The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 160 Revenge on Liverpool

"If you've experienced a 0-4 defeat, you don't think you should have any psychological burden to win or continue to lose."

--Inscription

After losing to Arsenal, the Red Devils were also penalized points by the English Football Association. Naturally, the media would not miss the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

London Evening Standard said: "Ferguson and his Manchester United are a disgrace to the league. In a match against Arsenal, they actually provoked and beat Arsenal players, which eventually led to the team being sentenced to lose the game and being penalized. It's really shameful. We call on the FA Presidential Committee to impose more penalties so that they will remember this lesson more deeply."

The brawl with Arsenal became a media frenzy, and Ferguson was once again caught in a wave of criticism, but he did not take it seriously and always insisted that the team and the players fought back because of provocation. Now facing the provocation of the media, he and the Red Devils have also made a strong response.

Ferguson ignored these noises and led the Red Devils to the first round of the second round of the European Cup Winners' Cup against Wrexham. After the first round of challenges, the Manchester United team had more experience and was more confident. In this game, Ferguson sent out all the main players and tried to win at home. The opponent Wrexham had a long history, but as a Welsh club team, they were weak and could not be called a strong opponent of Manchester United.

In this match, Manchester United started with a bang and quickly broke through the opponent's defense. Mark Hughes, Brighton Moore and Blackmore scored three goals in a row, helping the team to beat the opponent 3-0 and gain the initiative.

After basically confirming their qualification for the next round of the European Cup Winners' Cup, Manchester United returned to the tenth round of the league to challenge Manchester City away at Maine Road.

Many fans flocked to Manchester City's Maine Road Stadium, and the Blue Moon fans were very eager to witness the team continue to beat their opponents once again.

Maine Road was packed with fans who witnessed the game turn into a goal-scoring battle.

Ferguson knew that he couldn't rush into this match, and he couldn't let himself be blinded by the previous defeat. His team needed to rebuild their confidence against Manchester City, but they couldn't let their opponents completely destroy their fighting spirit. Ferguson sent out all the main players, played steadily, and soon suppressed the opponent and took the initiative in the midfield.

Manchester United launched a series of sharp attacks from the 11th minute, especially Hughes, who had a huge advantage over the opponent's central defender Maxton. Manchester City had to let another central defender come to assist in defense, which gave another striker McClair enough freedom and space. In the 13th minute, McClair received a pass from his teammate at the penalty spot in the penalty area and shot directly into the bottom corner. Then he took advantage again in the penalty area. Taking advantage of the opponent's defender leaving him empty, he got another chance to eat cakes in front of the goal and easily shot in front of the goal. In the second half, Manchester City strengthened its defense against McClair, but Hughes began to show his power. He received the ball 64 yards in front of the goal in the 8th minute, then created space with a shake, and easily shot the ball into the dead corner.

Manchester United led the game continuously and eventually scored 3 goals. But Manchester City was very aggressive and tenacious. They took advantage of the slackness of Manchester United's defense and launched sneak attacks continuously, and eventually scored 3 goals.

In this way, the Red Devils unfortunately tied with their opponents in the end and got 1 point.

Although they failed to avenge last season's 1-5 defeat, even the most biased reporters admitted that the Red Devils had a huge advantage and created more chances in front of the goal, and it was pure luck that their opponents Manchester City were able to draw.

After the Red Devils drew with Manchester City, they returned to Old Trafford to face a strong opponent Liverpool in the third round of the League Cup.

For Ferguson, this was a revenge battle that he had to win, because Liverpool had just beaten his team 4-0 at home in the league. After the game, the media jubilantly praised Ferguson, saying, "The last time Manchester United was beaten like this by Liverpool, they were relegated at the end of the season. Now Ferguson needs to face a new crisis. It's not that he has to step down, but that the team may collapse emotionally and physically after being beaten, and eventually face the abyss of relegation."

Before the game, the media also set up a trap for Ferguson with ill intentions. "Liverpool's record in the League Cup is not good. Ferguson has a chance to beat their opponents in this cup competition and advance unexpectedly. But they must go all out and find opportunities for sneak attacks."

