The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 230 Hughes' Pressure

"Some players in the Red Devils team are born for big occasions, and Mark Hughes is one of them. He bravely stood up when the team was two goals behind Liverpool and scored two goals with his head and feet, saving the Red Devils single-handedly."

--Inscription

The Red Devils next face League Cup opponents Brighton at home in a replay.

The Red Devils did not play well in this match, because the opponent retreated more resolutely in the Theatre of Dreams. The Red Devils continued to encounter tenacious resistance, and only slowly gained the advantage and controlled the situation after extremely difficult efforts. In the end, the Red Devils' Mark Hughes made up for the gap in front of the goal with a sideways shot, and the Red Devils finally eliminated the opponent with a score of 1-0 and advanced.

After the Red Devils drew six games in a row and lost a penalty shootout, they finally opened the door to victory in Brighton.

On October 10, the Red Devils faced their arch-rivals Liverpool in the 18th round of the Premier League.

As the first red derby in the Premier League era, the clash of two giants and the battle of the biggest rivals, the broadcaster Sky Sports did a lot of warm-up before the game. The sports channel invited many former players from both sides to interview and made several special reports in succession, digging out many historical secrets and arousing the attention of more fans.

Sky Sports even interviewed the current Blackburn manager Dalglish. The Liverpool "King" said: "There is no doubt that I will support Liverpool. They will beat the Red Devils in this game. Ferguson's trouble is that their lineup is too thin and lacks a strong enough striker."

Although Liverpool has not won the top league title for many seasons due to various reasons, they are still full of enthusiasm and always think that they will soon return to the days when they dominated England. Although this Liverpool team has lost Dalglish and Beardsley, they still have Barnes, Ian Rush, and many famous stars. In terms of the team's real strength and the appearance of the stars, they think they are not inferior to the Red Devils at all, and even surpass the Red Devils in fame.

Ferguson chose Parker to start at right back and Blackmore to be the substitute. Darren Ferguson and Ings were paired in the midfield, because Robson and several other players were injured, so this arrangement was really helpless. Giggs and Kanchelskis were still on both sides, and they were in their regular positions. Hughes and McClair were the double strikers.

Ferguson's pre-match mobilization was simple, "We just want to beat Liverpool. We have to beat them to have a chance to compete for the championship. Boys, your only task is to win and beat them like hell!"

The Red Devils were ambitious and full of fighting spirit, and the fans kept singing and shouting slogans to cheer the team. Liverpool also actively participated in the game, hoping to win the game and get three points to show their strength at the Theatre of Dreams.

The game was very intense from the beginning. The Red Devils went all out and tried to suppress the opponent to the half court at the beginning. Liverpool did not show any weakness and played very tough. In the first half, Liverpool strengthened the midfield pressing and soon got an offensive opportunity. Liverpool's first goal was a completely unexpected opportunity. They first advanced on the right side of the midfield. The short-distance pass was not smooth and stumbled to the middle. Ins once intercepted the ball in the chaos, but Liverpool took possession of the ball again. Finally, when the Liverpool player advanced to about 10 yards outside the penalty area, he suddenly shot. This shot hit the Red Devils player and deflected. Schmeichel had no time to save it!

Liverpool leads 1-0.

Liverpool played more confidently after taking the lead. They took advantage of the Red Devils' eagerness to attack and suddenly pressed the ball in the frontcourt. They successfully snatched the ball from the Red Devils' full-back Parker and immediately launched a counterattack. At this time, the Red Devils pressed forward, and the back defense was empty, and they were caught off guard by the opponent. Liverpool made a simple cooperation and entered the penalty area. Then they made an inverted triangle cross from the bottom of the penalty area. Rush, who was ambushing in the penalty area, easily pushed the ball into the goal. The Red Devils fell behind 0-2 in the first half!

