The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 267 Reversal and Defeat of Blue Moon

"In the face of adversity and on the road, Ferguson's team fell behind by two goals at the start of the game against Manchester City. This powerful team finally turned the tables with a classic fight, using their incomparable tenacity and strong strength to destroy the Blue Moon's extravagant hopes."

--Inscription

Entering November, Ferguson continued to lead the team on multiple fronts.

弗格森先是遭遇欧冠的黑哨，他们的球队在11月3日客场0比0踢平加拉塔萨雷队，两回合踢成3比3，红魔因为客场进球少而被淘汰。

Ferguson was furious at the process and result of the game, but UEFA ignored their complaints about refereeing errors and unfair matches, and simply and rudely decided that the result of the game was valid, allowing Manchester United to leave in disgrace.

Back in Manchester, the Red Devils had no time to let go of the burden of failure before they had to face their hated neighbors, their city derby rivals Manchester City.

Although the Red Devils topped the standings, being eliminated by their Champions League rivals was a big blow. Manchester City took advantage of the Red Devils' consecutive games and the blow of being eliminated to launch a fierce attack at home.

Before the derby, Manchester City fans cheered for the Red Devils' defeat in Turkey (they lost to Galatasaray in the Champions League knockout round) in unison - it seemed like they had defeated the Red Devils themselves. Some extreme fans even sang a song satirizing the Munich air crash, which drew angry curses from the Red Devils fans. These extreme fans are like this, as long as they can make their mortal enemies uncomfortable, they dare to do anything.

The game started in such a fiery atmosphere. Not long after the start, the Red Devils had a great opportunity. Lee Sharp intercepted the ball in the midfield and passed it to Irwin who was on the left. Irwin made a wonderful two-on-one cooperation with Cantona and then passed it directly to Keane who understood. Keane, who was in the midfield at high speed, faced the almost unguarded Manchester City defense and dribbled forward without hesitation. He went straight into the penalty area and shot easily in front of the goalkeeper. Unfortunately, Keane's shot was saved by the opponent and he missed the chance to kill.

Manchester City, who escaped the disaster, showed great fighting power. They played very bravely and suppressed the visiting Red Devils for a time. The fierce attack also caused the Red Devils' defense to make mistakes. In the 17th minute, Irwin pressed forward to the front of Manchester City's penalty area, but his pass error was very fatal. Manchester City quickly intercepted the ball and then immediately launched a counterattack. Manchester City quickly passed the midfield, and the Red Devils could only passively play 3 against 3, with the defense line exposed. Manchester City players made a long pass in the penalty area corner, and the center forward Quinn jumped high in the penalty area and headed the ball into the dead corner of the goal. 1:0, Manchester City led at home.

The Red Devils were a little overwhelmed by the cold water. Manchester City's second blow came soon. It was Quinn again. The tallest tower on the field overpowered Pallister, received a high cross from his teammate on the left side in the penalty area, and broke Schmeichel's defense with a header - 2:0.

Manchester City fans were ecstatic and sang loudly. They were so excited and relieved! These fans believed that the Blue Moon would defeat the Red Devils and teach the arrogant Red Devils a hard lesson!

Trailing by two goals, the Red Devils launched a frantic attack, striving to open the door to a goal. Manchester City's deployment in the first half was very effective. They concentrated their superior forces to defend at the front of the penalty area, leaving the Red Devils' forwards Cantona and Mark Hughes with little chance to dribble the ball. Cantona didn't have a hook shot until 30 minutes later, while Mark Hughes was closely guarded by the opponent and was constantly harassed by the opponent's small moves. In the 35th minute, Manchester City forward Quinn made a crazy tackle and knocked Hughes to the ground. Hughes was furious and stepped on his opponent after getting up, almost causing a melee among the whole team. Manchester City's defense became more and more rough. White not only squeezed Hughes, but also kicked him while Hughes was on the ground. This foul that completely violated sports ethics actually escaped the referee's sanctions. Hughes was instead given a yellow card warning by the referee for his revenge after the opponent's fierce violation.

Ferguson shouted loudly on the sidelines, ordering the players to calm down. At this time, Ferguson's face turned red, and he wanted to go on the court to play and control the situation. Ferguson's shouting was heard from afar, and the effect was still very obvious. The Red Devils players quickly controlled their anger. They now knew that they had to avoid being angered by their opponents, but they also needed to perform better.

The calmed-down Red Devils players immediately showed their strength beyond their opponents, and they quickly suppressed their opponents through quick passes and effective breakthroughs. Manchester City began to realize that they could not stop the Red Devils with just hand movements and physical fouls, so they had to retreat to the backcourt.

At the end of the first half, the Red Devils were trailing 0-2. Except for Keane's chance at the beginning, the Red Devils played a bit dull. Ferguson did not scold the team too much during the halftime break, but instead emphasized on praising Mark Hughes.

Ferguson said: "We will definitely gain an advantage in the confrontation. This advantage can be achieved through passing and breakthroughs, and through the transfer of strengths and weaknesses. It is impossible for the opponent to maintain a high-intensity state for 90 minutes. They will definitely collapse in less than 60 minutes. We will definitely reverse the situation!"

Soon after the second half began, Manchester City's physical strength was quickly exhausted. Their defense and confrontational strength were greatly reduced. They began to gradually give up attacking and shrink their defense. Manchester City players moved closer to the penalty area, trying to fill the gaps in the opponent's attack with their dense bodies. Manchester City players also became passive in physical confrontation. They no longer actively pressed closely, but more often adopted a follow-up defense, following closely.

