The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 137: Battle of Revenge

"The first defeat of the season against their city rivals was a huge setback for Ferguson. And the failure to avenge the defeat in the second match was really hard for Ferguson to accept."

--Inscription

After advancing in the FA Cup, the Red Devils returned to the league and faced their city rivals Manchester City at home in the 24th round.

This city derby was hyped up by the media before the game because the process and score of the first round of the season between the two teams were really impressive. The Manchester Evening News said: "Ferguson's revenge game? They certainly hope to win a big victory at home, but Manchester City will not just give up, so this game will definitely be a fierce battle."

Although the importance of the city derby is not as great as the Red Derby or the Rose Derby, it is also a key battle that fans and the media pay close attention to.

There are more than 4 people watching the game at the Red Devils' home stadium. The hardcore Red Devils still hope that the team can learn from their mistakes, defeat their opponents at home and gain pride.

Ferguson attached great importance to it, but the team was missing several generals such as Bruce, Robson, and Ings, so they could only play with a remnant lineup. Even so, the opponent had few stars and the overall strength was not stronger than Manchester United. At the beginning of the game, the Red Devils still had the advantage, and the offensive line continued to create opportunities, but unfortunately the forwards were still in poor condition and missed consecutive scoring opportunities. In the 13th minute, Manchester United made a diagonal pass from outside the penalty area in the front court, and Hughes did not get the point 6 yards in front of the goal; in the 17th minute, McClair volleyed from the penalty area line, but unfortunately it was blocked by the opponent; in the 19th minute, Manchester United made a cross from a corner kick, but Blackmore headed it off. In the 31st minute, Manchester United attacked from the left and made a cross from the junction of the penalty area line and the bottom line. Both forwards did not get the chance to shoot, but Robbins, who came in later, was unguarded at the penalty spot in the penalty area, so he was able to easily volley and score, and Manchester United led 1-0. In the 41st minute, Manchester United passed the ball directly into the penalty area from the middle, and Hughes received the ball and forced a shot, but it was blocked...

Manchester United's offense was blocked, and they kept creating opportunities to score a goal, but the defense kept having problems. Without Bruce on the defense, Pallister seemed to be a bit overwhelmed, and he was not good at overall command and timely stealing. Anderson also made a low-level mistake, and the entire defense seemed to be full of mistakes. In the 44th minute, Manchester City launched an attack with a long pass. Center forward Quinn headed the ball at the top of the penalty area. Another forward Stoke received the second point and entered the penalty area. Then he shot hard and scored. Manchester City tied the score 1-1.

During this attack on Manchester United, both Pallister and Lee Martin made low-level mistakes and were helpless as their opponents seized the opportunity to equalize the score.

In the end, Manchester United drew 1-1 with their opponents and their revenge plan failed.

Ferguson said in an interview after the game: "We are indeed disappointed that we didn't win. This is not a draw in terms of strength. The game scene and the data say it all. We are just unlucky."

The reporter asked, "Has Manchester United changed in this game compared to the last defeat?"

Ferguson replied: "We are improving, and today we completely controlled the initiative of the game. The opponent played very tenaciously today. They got a point in the end by luck. We should have won. What does this game mean? I don't think it means anything. Just like the last match, it doesn't mean anything."

Ferguson finally emphasized, "Manchester derby has a long history and our team has always had the advantage. No matter what, the sky of Manchester is red. We are the best club in this city and have the most fans and support in this city."

Ferguson had long been trained on how to deal with embarrassing situations, and had long been prepared to respond to malicious questions from certain reporters. Although he failed to take revenge against Manchester City, Ferguson did not lose points in public opinion.

McClair was fouled by his opponent many times during the game, but he was not protected by the referee and the rules. He fought back directly on the spot, but was given a yellow card by the referee. McClair said after the game: "Of course I can accept my yellow card. This is the rule of the game. I have nothing to say about the game process. Everyone can watch the live broadcast and the video. The fans at the scene can see it more clearly."

"Fouls and physical confrontations are part of the game and I can accept that. It's no big deal and I don't have any complaints about the referee because the game is over and we need to move on."

After the game, the Red Devils Fans Association specially edited the fouls committed by Manchester City in the 90 minutes, as well as various barbaric and unreasonable actions. In addition to sending the materials to the media, they also sent a copy to the FA Presidential Committee. The Red Devils die-hard fans said: "We are fighting against barbarians. The game is full of violence and madness, but the referee stayed out of it, as if watching a circus performance. This is really unacceptable to us."

In the two games against the rivals in the same city this season, one was a crushing defeat and the other was a draw. The results were still very ugly, but for Ferguson and his team, they learned from the defeat and played a game that suppressed the opponent.

In the 25th round, the Red Devils played against Millwall. Ferguson sent Wallace as a left-wing attacker, and McClair and Hughes continued to play as a double striker. In this game, the Red Devils still insisted on attacking first, and actively launched an offensive after the opening. In the 15th minute, Wallace dribbled the ball on the left and passed it to Ings in the middle after reaching the front court. Ings passed it directly to Hughes in the penalty area without stopping. The Manchester United center made a pass with his back to the goal and set up a turret for Wallace who was running at high speed. Wallace met the ball and shot it directly and hit the bottom left corner of the opponent's goal. Manchester United led 1-0.

