Chapter 417: Ibrahimovic: When It Counts, You Can Count on Me
As the match entered the 80th minute, the broadcast screen displayed the possession stats. Due to Liverpool's aggressive play, they led possession with 53% to United's 47%. Liverpool also surpassed United in shots, with 16 to United's 14, and had seven shots on target compared to United's five.
Liverpool was gradually gaining the upper hand, which was also partly because United had pulled back. After taking the lead and with time running out, Mourinho instructed the team to adopt a more defensive counter-attacking strategy. This wasn't because Mourinho preferred to defend by nature but because the situation demanded it.
Liverpool's offensive pressure was immense. Watching it on video might not convey the intensity, but facing it on the field made it clear just how much pressure the team was under.
From the sidelines, Klopp saw his team still hadn't scored and wanted to send in more attacking players. But he was out of options; he even had to bring in a young player, Ejaria, from the reserve team to complete the squad for today. With Coutinho and Sturridge already on the pitch, Klopp had no more cards to play in attack. Frustrated, he could only adjust the players' positions, moving Wijnaldum to center-back and pushing full-backs Milner and Arnold further up the field to bolster the attack.
"Liverpool has changed their formation. I think Klopp would have preferred to send on another powerful striker, but he has no such player available. Before the season started, Klopp asked Liverpool's management for a classic center forward, like Lewandowski. But the owners didn't fulfill his request. Now, he must be wishing for a striker who can break the deadlock in this stalemate."
With Milner and Arnold moving up to midfield, Liverpool shifted to a 3-4-3 formation, signaling Klopp's intent to intensify the attack. For Klopp, this was the last gamble; he couldn't afford to let his team lose to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Klopp was well aware of United's dangerous counter-attacks, but at this moment, he couldn't worry about defense. Without a goal, the best defense wouldn't help him overcome Liverpool's deficit. He needed goals.
"The match has entered the final ten minutes. Liverpool is making a last-ditch effort..."
On the other side, Mourinho also made a substitution, bringing on Luke Shaw, who had recently recovered from injury, to replace Darmian and strengthen the left side of the defense against Liverpool's assault.
Compared to Klopp's lack of options, Mourinho had a wealth of choices. United's bench still had players like Rashford, Fellaini, Luke Shaw, Rojo, and Romero, allowing Mourinho to adjust personnel across all three lines. United's strength in depth allowed Mourinho to make tactical changes with ease.
...
After coming on, Luke Shaw delivered Mourinho's latest instructions to Bruno: reduce the number of forward runs and focus more on defense, using long passes for counter-attacks when opportunities arise. If Bruno had to carry the ball himself, he should do so, but the team wouldn't provide much support for attacking plays.
In defense, Kanté marked Coutinho, Gündoğan oversaw the overall defensive play, and Bruno's target was Henderson.
For the remaining ten minutes, Liverpool pushed nearly all their players past the halfway line, launching wave after wave of attacks that left United struggling to lift their heads.
"Sadio Mané with a long shot!"
"The ball hits Maguire and bounces out..."
"Sturridge tries to break through! He's down! Liverpool players are appealing for a penalty, but the referee says no... The replay shows Sturridge went down rather easily..."
"Coutinho's moves are so light, he nutmegs Kanté! Beautiful! But Kanté quickly recovers..."
"Now it's a duel between Bruno and Henderson! Two midfield generals... Henderson is under strong pressure, and Bruno's tight marking makes it hard for him to deliver dangerous passes..."
"Arnold should step up now... but he's too young, and this match might be too intense for him."
"Milner's performance in midfield is just average. After all, he's 31, a veteran..."
"Mané, Mané, Mané! He's so fast! He beats Valencia to the ball! Crosses it in! De Gea punches it out, and Sturridge misses the follow-up! Listen to the gasps from the stands... what a close call!"
...
Henderson focused more on dealing with Bruno, leaving Coutinho to handle the playmaking. Liverpool needed Coutinho to orchestrate their attacks. His teammates passed him the ball.
With Kanté marking him tightly, Coutinho knew that if he stood still, he would lose the ball. As soon as he received the ball, he kept moving. When he got the pass, he drove forward and then made a sharp turn. Kanté paused momentarily, thinking it was a feint, but Coutinho continued to advance diagonally.
Bruno also left Henderson to help in defense. Henderson was still far from goal and not an immediate threat. If Coutinho passed to Henderson, Bruno could still cover him in time.
Bruno didn't go after Milner or Arnold but directly targeted Coutinho, teaming up with Kanté to sandwich him like the filling in a sandwich. Coutinho knew the danger of facing both Bruno and Kanté. If they both closed in, the attack would be over.
He had to pass the ball before they could trap him. While running diagonally to the right, with Arnold and Sturridge on that side, everyone expected him to pass to the wing. Instead, Coutinho made a reverse diagonal pass with the inside of his right foot, threading the ball through the gap beside Kanté.
It was a great no-look pass, but... the ball went straight to a Manchester United player!
Gündoğan had read Coutinho's intention and intercepted the ball ahead of Mané!
...
United immediately launched a quick counter-attack. The camera panned to reveal Ibrahimovic behind all of Liverpool's defenders, making a diagonal run into the box to receive the ball!
"Offside!" Several Liverpool defenders raised their hands in protest.
But the referee and linesman did not react!
"Zlatan— Ibrahimovic!!" The commentator was ecstatic.
Receiving Gündoğan's pass in the box, Ibrahimovic didn't adjust the ball. He turned and shot immediately! The ball flew past Mignolet's outstretched hand towards the far corner...
And everyone in the stadium and watching on TV saw the ball brush past the far post and cross the goal line!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!" The commentator exploded, "Zlatan! Zlatan! Zlatan Ibrahimovic!"
"In the 86th minute, United scored again! 3-1!"
"Ibrahimovic has secured the victory for United!"
Mourinho leaped up, arms wide open, running out onto the pitch— it was his moment to celebrate wildly.
After scoring, Ibrahimovic ran to the sideline, waving his arms and shouting in triumph.
Despite his earlier underwhelming performance, Ibrahimovic was overlooked, with Liverpool's defense focusing on Rooney, Mata, and Bruno. They forgot about Ibrahimovic...
...
After three minutes of stoppage time, the match ended. United defeated Liverpool 3-1 after a hard-fought 90 minutes, completing a double over Liverpool this season.
This victory marked United's 20th win in the Premier League this season, maintaining their eight-point lead at the top of the table. United's exceptional form was matched by Chelsea, whose record was identical to United's since their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the sixth round.
In the post-match press conference, Klopp said, "We need to be braver. We created a lot of space and scored, but we didn't have enough luck in the end. I'm very unhappy with this result, even angry. Tonight, I need to reflect on the team's performance."
"It was a tense and intense match. Both teams played with great passion. It was a wild encounter. In the final minutes, both we and our opponents got more physical. We came here to win, but the result is painful for us."
Mourinho commented, "It was a thrilling match, even for neutral fans. Liverpool and our fans kept their emotions high until the final second. The game was of high quality; we showed our strength, and so did Liverpool. Overall, it was an exciting, intense, and aggressive match. We fought until the last moment."
"Liverpool was very clever. They remained composed, knew how to control their emotions, and played their game. We were the attacking team, and Liverpool was the defensive one. I enjoyed the match, and I'm satisfied with the three points."
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