The Red Devils continued to attack, and the game became one-sided. The Red Devils' goal came very suddenly. Manchester City's defender made a big mistake when he headed the ball back to the goalkeeper. This insufficient pass became an assist. Cantona rushed out from the side, and he seized this excellent opportunity sharply and dribbled straight into the penalty area. After reaching the penalty area, he calmly faced the attack of the Manchester City goalkeeper and calmly shot the ball into the dead corner. The Red Devils recovered one point 1-2. After 65 minutes, Manchester City was already very tired. The morale of the Red Devils who scored a goal soared and continued to attack the opponent. Kanchelskis rushed into the opponent's penalty area at high speed. After receiving Keane's assist, he missed the shot facing the goal, and also wasted the third single shot of the Red Devils in this game. Manchester City, who was shrinking in defense, also played a sharp and quick counterattack, but Schmeichel showed his power and bravely saved the opponent's single shot, ensuring that the Red Devils would no longer be widened by the opponent. In the final stage of the game, Ferguson took a gamble and sent on Giggs to further strengthen the attack.

Ferguson's brilliant move completely overwhelmed the opponent. Giggs, who came on as a substitute, quickly demonstrated his strengths. His superb footwork was even more powerful when the opponent was exhausted, and his speed was even more bad news for the opponent.

Around the 80th minute of the second half, the Red Devils played a classic tactical routine. The whole team pressed high, and Cantona intercepted Manchester City's clearance in the midfield and quickly advanced. He used a show-off style to dribble the ball forward continuously, keeping the ball in the air, and drove into the opponent's hinterland with the ball, making the opponent's defensive players' eyes shattered. After a superb performance, the French striker entered the edge of the penalty area, and at this time he was blocked by two opponents. Cantona passed the ball to Keane sharply. After Keane cut in, he dribbled the ball horizontally, attracted the defense of the opponent's central defender, and then passed it to Mark Hughes. The Red Devils' No. 10 striker received the ball at the top of the penalty area and quickly made a fake move. He attracted most of the opponent's attention. The opponent's midfielder and central defender doubled up to defend. At this time, Mark Hughes did not try to break through or force a shot, but passed the ball to Giggs on the right. Giggs rushed to the opponent's penalty area at high speed, and then did not stop the ball at all and passed it directly to the front of the goal. This pass drew a beautiful trajectory, cutting through Manchester City's seemingly solid defensive shell. In the chaos, Manchester City completely lost the ability to defend, and the front of the goal was like a vacuum. Cantona inserted accurately and shot the ball directly into the goal, 2-2.

The non-stop attack finally paid off, and the Red Devils, who attacked with all their might, equalized the score!

Even as the home fans were stunned, the Red Devils did not stop their attack. Irwin suddenly showed his power, breaking through the Manchester City defense on the left and crossing the ball. Even by the strictest standards, Irwin's cross was perfect. The ball drew a precise arc and flew to the front of the goal. When the Manchester City defenders were panicking, Mark Hughes, who was rushing to the front point, failed to catch up with the header, but Keane, who was at the back post, was like a god descending from the sky, and shot the ball into the goal with a half-volley.

The Red Devils reversed their opponents 3:2!

Keane became the hero of the team after scoring the winning goal. Keane later recalled, "I am not the biggest contributor. Football is always like this. Victory comes from our entire team and our hard work until the very end. We were two goals behind at the beginning, but we did not give up under the encouragement of the coach. 2-0 is sometimes a double-edged sword. You may continue to score goals and win big, but you may also end up being ruined because of your conservatism. Manchester City was like this. They lost the opportunity because of their conservatism."

Keane said: "Even though we were two goals behind, the coach asked us to forget the score and continue to attack in order to win the final victory. We had to press forward, speed up, and attack desperately, even if the defense lost a few more goals. This spirit made us the final winners. After Cantona equalized the score, the initiative was in our hands. Some teams were satisfied after equalizing, but we were far from enough. We should have killed these guys with our own hands, they were too coquettish."

A classic, exciting, and Manchester United-style match ended like this, with Ferguson's team having the last laugh. Manchester City's center forward tactics really worked, with Quinn's two headers putting the Manchester United in a desperate situation, but Ferguson would never allow his players to give up, and the Manchester United players would never remain silent in the face of provocation. They quickly launched a fierce attack, continuously suppressing and consuming their opponents.

King Cantona scored consecutive goals, and Keane finally scored a goal, making this a thrilling reversal for the Red Devils!

This game established Cantona's leadership position in one fell swoop. Playing under pressure, firing on the enemy, helping the team win, and putting on a fantastic performance, he naturally became the club's superhero.

After the game, Cantona received more than 100 invitations to attend the celebration banquet and cocktail party, but the elegant Frenchman chose to celebrate with himself. Keane also received many calls. He was enthusiastically pursued by the fans. Friends and strangers blocked the exit of the stadium to invite Keane to have a few drinks.

After this battle, the Red Devils' dominance once again shocked the crowd.

Falling behind, making a comeback, never giving up until victory is achieved, this has become the unique label of the Red Devils.

"We are not afraid of falling behind, we are omnipotent, we will win in the end, and we will win forever!"

"We Manchester United are the champions, forever champions!"

The fans' singing became the best praise for the Red Devils' victory over setbacks and tests. The powerful Red Devils also tempered their will, forged nerves of steel, and built the belief that they would win in bloody battles.

The Red Devils achieved a great comeback, and Ferguson's team's performance shocked the entire football world. Ferguson said: "We accept falling behind, but we can't give up. We can fall behind, but we must fight and never give up until the end. My style is to win and eventually defeat the opponent."