Ferguson was furious. During the halftime break, he used a hair dryer to spray every player. Parker, who was careless and lost the ball and caused the score to be expanded, was the first to be hit. Darren Ferguson, who was completely out of position in defending the first goal, was also not spared. Even though the opponent was his own son, Ferguson showed no mercy. All the players were scolded and hung their heads, not daring to say a word, feeling extremely ashamed.

Trailing by two goals, the Red Devils were in a dangerous situation of defeat and urgently needed a strong player to reverse the situation and change the dull atmosphere on the field.

At this critical moment, Mark Hughes stood up.

Although Hughes has been questioned by many media before, he has always had a strong heart and firm self-confidence, and will not be completely defeated by the media's denial and questioning.

In the second half, the Red Devils had actually been constantly counterattacking, launching wave after wave of fierce attacks on the opponent's defense. The fight in the game was also much more fierce, but there was still no goal to change the players' mood. Under the continuous fierce attack of the Red Devils, Hughes was determined to take more responsibilities in the frontcourt. He kept wandering between the front line and the midfield, actively retreating to the midfield to get the ball, and then covering his teammates to join in. Hughes's retreat caused some mistakes in the opponent's defense, and the two central defenders had to take turns to follow him and closely defend. In the fierce battle, the Red Devils successfully intercepted the ball in the midfield. Ince bravely intercepted the ball and quickly passed it to Irwin on the wing. Irwin took the ball near the midline and quickly passed it to Kanchelskis, and he accelerated to get another Liverpool defender away. Kanchelskis took the ball and turned around, and sent a long pass to the opponent's penalty area without stopping. At this time, Mark Hughes, who had been struggling with the opponent's central defender, suddenly accelerated, keenly got rid of the opponent's entanglement, and directly entered the penalty area. Hughes's escape was not slow at all. He kicked the ball directly without waiting for the ball to land on the penalty area line. This sudden shot completely hung the Liverpool goalkeeper. The ball drew a precise parabola, flew over the desperate goalkeeper and flew into the goal, and the Red Devils chased to 1-2.

Mark Hughes raised his arms and shouted, urging all his teammates to continue the attack. The Red Devils' subsequent attack was even more fierce. This time Parker redeemed himself by launching a long pass from the right back to launch an attack, passing the ball to the top of the opponent's penalty area. McClair jumped high to compete for the header and passed the ball to Giggs' feet. After Giggs got the ball, he broke through. He opened a gap with a quick push on the left side, and the opponent's defender was completely unable to keep up. Giggs went down the bottom and made an accurate cross. This pass flew into Liverpool's penalty area with a fast rotation.

At this time, Liverpool's penalty area was very crowded. Liverpool was on high alert, with four defensive players on guard in the penalty area, hoping to eliminate the threat. The Red Devils only had one player in the opponent's penalty area at this time, and he was center forward Mark Hughes. Although he was surrounded by the opponent, Mark Hughes performed miracles again. He made a fake move to deceive the close central defender before receiving the ball, then quickly changed direction and rushed to the empty space in the penalty area, and then accelerated to the front of the goal. Mark Hughes's set of movements was smooth and flowing, which was the most standardized operation of the center forward and the attack routine that maximized the threat. Sure enough, at this time, Giggs's precise pass had already assisted in front of the goal, and Hughes just got in front of the goal and scored a powerful header, breaking the opponent's goal.

The Red Devils equalized 2-2!

Mark Hughes made continuous contributions with his wonderful runs and shots. His magical lobs and fierce headers helped the Red Devils defend their home court. Amid the cheers, Hughes once again became the most dazzling player at the Theatre of Dreams.

After the game, Ferguson said: "We have to thank Mark Hughes, he is our hero on the court today. We didn't play very well throughout the game, but we never gave up in the face of adversity and finally played with our spirit."

Ferguson stressed, "If the game could be extended by five minutes, I believe the Red Devils would win and we would have the last laugh. Liverpool's performance today was not very good, they did not pose any threat. After we equalized, the situation was very good, but it was a pity that the attackers did not seize the opportunity."

