"Good, keep playing according to the tactics, and we'll definitely score!" Ling gave a thumbs-up.
Van Dijk frowned tightly, carefully recalling the play.
Manchester United's left-wing attack was just a feint; their real intention was in the center.
Otherwise, the two wide midfielders wouldn't have cut inside.
"Trent, I need you to mark Ling to ease the pressure on Fabinho. We can't let Manchester United transition through midfield too easily," Van Dijk reminded him.
Arnold nodded with a pained expression.
Just moments ago, he had wanted to test himself against Ling, but he suddenly realized he couldn't even guess Ling's intentions—his attacking direction.
From Ling's movements, he thought Ling would receive the ball and turn, so he left space to press.
But Ling chose to shift the play to the center.
It might seem like just a simple pass, but it requires a player to have broad vision, not to mention solid fundamentals.
Now it was Liverpool's turn to attack.
There was no all-out attacking press as imagined; madness is just Klopp's nickname, but the German isn't brainless.
Many of Liverpool's starting players weren't in good form.
They had just recovered from injuries, and trying to suppress Manchester United like in the first leg would likely be even harder than defeating Manchester City.
Now, the goal was to waste time, dragging out the match with minimal effort.
After all, Liverpool had three away goals.
Unfortunately, Liverpool lacked Manchester City's passing and possession skills.
They were prone to mistakes when passing in their own half, so they had no choice but to shift the ball wide early.
Henderson received a pass from a teammate but was closed down before he could survey the field.
Jeremy Ling?
Is this guy really that aggressive in defense too? Isn't he afraid of exhausting his stamina?
If Ling knew, he would humbly say, "Manchester United's blood lactate test ranks me first, meaning my Stamina Bar is the longest in the team."
Besides, he was only twenty years old this year—youth is his greatest asset!
Ling had learned plenty of defensive techniques from Ashley Young this season, and his defensive attribute value in the system panel was nearing 70, almost 20 points higher than Ronaldo's.
Though he couldn't compare to dedicated full-backs, he could at least apply some pressure on Henderson.
And sometimes, a little pressure is all it takes.
Seeing Herrera charging toward him, Henderson hurriedly sent a lofted pass.
The ball soared high toward Salah.
Luke Shaw knew he was slow, so he had to play to his strengths, holding his position and muscling Salah aside.
Then, he nodded the ball to Nemanja Matic on the flank.
Manchester United's counterattack erupted!
Clearly rehearsed before the match, Matic followed up and delivered a through pass!
A diagonal ball aimed at Ling!
This time, Arnold had learned his lesson, maintaining a safe distance from Ling—close enough to press but also ready to retreat and defend.
Now, he chose to press!
Ling took a step back, creating more space for himself.
But Arnold had a sudden idea to circle around from the side?
The key was that Ling felt the pressure from behind vanish, stepping and dragging the ball with his right foot while turning, then sprinting straight toward the open left flank!
"Was he trying to cut off the passing lane between Ling and Pogba?"
"Arnold was too eager and ended up making things worse!"
"He should have held his position first!" Carragher unleashed a torrent of scathing criticism.
Arnold also realized his mistake and quickly turned to chase Ling, only to hear Matip's reminder: "Cover for me, I'll go stop him!"
Matip often cleaned up Arnold's messes and had sensed something was off the moment before, moving a few steps toward the right flank in advance.
As Ling surged forward with the ball, he quickly glanced up to assess the situation.
"Liverpool's defensive resources are shifting, leaving the midfield short on numbers."
In the blink of an eye, Ling drove into the penalty area.
Matip, wary of Ling's dribbling, kept his hands behind his back and didn't dare to recklessly attempt a tackle.
But Ling actively took the ball toward him—how can you beat a defender if they don't commit?
Two step-overs to test Matip, but he remained unmoved.
Then, Ling sharply shifted his weight forward over a wide range.
Matip instinctively followed.
After all, if Ling took a near-post shot, it would still pose a significant threat to the goal. And he had to block any passing options too.
But Ling lightly tapped the ball with his left foot, dragging it to his right, then gently nudged it to the right!
A simple yet effective move, creating space for a shot!
Ling looked toward the right side of the goal, adjusted his stance, and swung his right foot as if preparing to take a powerful shot!
Van Dijk's defensive recovery was timely.
