With Ling's long-range shot breaking through Huddersfield's goal, the score was rewritten just five minutes into the match.
Ling was surrounded by his teammates in celebration.
He scratched his head and said, "I still overestimated Huddersfield's strength."
"Ling, I told you before the match that you were overthinking it. With that defense of theirs, if they don't get relegated, who will?" Maguire laughed brightly.
As the Premier League gradually approached its end, how many points did Huddersfield have now?
16 points.
That's right, dead last in the league, meaning 20th place.
Ahead of Huddersfield were Fulham (26 points) and Cardiff City (34 points), with Cardiff City being Manchester United's opponent in the final round.
First, let's talk about Huddersfield and Fulham.
Regardless of whether they win or lose their last two matches, it won't change their fate of relegation.
As for Cardiff City.
They are only two points behind 17th-placed Brighton, and Brighton's final opponent is Manchester City, with little hope of victory.
This means that as long as Cardiff City can defeat Manchester United, they can avoid relegation to the Championship.
Although there's only a one-word difference between the Premier League and the Championship, the financial gap between them is worlds apart.
The Premier League alone brings in tens of millions of pounds annually from broadcast revenue sharing.
With such immense financial stakes in front of the players, how much energy Cardiff City can muster remains unknown.
But it's foreseeable that Manchester United won't have an easy match.
"If Cardiff City were also relegated early, we wouldn't have to exert too much effort and could save our energy for the FA Cup final." Maguire sighed inexplicably.
"Alright, let's focus on the match at hand first. We'll deal with what comes later when it happens." Valencia, wearing the captain's armband, said solemnly.
His departure from Manchester United was already on the countdown, and he wanted to leave with more glory.
So the League Title within reach absolutely must not be lost.
...
"Remember to pass to me more later," Ling quietly said to Mahrez.
"Haven't you already scored 40 goals?" Mahrez asked in confusion.
"Can you ever have too many goals? Besides, I have goal bonuses—each additional goal means hundreds of thousands of pounds more. When the season ends, I'll take you to China for a trip."
To say Ling didn't want to match or even surpass Messi's record would be impossible.
Or rather, among professional players, any forward or midfielder has fantasized about becoming the top scorer in the top five leagues.
"I remember Messi's single-season goal record is 50. As long as you score 9 goals in the last two matches, it shouldn't be too difficult for someone of your ability, right?" Herrera said with a teasing wink.
"Go away! If it were Manchester City, it might be possible, but with the boss's tactical style…" Ling retorted irritably.
Is scoring 9 goals in two matches easy? In a way, it is.
Take Huddersfield as an example—they only earned 16 points the entire season, which is about the same level as a Championship team.
If Manchester United went all out in attack, the score would likely be outrageous.
But using another team as a punching bag for personal stats on their home turf… If Ling were a Huddersfield player, he'd probably be furious, and his tackles would inevitably become more aggressive.
At that point, things like reckless challenges, violent tackles… would become all too normal.
Football isn't just about fierce competition, it's also about human relationships and not pushing others too far.
Look at Bayern, the "specialists in tragedy," they don't have the best reputation.
As Ling had anticipated, after Manchester United scored, Huddersfield Town's players' morale instantly plummeted to rock bottom.
However, some players saw this as an opportunity to showcase themselves.
After all, Manchester United's current global attention in football is second to none.
If they could catch the eye of a top-five league team, it would be far better than following Huddersfield Town to play in the Championship.
But this led to Huddersfield Town's players having their own agendas, making effective teamwork nearly impossible.
...
In the 17th minute of the match.
Williams made a passing error, which Pogba anticipated and intercepted.
He then passed directly to Ling on the left flank.
Facing Durm's chase, Ling exploded forward with a powerful burst, shaking off the defender while also creating enough space for a shot.
He then calmly struck the ball with his left foot, sending it into the net.
With less than half of the first half gone, Ling had already scored a brace, helping Manchester United take a 2:0 lead over Huddersfield Town.
At this point, the outcome of the match was no longer in doubt.
If every team could uphold the spirit of "never giving up," the probability of miracles occurring would greatly increase.
Huddersfield Town's players felt as if the strength had been drained from their bodies.
Rather than thinking about how to play today's match, it was better to consider their own careers.
In the 30th minute of the first half, Ling's header narrowly missed the crossbar, prompting Huddersfield Town's head coach, Siewert, to roar at his players.
"If you can't stop him, kick his feet, knock him down!"
Siewert was once the coach of Borussia Dortmund's second team.
Mourinho has never been a fan of conspiracy theories, but he didn't dare take the huge risk—what if Siewert really had that kind of intention?
So he substituted Ling off the pitch.
Lukaku exchanged a resentful high-five with Ling.
Every time... it was Jeremy Ling who stole the spotlight, and whenever there was danger, he was the one sent in to take the hits.
Lukaku thought to himself that he must leave at the end of the season.
Staying at Manchester United would only mean warming the bench, wasting the prime years of his professional career.
As for his next destination? Chelsea had secretly contacted his agent.
With Alvaro Morata's departure and Higuain's poor form, Chelsea urgently needed an excellent striker, and the terms offered in all aspects were quite favorable.
Thinking he needed to prove his worth to his future club, Lukaku played exceptionally aggressively in the match, surprising even his Manchester United teammates.
In the 63rd minute of the second half, he actually scored a header.
In the end, Manchester United left the John Smith's Stadium with a 3:0 victory and three points, continuing to lead the Premier League standings.
...
It is worth mentioning that Manchester United's two title rivals, Liverpool, had just defeated Newcastle United 3:2. Since Liverpool did not field their full-strength lineup, and with Lallana and Keita injured, Liverpool's victory was incredibly hard-fought.
If it weren't for substitute striker Origi's last-minute winner in stoppage time, Liverpool would have bid farewell to the League Title prematurely.
After taking their heart medication, Liverpool fans immediately tuned in to watch Manchester United's match, and the result naturally did not satisfy them.
However, the title race suspense was preserved until the very end.
As for the match between Manchester City and Leicester City, according to the Premier League schedule, it was set for May 7th. That is, the day before the second leg of the Champions League Semi-final between Manchester United and Liverpool.
What? You're asking about Arsenal?
...
Shortly after Ling returned home, Arsenal's match against Brighton kicked off!
He even watched a bit out of boredom.
Since this match was a crucial battle for the top four, it would determine whether Arsenal could secure a Champions League spot.
Arsenal fans had expected a crushing victory, much like Manchester United's performance against Huddersfield, but to everyone's surprise, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The process left Ling twitching at the corner of his eye, silently mourning for his former teammate Mkhitaryan in his heart.
After Wenger's departure, everything changed.
If you were to say Emery lacked tactical prowess, he had led Sevilla to three consecutive Europa League titles.
Turning the Europa League into the "Emery Cup."
On the other hand, he had also managed to lead Paris Saint-Germain to lose the League Title and suffer a stunning comeback defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League knockout stages.
With a squad like PSG's—Cavani, Di Maria, Matuidi... They were undoubtedly the dominant force in Ligue 1.
Although Monaco's youthful storm, featuring talents like Mbappe and Bernardo Silva, was impressive, it still wasn't a valid excuse for PSG to lose the League Title.
"Playing in the Europa League next season might not be so bad," Ling had initially wanted to console Mkhitaryan, but upon second thought, he decided against it, as it might come off as showing off.