The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 271 Huge Advantage

"The pleasure of the draw against Violent Ben was that Ferguson could humiliate Dalglish in person, while the significance of the big win over Oldham Athletic was to expand the lead."

--Inscription

On December 12, the Red Devils faced Blackburn Rovers in the 26nd round of the Premier League.

Back then, Blackburn Rovers was a wealthy team. The owner was a firm believer that money could win championships. In the first two seasons, he was willing to spend money to buy superstars and hire famous coaches. Under Dalglish's coaching, the owner listened to his advice and quickly formed a famous team with strong overall strength. The media once believed that the team had a chance to win the league championship.

Before the game, Dalglish declared that he wanted to destroy Manchester United, and even mentioned the old story of Keane's betrayal, and did not forget to mock Ferguson. Ferguson directly responded: "I have never seen a contract not signed and money not paid, but it is said that the matter is done. Keane joining us is the right thing to do. We understand Dalglish's sourness, because it is actually a relief for them to be unable to compete for the championship."

This match is a special arrangement for England. The "Boxing Day" after Christmas is generally a good day to receive gifts. Ferguson said before the game: "We will play hard and bring a special gift to the fans."

Amid the passionate cheering of the fans, the teams of the two famous Scottish coaches launched a fierce confrontation. Both teams were based in the midfield, strengthening the competition in the midfield, hoping to gain the advantage of ball possession, and then launch an attack on the spot. After the game started, everyone played very rough and tough, like sparks flying like Mars hitting the Earth. Blackburn took the lead and launched an attack after stealing the ball in the backcourt in the 18th minute. Their midfielder Leighton forced his body to withstand two tackles from the Red Devils players and continued to advance, then passed a very secretive ball behind him about 10 yards in front of the penalty area. Pallister made a low-level mistake when he was stealing the ball. He stretched his legs to try to steal the ball, but the ball slipped under his feet. Blackburn striker Peterson entered the penalty area and dribbled the ball skillfully when facing Bruce who was defending, and found a chance to shoot. Both of Manchester United's central defenders were deceived, and Bruce was also shaken off because he jumped too hard in the end. At this time, it was too late for Schmeichel to meet and block.

Peterson calmly shot the ball from 10 yards in front of the goal and hit the bottom right corner of Manchester United's goal, and the Red Devils fell behind 0-1.

Manchester United, who were behind, then launched a fierce attack. In the 24th minute, Irwin dribbled the ball from the backcourt to the frontcourt and then passed it forward. Giggs started quickly, passed the two opponent midfielders in a row, and crossed the ball near the bottom line of the penalty area. Hughes and McClair both rushed to the front of the goal, but they did not kick the ball after the interference of the opponent's central defender, and missed the best chance in front of the goal. In the 29th minute, Manchester United sent a throw-in from the right side of the frontcourt. After Cantona got the ball, he turned his back and used a fake move to get rid of the opponent's defender's close pressure, then turned to face the penalty area and continued to advance. His dribbling was then intercepted by the Blackburn defender. This tackle was very fierce, and he tackled the man and the ball together. Cantona and Manchester United players immediately asked the referee to blow a penalty, but the referee believed that the Blackburn defender tackled the ball first and the action was not a foul. In the 36th minute, Manchester United intercepted Blackburn's cross in the backcourt and quickly launched a counterattack. Ince made a long pass from the backcourt, and Giggs accelerated on the left side of his own backcourt. After nimbly passing the opponent's chasing defender, he dribbled into the penalty area, then dodged the angle and volleyed. Giggs's impact was very sharp, but unfortunately the final shot was too straight and was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper.

In the second half, the Red Devils launched a massive attack, completely suppressing the opponent, and it directly turned into a half-court offense and defense battle. Blackburn retreated across the board, and almost everyone retreated to their own half to defend. Manchester United continued to attack. In the 59th minute, Ings intercepted the ball in the frontcourt and launched a fast break without any delay. He made a short pass to Cantona, and the French striker took the ball and turned around, then passed it directly to the empty space on the left. Lee Sharp, who made a quick forward run, took the ball in time and rushed directly into the opponent's penalty area. At this time, there was no Blackburn defender in front of Sharp, and the goalkeeper was too timid to come out to intercept. Lee Sharp was under no pressure, but his shot flew away!

"Fuck you - Lee Sharpe!" Phelan on the Manchester United bench couldn't help but curse out loud!