He used his broad frame to block the near post, while the center was guarded by Alisson.
"Pass it now!"
The voice that rang out in front of Van Dijk set off alarm bells in his mind!
Lukaku, who should have been his mark, was standing just outside the left side of the six-yard box, already in a shooting stance.
The ball rolled toward him at that very moment.
Lukaku stared intently at the rolling ball, feeling his posture was awkward, but with no time to adjust, he had no choice but to go through with it!
Bang!
The awkward posture naturally resulted in insufficient power, and the ball changed direction, rolling toward the left.
Alisson had expected Lukaku to push the shot to the right.
After all, most players would choose that option, as it was closer to the goal. As for Van Dijk, who had been blocking the near post, he was just about to step forward to pressure Lukaku and narrowly missed the rolling ball.
Under the watchful eyes of several players, the ball wobbled its way into the net!
"Manchester United scores!!!"
"After eight minutes of probing, Manchester United takes the lead!"
"Beautiful!!! Beautiful!!!" Neville roared with excitement.
Sharing his sentiment were tens of millions of Manchester United fans.
Initially, judging by Manchester United's early rhythm, a goal didn't seem likely to come quickly, but Ling found the perfect opportunity.
He deftly shook off Arnold, exploited the space on the right flank, and drew the Liverpool defense out of position.
His composure in front of goal was even more impressive.
When most shooting lanes are blocked, many players instinctively take a wild shot.
But Ling used a series of feints to find the unmarked Lukaku, creating ample shooting space for his teammate.
Lukaku wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his arms trembling slightly.
Thankfully, the ball went in!
If he had made another glaring mistake in front of goal, he could only imagine the terrifying consequences.
Ling fished the ball out of the net, gave Lukaku a firm pat on the shoulder, and shouted excitedly..
"Goal, Its a damn goal! Don't worry about how it happened!"
Lukaku grinned broadly.
Right, no matter how it happened, at least the result was good!
'Think you can underestimate me, Van Dijk?'
Lukaku happily followed Ling back to their half, waving to the away fans along the way.
Whoosh!!!
The Manchester United fans in the away section erupted like boiling water, raising their arms and cheering!
That's right.
If calculated by probability, Manchester United's chances of advancing were slim.
But from top to bottom, Manchester United would never give up.
As Neville had said earlier, the Munich Air Disaster left Manchester United with a precious spiritual legacy—one that always comes into play when the team finds itself in dire straits.
Even if today's final result ends in failure.
At least Manchester United fought, and there would be no regrets!
Ling placed the ball at the center circle, turned to his teammates, and said, "Before joining the academy, we all watched that film. Sir Matt Busby once said in it—"
"If that damned fate forces you to bow your head, what mindset should we adopt? Should we succumb to despair or abandon ourselves to defeat?"
"Or should we fight on relentlessly, always holding onto hope!"
"They proved with their actions which choice was the right one. All we have to do is follow firmly in their footsteps!"
"Let's fucking go!!!"
Ling stood at the center of Anfield, bathed in the bright spotlight.
Manchester United players gathered around him, reaching out their hands and roaring.
"Let's go!!!"
...
Not far away, the Liverpool players.
"Captain, you need to drop back a bit, put enough pressure on Manchester United's number 7." Van Dijk didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
Arnold was simply no match for Ling, practically non-existent on the flank, dominated by Ling from start to finish.
After all, Arnold's defense was never his strong suit, and he happened to face Ling, renowned for his attacking prowess.
Naturally, there wouldn't be a good outcome.
To give an example.
Arnold's defense is only 70 points, while Jeremy Ling's attack is 90 points.
Even if Arnold overperforms, there's nothing he can do. But Arnold's attack is 85 points, so why not let him fully utilize it?
Henderson didn't respond but ran to the sideline, where he heard Klopp say, "I thought Mourinho would play Ling on the wing, but I didn't expect him to be this strong."
"Passively defending now definitely won't work. Trent's form will only get worse. We have to push our attack and formation forward, shifting the pressure from the back to the front. Do you remember the tactics from the first leg?"
Klopp anxiously took off his baseball cap, revealing hair that hadn't been washed for days, and rubbed it vigorously with his hand.
Only after Henderson nodded did he continue, "Use mid-to-high pressing to disrupt the rhythm of the game, then look for opportunities to attack."
