Chapter 384: Manchester United's Nemesis
Although Manchester United managed to pull one goal back, they couldn't overturn their disadvantage on the field. Facing Chelsea's relentless attacks, they were only able to defend without mounting any effective counterattacks.
In the 27th minute, Blind made another defensive error. Pedro cut inside the right side of the penalty area and crossed to Costa, but De Gea managed to intercept at the near post.
A minute later, Blind made yet another mistake. Hazard crossed from the right side of the penalty area, but Costa's close-range shot at the near post was saved by De Gea.
In the 36th minute, Chelsea took a corner, and United's clearance was poor. Hazard took a shot from the edge of the penalty area, which Costa controlled inside the six-yard box. Despite being surrounded by two United players, he suddenly turned and executed a bicycle kick. De Gea couldn't react in time and could only watch the ball enter the net, making it 3-1.
Less than 40 minutes into the game, the score was already 3-1, with four goals scored by both teams. For the spectators, this was an entertaining match, but for United's players and fans, it was bewildering.
Why, after eight consecutive league wins and thirteen wins in all competitions at the start of the season, were they now powerless against Chelsea's onslaught, completely led by their opponents?
Could it be that Chelsea was truly Manchester United's nemesis?
In the Premier League, Chelsea was the only team with a better record against United. In their last ten encounters, Chelsea had five wins and five draws, including four wins and one draw at home.
In the last 14 league visits to Stamford Bridge, United had only one win, with five draws and eight losses in the other 13 matches. In all competitions, United had only won twice in their last 18 visits to Chelsea.
In such circumstances, the widespread belief that Chelsea was United's nemesis resurfaced.
When Costa scored that beautiful bicycle kick, Bruno could only shake his head helplessly.
The whole team was out of form, and no matter how hard he tried, football is a team sport. The victories had gone to their heads, and they didn't take Chelsea seriously. After all, many United players thought that if they could beat rivals like Manchester City and Liverpool, a sixth-placed Chelsea wouldn't be a match for them.
Underestimating such an opponent came at a cost.
At halftime, Mourinho harshly criticized the team's performance, saying they were sleepwalking. He demanded more aggression in the second half.
So, after the break, United increased their attacking intensity.
In the 50th minute, Rashford took a powerful shot from the edge of the box, which Courtois punched away. Bruno followed up with a volley, but it flew into the stands.
Two minutes later, United pressed again. This time, Lingard received a cross from Rashford in the box, but his header was caught by Courtois.
United's persistent attacks finally paid off.
In the 58th minute, Bruno initiated an attack. Instead of passing to Lingard or Rashford, he opted for a sudden direct pass. The ball penetrated Chelsea's midfield and defense, landing at Ibrahimović's feet.
Just as Ibrahimović turned to shoot, he was brought down by Chelsea defender David Luiz in the penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty and showed Luiz a yellow card.
Bruno took the penalty and scored, bringing the score to 2-3.
Chelsea's coach Conte substituted defensive midfielder Chalobah for Pedro to strengthen their defense. Mourinho, on the other hand, replaced the out-of-form Fellaini with Mata to boost their attack.
With only one goal separating the teams, United saw a chance to equalize or even win. They pressed forward aggressively, but Chelsea capitalized on this to launch counterattacks.
In the last ten minutes of the match, Chelsea exploited United's eagerness to equalize, scoring twice in four minutes to seal a 5-2 victory.
When the final whistle blew, Stamford Bridge, packed with 41,000 fans, erupted in cheers and applause. Chelsea fans were delighted to see the recently hyped Manchester United fall at their feet.
No matter how strong United was, they had to bow before Chelsea.
The home victory delivered a blow to the soaring United, and Mourinho's attempt at revenge at Stamford Bridge only added to his old grudges.
Seeing the pained expressions on his players' faces, Mourinho sighed, realizing he had been too focused on revenge. With the entire team out of balance, such a defeat was inevitable. However, losing early in the season was better than losing at the end.