Manchester United did not give up. In the 65th minute, the Red Devils launched another attack from the backcourt. Ince shot from the top of the penalty area, but the shot was too far and missed the target. In the 72nd minute, Manchester United continued to attack. Cantona controlled the ball on the left side of the frontcourt and passed it to Hughes when two opponent defenders came up to block him. Hughes retreated from the opponent's penalty area and took the ball with his back. He withdrew from the opponent's penalty area and held off the opponent's central defender to close the ball. He gave his teammates a chance to pass the ball at their feet. McClair received the ball and immediately shot. This shot went straight to the lower right corner of Blackburn, but was saved by Blackburn's goalkeeper who fell to the ground in time. After the 80th minute, Manchester United pressed the opponent with all their strength and kept trying various offensive means to pry open the violent Ben's turtle shell. The game became a half-court offense and defense. In the 83rd minute, Manchester United advanced in the middle. Cantona got the ball and faced two defenders. He made a two-pass wall combination with Hughes and passed the ball to Giggs at the far end. Giggs received the ball outside the penalty area and went straight to the bottom, but his cross still could not find his teammates and was cleared by the violent defender outside the small penalty area.

As the game slowly drew to a close, Ferguson was extremely anxious, but he now returned to the bench to watch the game instead of standing on the sidelines to urge the players. After the game, he said: "I actually called for almost the entire second half. At that time, I thought the team would definitely score a goal, so I changed my position to watch the game."

In the 89th minute, Manchester United launched the final attack. Pallister made a long pass to the opponent's half. Lee Sharpe received the ball on the left and rushed forward. He rushed all the way to the bottom line and passed the ball to the Blackburn penalty area. He almost had a single shot, but unfortunately the opponent's defender fell to the ground and blocked the ball out of the bottom line. The Red Devils immediately sent a corner kick. Lee Sharpe sent a very high cross. Schmeichel also rushed to the opponent's penalty area to compete for the header. Bruce rushed to the landing point in the crowd. They and Pallister were almost squeezed together. The two defenders of the opponent were also fighting for position. Pallister took a run-up and jumped up. He flew up and jumped the highest and headed the ball directly in front of the goal. McClair took over and headed the ball in front of the goal, but the opponent's goalkeeper reacted quickly and miraculously blocked it and blocked it out of the goal. At this time, there was chaos in the Blackburn penalty area. McClair and Ince kicked the ball at the same time when the ball fell, and the opponent's defender was too late to block it. Amidst the flash of swords and sabers, Manchester United midfielder Ings arrived first and shot the ball directly into the opponent's goal!

1-1——The Red Devils equalized at the last minute!

Manchester United players celebrated wildly on the field, and the TV camera focused on the livid Dalglish and the high-spirited Ferguson, which was also a vivid summary of the game.

After the game, Dalglish was interviewed and believed that Blackburn should have won. "That stoppage-time goal should not have existed. We were interfered with by our opponents in the game, but we were not treated fairly!"

Ferguson responded, "Blackburn had at least three fouls in this game that should have been awarded penalties, and one foul in the backcourt that should have been given a yellow card, and then the accumulation of two yellow cards turned into a red card. Our game here was completely disrupted by fouls, but in the end our courage and hard work paid off."

"From the whole game, we should have won. We beat our opponent at home. I don't know how Kenny can face his boss."

This is indeed the case. After the game, the owner of Blackburn was very angry. He could not accept that his team played so conservatively and passively, and he did not accept Dalglish's explanation, "I need a beautiful victory, a wonderful goal, and an expanded score. I don't want to see all this now!"

Manchester United's players did their best to win, and they were praised by the coach after the game. Ferguson was indeed very happy. Even though they did not beat Blackburn Rovers directly on the field, it was a great feeling to be far ahead of Dalglish, their old enemy, in the standings.

This month, the Red Devils received more good news. Kanchelskis' wife gave birth to a lovely son, and Ferguson generously gave him enough paternity leave.

Kanchelskis' return also brought joy to the Red Devils team, and he is now enjoying life in Manchester. Kanchelskis not only settled his family in Manchester, but also bought a property in Kiev, so that his mother and several relatives at home can also be taken care of.

Manchester United then faced Oldham Athletic in the 23rd round of the Premier League.