Ferguson was unmoved. He talked to the players before the game, "We don't have any more burdens now. Losing a big game is not the end of the world. On the contrary, it will make us feel relaxed when we play again. It doesn't matter if we lose another game, even by a big margin. The pressure is now on the opponent."

Compared with the previous game, Ferguson only changed one starter, that is, Robins, who had bad luck in the previous game, was replaced by Lee Sharpe. However, Manchester United's formation also returned to the traditional 442, and Ferguson's tactics also adopted a more stable strategy. After the start of the game, the Red Devils played steadily and no longer rushed recklessly like in the previous game. The failure of the rush gave the opponent a chance to attack.

Liverpool was not in good form in this match, and they also made the mistake of underestimating the enemy, which led to a lot of loopholes in their midfield and defense. Even though Manchester United was not as strong as Liverpool, they would not give up the opportunity given by their opponent. Ferguson seized the opportunity and ordered the team to attack with all their strength. Manchester United immediately launched a fierce attack in the midfield and frontcourt, and Liverpool became passive everywhere, and their defense was shaky.

In the 17th minute, Lee Sharp showed his sharp attacking power. He actively sought breakthroughs on the wing and constantly used his speed to attack the opponent, causing the opponent to suffer from insufficient preparation. Lee Sharp accelerated to pass the opponent's full-back, then rushed into the opponent's penalty area. When the opponent's central defender came up to intercept, he directly kicked and volleyed, but unfortunately he missed the target. In the 21st minute, Manchester United attacked the opponent in the middle. After Hughes got the ball, he dodged a flying tackle from the Liverpool defender at the top of the penalty area, and then shot hard, but was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 27th minute, Manchester United won a corner kick. Central defender Bruce suddenly turned into a killer. He rushed to the front point in the opponent's penalty area. Under the crowd, he made an accurate judgment, jumped high to receive the cross from his teammates, and directly headed the ball into the upper left corner of Liverpool's gate, helping the Red Devils open the goal record.

The Red Devils lead 1-0!

Liverpool found it hard to accept the score behind. They became impatient and rushed out to attack immediately, hoping to equalize the score as soon as possible. Manchester United defended calmly and arranged more defensive forces in the backcourt calmly, while paying attention to seizing opportunities to counterattack. Lee Sharp, who was in great form, was even sharper in the counterattack. He was a fast horse that had increased its speed. He constantly attacked the opponent's defense line on the wing, making the opponent suffer. Webber also played well in this game. He was no longer eager to press into the opponent's penalty area, but played more patiently. Webber invested a lot on the defensive end and played a key role. He built a defensive fence in the midfield, covered the midfield with active running, actively intercepted, and fought fiercely. Together with Ince, he withstood the opponent's impact well.

Also helping the Red Devils in revenge were forwards McClair and Mark Hughes. McClair continued to run all over the field, often retreating from the forward position to support. His running without sparing any effort played a big role. Liverpool's central defenders were often taken out of the defense zone in this game, revealing many loopholes in the penalty area. Mark Hughes has fully recovered from his injury. After opening the scoring record, his condition is getting better and better, and several shots almost turned into goals. The Red Devils' defensive counterattacks became more and more comfortable. Webber passed the ball from the midfield, and Hughes quickly inserted into the penalty area to dodge the opponent's defender. His life shot flew directly into the opponent's goal corner, helping the Red Devils score a key goal.

The Red Devils lead 2-0.

Although Liverpool later gained some results after a fierce attack and the score was once narrowed to 1-2, the Red Devils did not panic. Lee Sharp ran at high speed in the final stage of the game, dribbled the ball all the way to the penalty area, and finally easily shot into the dead corner to help the Red Devils secure the victory.

The Red Devils beat Liverpool 3-1, avenging their disastrous defeat in the league.

In November 1990, the Red Devils faced Crystal Palace, their opponent in the 11th round of the league, at home.