Mark Hughes was criticized by the media and fans for missing scoring opportunities before this game, but he still had a big heart. No matter how many mistakes he made before, he stood up bravely. In this big battle, he became the only attacker in the Red Devils who could score a goal. He stood up in the desperate situation of falling behind by two goals, seized the opportunity with outstanding performance and scored two goals in a row, becoming a brave hero who saved the team.

Mark Hughes was named the best player of the game after the game. In an interview, he said: "I didn't think too much, without any pressure or confusion. Everything is simple for me, that is to seize any opportunity to score. These two goals are not difficult. I always attack according to my characteristics and keep working hard to get the chance to score. I am very grateful for the support of the fans. Their encouragement is my endless motivation to keep fighting for opportunities. We should have won the game today, but unfortunately we didn't win it in the end."

Mark Hughes has regained his form recently. He scored two goals in this game to help the team tie the game, and scored the only goal in the last game to help the team win. He is the biggest contributor to the Red Devils during this period. As a veteran, Mark Hughes actually bears a lot of pressure, but he used his outstanding performance to fight back against those unreasonable accusations, and even let those unscrupulous media be slapped in the face. Although Hughes has not scored many goals and his performance has fluctuated since the beginning of the season, he has never relaxed, never given up in frustration, and always keeps trying and working hard. Even under great pressure and shouldering great hopes, he is always full of confidence, never guilty and timid, always fighting in the front, bravely and diligently, showing the spirit of a great player.

Hughes's outburst made Ferguson feel proud and helpless. He was proud that he could always trust Hughes. No matter what kind of difficulties he faced, as long as he could create opportunities for Hughes, he would definitely be a threat. Even under the siege and struggle of the opponent's defenders, Hughes's scramble and shooting were still extremely brave. Although Hughes was often surrounded by opponents, as long as there was a chance and a gap, he could turn the fleeting opportunity in front of the goal into a shot and a goal. This game against Liverpool fully explained the key role of Hughes as a center forward. He almost went deep into the enemy's hinterland alone throughout the game, carrying two defenders of the opponent, looking for opportunities in the penalty area, and creating threats in the confrontation. Because McClair often retreated to the midfield to assist in defense and increase confrontation, Hughes always lacked helpers around him. There was always no teammate who could grab the second point or provide a two-on-one cooperation opportunity. Even in the penalty area, Hughes had no teammates who could share the pressure of scoring goals. All the burdens were on him.

Even so, Mark Hughes showed no fear and never hesitated, but completed the task brilliantly.

Ferguson's helplessness is also obvious. He now has only one reliable striker, Hughes, and no other striker to send to charge. McClair is not bad, nor does he have the ability to score goals, nor does he dare to fight in the penalty area, but he now has to retreat to the midfield to help more, away from the opponent's goal. If McClair presses forward and gets close to Hughes, although it will bring more threats to the offense, the team will be very dangerous after the ball is intercepted. The midfield without McClair's help is really leaky everywhere.

Ferguson wanted to buy Alan Shearer before the season but failed. The striker who was signed at the last minute, Dublin, was seriously injured again. In the end, he could only trust Hughes and McClair. The Red Devils' forward scoring ability is worrying. McClair and Hughes have been paired for several years. Opponents are already very familiar with them and will develop targeted defensive strategies. This old pair is no longer powerful. In particular, the Red Devils' midfield strength is insufficient, so McClair often retreats, and Mark Hughes, who is in the front, is naturally Alexander. In the attack, if Manchester United cannot tear open the opponent's defense in the middle, it will be difficult to have a great opportunity.

No matter how sharp Manchester United's two wingers are, this pair of forwards who are not tall and have weak jumping ability are not good enough to grab points in the penalty area.

Hughes did have a big breakout in this game, but Manchester United obviously cannot expect him to have a breakout in every game.