Kanchelskis, who returned to Carrington, actively asked for a match, and Ferguson agreed to put him in the starting lineup. In addition to the Ukrainian Express, Ferguson also sent out all the main players, striving to take the initiative in the game and win the opponent.

The game was full of sparks and tension, and the media were attracted by the intense and exciting scene. Manchester United had a near-perfect start, but there were also some frightening moments.

Kanchelskis showed his prowess. He was very active at the beginning of the game. In the 11th minute, he dribbled the ball forward in his own backcourt, played a match with Lee Sharpe, and then led the ball into the opponent's hinterland. When the opponent's defenders noticed him, he passed the ball to Cantona in time. Cantona attracted the opponent's attention and then passed it back diagonally. This match broke through the opponent's defense line at once. Kanchelskis dribbled the ball into the penalty area without any obstruction. His first shot was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper, but he followed up with a shot and helped Manchester United score.

Manchester United took the lead 1-0.

Oldham Athletic responded quickly. Five minutes after Manchester United scored, they launched a sharp attack. No. 5 Steele dribbled the ball to the Manchester United penalty area line. After shaking off Bruce, he directly kicked the ball into the middle. Manchester United left back Irwin cleared the ball not far away, and the ball fell to the feet of Oldham's No. 25 player. He shot the ball directly into the lower right corner of Manchester United's goal. 14-1 - Oldham Athletic tied the score!

After being tied by the opponent, Manchester United did not panic, but quickly seized the opponent's loopholes and launched a simple and fast attack. In the 23rd minute, the goalkeeper of Oldham Athletic sent a long pass to Manchester United's half. Bruce headed the ball near the center line. Kanchelskis started quickly, and Giggs came back to receive the ball in the opponent's half. In a flash, Giggs stepped on the ball while running and passed the ball to Kanchelskis who was running beside him with his heel. The Ukrainian Express began to show his speed advantage. He led the ball forward and then directly raced with the two defenders of the opponent. In the end, Kanchelskis won the advantage with speed and rushed into the penalty area with the ball. When he almost broke into the penalty area and formed a single knife, the opponent's defender decisively kicked him down. But what made the Oldham Athletic defender regretful was that he misjudged. When he kicked, Kanchelskis had already entered the penalty area. The referee blew the long whistle and a penalty!

Cantona easily shot the ball into the upper left corner, and Manchester United led 2-1!

Oldham soon launched a counterattack and scored a stunning long-distance free kick, tenaciously tying Manchester United twice.

Ferguson was not impatient at all standing on the sidelines, he knew his team still had enough firepower. Manchester United quickly forced a corner kick in the 31st minute, Irwin sent a sharp arc pass, Bruce headed the ball in front of the goal, and the ball hit the opponent's goal in a flash, and the goalkeeper of Oldham Athletic did not have time to react.

Manchester United leads 3-2!

In the second half, Manchester United stabilized the midfield and launched counterattacks while the opponent was eager to attack. In the 53rd minute, Cantona took the ball in the midfield and passed it behind the opponent. Giggs successfully beat the offside and rushed into the penalty area. He calmly shot the ball in the face of the opponent's goalkeeper's block. Although the opponent's goalkeeper blocked the ball, there was no way to prevent the goal.

Manchester United extended their lead to 4-2.

The Red Devils basically secured the victory. In the 78th minute, Cantona made a long pass from the left midfield. This precise pass went into the opponent's penalty area. Lee Sharpe at the back point jumped high and headed the ball towards the goal. Keane and Giggs rushed to the goal line at the same time and shot at the same time, changing the score to 5 to 2!

At the end of the game, Manchester United defeated their opponent.

After the December games, the Red Devils had 12 points in 23 games, 56 points ahead of second-placed Blackburn. The media published a picture of Ferguson scoring 14 points and 1993 goals in 102, exaggerating the team's power.

The Red Devils are now really good under Ferguson's command. The whole team is united, and they have fully utilized their own advantages in tactics. The speed and rhythm are very well controlled. The attack line with Cantona as the core is extremely powerful. He scored goals and assisted in the frontcourt. He is simply omnipotent. The midfield combination created by Ince and Keane is very solid. Not only that, Ince and Keane also scored goals one after another. The attacking power is not much inferior, adding a three-dimensional firepower point to the Red Devils.

Where is Liverpool, the once powerful team? They are in the middle of the standings and have already fallen behind.