This opponent, which was very difficult to deal with last season, did not cause any special trouble to the Red Devils in this game. With the witness of many fans in the stadium, Wallace and Webber scored a goal each, helping the Red Devils to defeat the opponent 2-0. In this game, the Red Devils not only welcomed back Wallace, who scored a goal, but also Lee Martin, who was a hero last season, came on as a substitute. The team lineup can take more rest, and Ferguson's scheduling space has been greatly optimized.

Now the Red Devils' main players have gradually returned, and the lineup has been strengthened. Bruce and Pallister, who have always been highly concerned, are performing better and better. One goes forward to mark the opponent, and the other fills the gap in the back, and the mutual defense rate has also greatly increased. Under the continuous training of the three villains, Ince, Hughes, and McClair, Pallister, who is like a bean sprout, has been reborn and has a little more murderous aura.

The increased hardness of the Red Devils' defense is a great thing for the balance of the entire team.

The Red Devils then moved to Europe, where they beat Wrexham 2-0 at the Racecourse Stadium and advanced to the next round of the European Cup Winners' Cup. The European Cup Winners' Cup adopted a direct elimination system, with the winner of each round advancing to the next round. The Red Devils encountered a weak Wrexham team, whose home stadium could not accommodate the crowd, and was even inferior to many low-level professional teams in England.

Back to the league, the Red Devils tied Derby County 12-0 in the 0th round. In the 13th round, Manchester United played against Sheffield Wednesday. In this game, Manchester United's central defender Bruce scored again and became a key killer for the Red Devils in a stalemate. The Red Devils relied on central defenders to score goals in corner kick tactics, which also became one of Ferguson's offensive weapons.

After a fierce battle, Manchester United finally defeated their opponent 2-0 and continued to advance in the standings.

After seven unbeaten games, the Red Devils suffered a sudden blow when they played against Chelsea at home in the 14th round of the league.

The Red Devils actually played well in this game. Both wingers were unstoppable and could often develop their offensive into the opponent's territory. The Red Devils created many offensive opportunities in the frontcourt in the first half and created at least 5 good chances to score. But unfortunately, Hughes and McClair both missed Ince's pass and missed the cake that was delivered to their mouths. In the 15th minute, Phelan missed an empty-goal opportunity 6 yards in front of the opponent's goal, which made the fans exclaim.

Wasting opportunities in the front court will lead to being punished in the back court. Chelsea also counterattacked very freely, and they succeeded in sneak attacks during the counterattack. First, the Red Devils' full-back Blackmore failed to keep an eye on the opponent's winger, and the left side was broken through, and the defense line was torn apart. Bruce had to make up for the gap, but the opponent's Latbis was not marked, and he was able to avoid the angle in the penalty area and shoot directly into the dead corner, easily scoring the Red Devils' goal.

Chelsea was more confident after taking the lead, and their defense was more relaxed and they started to attack Manchester United. Manchester United fell behind in a good situation, and became more impatient and launched a more fierce attack. The Red Devils' midfield kept pressing forward, but after forcing the opponent to retreat, the players' front line did push too far forward. Chelsea quickly took advantage of this space, effectively cutting out the gaps in the Red Devils' midfield and defense, and quickly passed the Red Devils' midfield. Disby easily defeated the chaotic Red Devils' defense on the left and in the middle, and assisted his teammates to score 2 goals in a row, completely securing the victory.

Manchester United was behind the whole game and was catching up, but they still failed to break the opponent's confidence despite the fierce attack. Although Manchester United was the one who actively created opportunities from the beginning to the end, with 23 shots and no less than 6 scoring opportunities, it was a pity that only Hughes and Wallace turned the opportunities into goals, while other opportunities were wasted.

Manchester United lost the game, and Ferguson was so angry that his nose was crooked on the sidelines.

Ferguson was furious after the game. "McClair, you missed 3 goals. Hughes, you wasted 2 chances. Ince, you missed an empty goal. Brighton Moor, you turned a header into a plane in the 6-yard area... You rubbish, do you have glue or concrete in your brain?"

The locker room was silent and everyone was trembling.