After Manchester United was tied 1-1 by the opponent in the second half, the team launched a fierce offensive again. McClair had consecutive shooting opportunities in the middle of the penalty area in the 67th and 74th minutes, but failed to beat the opponent's brave goalkeeper; in the 79th minute, Hughes took the ball with his back to the top of the penalty area, made a two-on-one with his teammates, and then dribbled into the penalty area. Hughes took the initiative facing the goal, faked a move to shake off the opponent's central defender, and then shot the ball into the lower left corner of the goal, and Manchester United led the opponent again 2-1.

Manchester United continued to attack after taking the lead. Ins fired a powerful shot from 83 yards away from the goal in the 35rd minute. This powerful shot was very powerful, but unfortunately it was too straight and was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the last few minutes, the Red Devils switched from offense to defense and retreated to defend, trying to maintain the victory. Although the defense line was shaky and there were many dangerous situations, they finally held on until the end of the game and Manchester United defeated their opponents 2-1.

Ferguson said after the game: "Our attack continued to be powerful, constantly creating opportunities, and finally we got the reward of victory. I was actually a little worried about the defense. The defenders were under a lot of pressure today. Our formation was too far apart and the distance was too large. Millwall also found a way to attack the gap, and their counterattack was very sharp. In general, it was not easy for us to win."

In the subsequent FA Cup fifth round, the Red Devils were drawn to challenge Newcastle United away.

This was a game that Ferguson had to win, and Newcastle was obviously not to be underestimated. Although they had been relegated at the end of the previous season, they were still considered a strong team in the Second Division at the time.

The Red Devils played in this game at St. James' Park. Both teams used offense instead of defense, and the game became very open and the rhythm was very fast. At the beginning of the game, both teams started to advance quickly, and immediately launched counterattacks after stealing the ball in the midfield and backcourt. They attacked the opponent's goal back and forth, and the scene was very lively.

Because the opponent focused on attacking, the defense would naturally be lax, and the Red Devils created many opportunities in the frontcourt. At the same time, the Red Devils also emphasized attacking, and the defense line was full of loopholes, and the opponent also had many shots.

The new striker Mark Robins of the Red Devils shined again. He tore through the opponent's defense in the 23rd minute, rushed all the way to Newcastle's penalty area at high speed, dodged the angle and shot, scoring the first goal for the team, and Manchester United led 1-0. Then McClair received an accurate cross from his teammate in front of the goal in the 31st minute, but unfortunately his volley was blocked by the opponent's defender. In the 38th minute, he got another chance. This time his shot was very accurate and he successfully broke through the opponent's goal. After the opponent scored a goal, Manchester United launched a fierce attack at the beginning of the second half, and the final goal was scored by Wallace. The new winger who joined the Red Devils played very comfortably in this game. He had enough space to speed up on the wing and could dribble all the way to the opponent's hinterland. Wallace posed a huge threat on the left side and became a sharp knife in the Red Devils' offense. Following his goal in the previous game, Wallace once again showed his edge as a winger in the 73rd minute of this game. He started with the ball near the midfield, accelerated all the way, passed two opponent defenders in succession, and after entering the penalty area, he calmly shot the ball and scored the key third goal for the Red Devils.

Newcastle was not very strong at that time, and was only ranked in the lower middle of the league, but they played rough and tough, and played very tenaciously. Even when they fell behind, they would not admit defeat and continued to attack the Red Devils' defense. Although they fell behind early, the Magpies scored goals in the counterattack. In the last moments of the game, Newcastle was only one goal behind 2-3.

This was a classic game of stabbing each other. Both sides were furious and fought fiercely until the end. The Red Devils had a shot that hit the goal frame in the 89th minute, and Newcastle even missed two single-handed chances in the final moments! At the end of the game, the Red Devils, who were better at seizing opportunities, finally defeated their opponents 3-2 and entered the next round.

Back to the 26th round of English League One, the Red Devils continued their previous bad pattern and lost 0-1 to Chelsea away. There was no reason for this loss. Manchester United still had an absolute advantage on the field and had more chances, but Chelsea seized the opportunity to attack and defended after scoring, which eventually forced Manchester United to swallow the bitter fruit of the loss.

In the 27th round of the league, the Red Devils suddenly exploded. They played at home and scored goals like cutting melons and vegetables, and finally won 4-1 against the weak Luton team. In this game, Hughes opened his long-lost scoring account, Robins also showed his quick knife nature again, and McClair and Wallace continued their outstanding performances, each scoring a goal to help the Red Devils win this rare victory.

A week later, the Red Devils played in the sixth round of the FA Cup against Sheffield United of the English League Two. Ferguson sent out all his elite players, and although it was very difficult to pry open the opponent's tortoise shell, under the patience of the Red Devils players, the team repeatedly attacked and tried, and finally defeated the opponent 1-0 with the goal of McClair, who was in increasingly good form.

And just like that, the Red Devils reached the FA Cup semi-finals.

Before the semi-finals, Ferguson's team drew another super good draw. Their opponent was Oldham Athletic, a community team that was not even in the second division. On the other side was Liverpool against Crystal Palace, a match between first division teams.

The Red Devils fans now believe that Ferguson will successfully lead the team into the final. This is really a good draw.