Klopp had originally hoped to end the match steadily.
But he didn't expect Manchester United to be so determined, with Jeremy Ling, Pogba, and Mahrez forming a strong midfield trio with excellent chemistry.
Not only did they solve Manchester United's midfield transition issues, but all three could also make forward runs to provide support.
Liverpool's midfield was already short on numbers, putting them at a natural disadvantage against Manchester United.
Coupled with the trio's frequent late runs, they quickly became overwhelmed.
"Now we have to bypass the midfield and shift the battle to the front." Klopp put his baseball cap back on.
He didn't know what else Mourinho had planned, but all he could do was shift the pressure point, trying to keep Manchester United's attacks away from dangerous areas.
Henderson walked over to his teammates and relayed Klopp's instructions.
Arnold clenched his fist, "I said we should play like that from the start. Being timid against Manchester United is useless. We have to go head-to-head with them!"
Salah nodded in agreement.
Although he had a minor injury earlier, he wasn't unable to play, and now he felt in good form.
"Keep possession on the right, make runs on the left. If we scored three goals against Manchester United in the first leg, we can score even more in the second leg!" Mane was also full of confidence.
He and Ling had a feud since last season, and winning just once before wasn't enough.
Stepping over the Champions League champion's head to reach the Champions League final!
Mane had already thought about how to taunt the reporters after the match, planning to vent all his previous frustrations.
...
After the Manchester United players finished celebrating, Ling squinted at Henderson.
"They'll definitely increase their pressing intensity soon. Let's defend with full effort first to test them. If Liverpool's forwards are in good form, we'll reduce the midfield passing frequency and increase attacks down the flanks with crosses."
"If they're not in good form..."
Manchester United had already planned before the match that Liverpool's attacking intensity wouldn't be enough.
Ling and the other two continued to organize, first disrupting Liverpool's defense, then seizing opportunities to attack based on the situation.
"Pay attention to my run later. After I pass the ball, I'll immediately cut behind Arnold. He most likely won't be able to keep up," Ling whispered to Mahrez.
At that moment, all it would take was a through ball to penetrate Liverpool's backline.
Since Liverpool wanted to press forward, they would take a few steps back voluntarily, giving Liverpool enough space.
But sometimes it's easy to come out, but hard to go back.
BEEP!!!
The referee's whistle blew again, and the match resumed!
To the surprise of both sets of fans, Manchester United, who had scored, retreated into a defensive shell, while Liverpool, who had conceded, launched a frenzied attack.
Liverpool's attack indeed yielded results.
They made good progress down the right flank, with Arnold positioned very high up, attempting to create threatening opportunities with his long passes.
Yet Manchester United remained unhurried, tightening their defensive formation.
Liverpool had initially wanted to use this approach to stall, but as soon as they showed any intention, Manchester United would press forward without hesitation.
Either you press me, or I press you. There was no third option!
Liverpool dared not remain passive in defense and pushed forward under Klopp's instructions.
Unfortunately, the midfielders lacked creativity, and most of their passes posed little threat, leaving the team to rely on the "Red Arrow Trio" and the two full-backs.
In the 17th minute of the match. Liverpool once again advanced down the right flank.
Arnold cut inside, dribbling past Ling, but before he could savor the thrill of the dribble, he was intercepted by Herrera's aggressive challenge!
The two collided head-on.
Ander Herrera was experienced enough to shift his weight forward in advance to avoid falling.
After knocking Arnold over, he quickly regained his balance.
Once back on his feet, he delivered a pass to Jeremy Ling, who was not far ahead.
"Foul, foul!" Arnold was still lying on the ground, groaning, but no whistle was heard.
The referee waved play on!
Manchester United's counterattack was sharp. Ling dribbled toward the flank, seemingly setting the stage for a repeat of the earlier scenario.
Matip cursed under his breath and hurried to mark Jeremy Ling.
But this time, Ling didn't feint, because Pogba had already made a rapid forward run.
He simply played a straightforward sideways pass.
BANG!!!
The ball shot toward the goal like a cannonball, whistling through the air!
Pogba had put all his strength into it.
At the critical moment, it was Alisson who came through, barely managing to block the shot.
After getting up from the ground, he angrily shouted at his teammates.
"Can you stay focused? How could you let him shoot from that position?"