He hoped this loss would teach everyone some valuable lessons. He turned to the tunnel where the media awaited his post-match interview.
He knew what questions the media would ask. Many were waiting to see his team's downfall, and now that it had happened, they wouldn't let it go easily.
Despite the heavy defeat, Bruno's individual performance was commendable. Both of United's goals were linked to him—one assist and one penalty goal. Thus, while most United players received low ratings, Bruno earned the highest score on the team—8 out of 10. The next best was defensive midfielder Kanté, who, despite the team's poor performance, played decently and received a 7.
Aside from Bruno and Kanté, no other United player scored above a 7.
In the UK, United's heavy defeat drew significant media attention, showcasing the media's fickle nature. Even the most reputable outlets couldn't escape this trait.
Ferrence Campbell, soon to start middle school, stood in front of the newsstand for a long time before deciding not to buy the Monday edition of the "Echo." Firstly, 85 pence wasn't cheap, and secondly, his favorite team had lost badly.
Due to the defeat, the media was overwhelmingly critical, which frustrated him. As a Manchester United fan living in Liverpool, such experiences were not uncommon, as one couldn't expect the "Echo" to say anything good about United.
The front-page headline of the "Echo" read, "The Dream Ends Quickly!" and every word of the report reeked of schadenfreude.
The media always behaved this way. When you win, they praise you to the skies. When you lose, they criticize you harshly, as if this demonstrates their neutrality and wisdom.
But this left a losing fan feeling very unhappy.
Of course, he couldn't go to the "Echo" headquarters to protest the newspaper's fickle behavior, but he could take more practical action by refusing to buy this issue.
"At least I've reduced the 'Echo's' sales by one copy!" Campbell thought smugly as he walked away from the newsstand.
As he turned the corner, he saw the last people he wanted to see—Solino Daniel and his cronies.
"Ahaha! Look who it is! Little Campbell, oh—my dear classmate! I'm so happy to see you!" Daniel laughed loudly, and his followers joined in.
Campbell shrank back, trying to slip away along the wall.
But Daniel grabbed him, throwing an arm around his neck and speaking intimately into his ear, "Don't run, little Campbell. Did you watch the game on Sunday afternoon?"
Campbell remained silent, using this as his form of protest.
But Daniel didn't care. He didn't need Campbell to respond. He continued, "I didn't watch it either. But I later learned the score, 5-2! Chelsea did a great job! Haha! Remember what I said a week ago? I said it wouldn't be long before your favorite team lost, and it would be a series of losses. Haha! Now it's started beautifully!"
Although Campbell never wanted to see Daniel, he especially didn't want to today because he knew Daniel would ridicule him for his team's loss.
What could anger a fan more than mocking their favorite team's defeat?
When United was led by Ferguson, Campbell had faced similar treatment. On Mondays after a United loss, he would have a long internal struggle at home, wondering if he should skip school to avoid the mockery.
They used the harshest words to attack his favorite team, and he couldn't respond or retaliate. He felt like a clown, and he hated that feeling.
Fortunately, United didn't lose often during Ferguson's era.
His real struggle began after Ferguson's retirement, especially during Moyes' tenure, which was a nightmare for Campbell.
Today, Daniel was in a good mood because not only had United lost, but his beloved Liverpool had won 2-1 against West Brom at home.
Although he didn't watch the match live, he saw it on TV.
After this match, Liverpool was just four points behind United. Daniel believed Liverpool's charge for the Premier League title had officially begun.
Another reason for Daniel's good mood was the start of United's losing streak.
After mocking United thoroughly in front of Campbell, Daniel and his followers finally left.
Watching them walk away, Campbell bit his lip, tears welling up in his eyes. He had held back his tears in front of so many people, knowing it would only encourage them to mock him more.
Once Daniel and his group were out of sight, his tears fell.
Wiping his tears, Campbell turned and ran home.
(End of Chapter)
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