will skid. We might have a chance to sneak a long shot in ourselves."
"You need to be careful with their shots too," Ling reminded him. "The ball will be slippery."
De Gea raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Don't worry, kid. I'm better than Ederson."
The room chuckled.
That was the confidence of the world's best shot-stopper.
Mourinho continued. "Around the 60 or 70-minute mark, City will slow the tempo. They will tire. That is when they will compress into the center for short passing. That is the kill zone. We press, we force the error, and we kill the game."
He turned to Ling. "Ling, if they double-team you, rotate with Rashford. Swap wings. But never forget your defensive duties."
Ling nodded.
He understood the risk—swapping wings required covering immense distance. It would drain his stamina, but he was ready.
Suddenly, Zlatan Ibrahimović stood up and the giant Swede raised his fist high.
"Lads," Zlatan boomed. "For me, finishing second is the same as relegation. I don't care about second place. We go out there, and we destroy them!"
"LET'S GO!"
The United players roared, the sound echoing off the concrete walls.
...
Away Dressing Room (Manchester City)
In the opposite locker room, the mood was cerebral.
Pep Guardiola was moving magnetic pieces around the board with frantic energy.
"Full-backs," Guardiola said intensely, pointing at Delph and Walker. "Push up. Inverted. I want you in the half-spaces."
He drew aggressive arrows into the midfield.
"If we overload the middle, we pin their wingers back. We eat away at their defensive line. We split them."
De Bruyne and David Silva nodded, their eyes regaining their spark.
They understood. United's defenders were big and strong, but they lacked lateral mobility.
Quick, short passing in the snow would disorient them.
"If their wingers swap sides, ignore it," Guardiola added firmly. "Stick to the system. Trust the process."
...
Second Half Kickoff
The players returned to the pitch.
The snow was falling heavier now, coating the Old Trafford turf in a thin layer of white.
"Welcome back to Old Trafford," Martin Tyler's voice returned. "Manchester United lead 1-0 thanks to that brilliant counter-attack finished by Jesse Lingard. But you get the feeling this is far from over."
"Absolutely, Martin," Gary Neville added. "I'm looking at the VIP box—royalty in the house today. Sir Alex Ferguson, David Beckham... well, my brother Phil is there too."
The camera panned across the legends, then lingered on a middle-aged Asian man cheering enthusiastically next to Yan Lanxia.
"Hang on," Neville chuckled. "That chap looks familiar. Is that Ling's father? He looks like he was stamped from the same mold! The resemblance is uncanny."
@RedDevil_DNA: OMG Ling's dad is literally just Ling with a mustache and 20 years added. Iconic.
@UnitedStand: Sir Alex looks happy! That's the most important thing. #Legend
@CityZen: I don't care who is in the stands. We need to wake up. 45 minutes to save the unbeaten run.
@PunditPat: The snow is settling. This is going to be a battle of attrition now. Who wants it more?
Beep!
Michael Oliver blew the whistle, and the second half began.
Immediately, the intensity ratcheted up.
City's full-backs, Delph and Walker, pushed high, pinning United back into their own third.
The "Red Bus" was parked, but the engine was revving for a counter.
50th Minute
The snow was becoming a factor.
The friction of the grass had changed. Passes that were usually crisp were slowing down in the slush, or skidding unpredictably.
City's "Tiki-Taka" was suffering.
They couldn't play their usual one-touch triangles with the same precision.
They had to play safer, simpler passes.
But this played into United's hands.
The game became a deadlock of physical duels. Every tackle sent a spray of white snow into the air.
54th Minute
Finally, City found a gap.
David Silva, defying the conditions with his low center of gravity, danced past Ling.
He played a sharp one-two with Leroy Sane on the edge of the box.
Silva clipped a delicate ball to the back post.
Sterling arrived, smashing a volley toward goal.
Thwack!
The ball slammed into the side netting, rippling it so hard that half the stadium thought it was in.
"Close!" Tyler yelled.
On the pitch, Ling grabbed Pogba's arm. "Paul! Watch the inside lane! I have to stick tight to Delph when he overlaps. You need to cover the half-space!"
"No problem!" Pogba nodded, wiping snow from his face.
Pogba wasn't foolish.
He knew the world was watching.
The World Cup in Russia was eight months away.
He needed to prove to Didier Deschamps that he could be disciplined in big games.
He tracked back diligently.
56th Minute
United tried to relieve the pressure.
Marcos Rojo launched a long clearance from the back, aiming for Romelu Lukaku.
"Lukaku needs to hold this," Neville critiqued.
The Belgian striker wrestled with Nicolas Otamendi.
But Otamendi was aggressive, stepping through the back of the striker to win the header.
Possession lost. Again.
Mourinho frowned on the sidelines.
With United sitting so deep, Ling and Rashford were essentially playing as auxiliary full-backs.
Their only out-ball was Lukaku.
But Lukaku's hold-up play was poor today. The ball just kept coming back like a boomerang.
If Lukaku couldn't secure the ball, United would eventually crack under the pressure.
The boss looked toward the bench, where Zlatan was warming up.