Chapter 511: The Joy of Victory
Huh?
Courtois just saw Bruno swing his left leg up, but suddenly his leg dropped down? It was so fast... it didn't look like a shot. "Chip shot!" flashed through Courtois's mind.
The ball flew past Courtois's hand; he had no way to stop it. The shot was so fast that Courtois couldn't even follow the ball with his eyes. He lost sight of his target, so naturally, his hands missed the ball...
"Bruno goes one-on-one! A beautiful chip shot! It's in! It's in!" Even before the ball crossed the line, Lineker couldn't wait to announce it loudly.
With such an open goal and no one else in the way, Courtois was Chelsea's last line of defense. How could this ball not go in?
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!"
Bruno finally had the chance to celebrate his goal properly. He jumped over the fallen Courtois and ran towards the corner flag, raising his arms like a victorious gladiator, roaring towards the stands.
When his teammates rushed over to pat him on the shoulder, he turned and roared at them as well.
...
"2:1! 2:1! Manchester United has turned the game around with Bruno's two goals in the second half after conceding the first goal!"
"What an exhilarating match! Manchester United looks set to defeat Chelsea away from home! The last time United beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League was during Sir Alex Ferguson's final season, where they narrowly won 3:2."
"Since that match, United has not won at Stamford Bridge in the league for four years, with a record of 1 draw and 3 losses, including last season's 2:5 defeat."
Lineker was beyond excited. He wasn't a Manchester United fan, but he was a Bruno fan, and Bruno's outstanding performance made him happy.
Meanwhile, at Stamford Bridge, the 2,000-plus United fans who had traveled were ecstatic. After Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, they finally witnessed United defeating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge again.
However, the entire Stamford Bridge was still filled with boos and curses. As the away team, the 2,000-plus United fans were minuscule compared to nearly 40,000 Chelsea fans.
"This is unbelievable... Bruno's goal in the 84th minute has pushed Chelsea into the abyss!"
"Manchester United has turned the game around 2:1! The match isn't over yet, and Chelsea still has a chance! But I have to applaud Manchester United. They have shown incredible courage and strength! I think the betting companies are right to make them the top favorites for the Premier League title this season..."
...
Commentators praised Manchester United, while the Chelsea bench was in despair. Conte angrily slammed his hand on the bench roof.
"Is my team really going to miss out on the Premier League title again?" he thought.
"No, call Batshuayi back!" he shouted to his assistant coach.
The Chelsea assistant coach quickly ran out to call back the warming-up young player Batshuayi.
On United's bench, Mourinho was hugging his colleagues joyfully. Bruno's second goal meant that victory was within reach for United.
After being kicked out by his former club Chelsea, Mourinho had been humiliated. The defending champions had dropped to 15 points after 16 rounds, almost falling into the relegation zone—a real disgrace!
Mourinho had been betrayed by his own players. He couldn't understand their mindset because it didn't benefit them either.
But this didn't stop Mourinho from remembering everything that happened at Stamford Bridge. From that moment, Mourinho had been plotting his revenge.
Unfortunately, last season when United visited Stamford Bridge, not only did they fail to take revenge, but they also suffered a 2:5 defeat, adding insult to injury.
Although United secured a 3:0 victory at home and eliminated Chelsea 4:1 in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho never felt the satisfaction of avenging his grudge.
Today, he finally achieved his goal; United defeated Chelsea away from home.
"Awesome! Haha!"
Mourinho laughed heartily.
...
In the stands, Jassim raised his arms and jumped from his seat when Bruno's shot hit the back of the net, then accepted congratulations from those around him.
"Congratulations, Your Highness."
"Your team performed excellently; qualifying is well-deserved, Jassim."
...
Everyone extended their hands to congratulate him, and Jassim thanked each one.
At this moment, what Jassim really wanted was not to exchange pleasantries with these VIPs but to cheer loudly. Seeing the dream he had started twenty years ago becoming a reality bit by bit gave him an immense sense of achievement.
Jassim felt that the best and most correct decision of his life was listening to Bruno's advice to buy Manchester United Football Club, starting a twenty-year dream.
Finally finishing his greetings, Jassim had the time to express his emotions like a regular fan. He unfolded his Manchester United scarf, holding it high, and sang with the fans below.
Before becoming the owner of Manchester United, he was a fan of the football team.
Not far from Jassim, Chelsea's owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, had a face like thunder.
In the past two seasons, his investment in the transfer market, although not as much as the Manchester clubs, was still substantial. Last year, he spent £120 million, with a net investment of nearly £100 million; this summer, the total investment exceeded £200 million, with a net investment of nearly £150 million, second only to the Manchester clubs in Europe.
But such significant investment hadn't brought Chelsea even one trophy!
Watching the triumphant United owner not far away, Abramovich's mood worsened.
...
United players celebrated wildly. If not for the referee's intervention, they could have celebrated until the 90-minute mark.
As the match resumed, Chelsea made a substitution. Batshuayi replaced Willian, who hadn't performed well. Conte switched to a double-tower tactic, changing to a 3-3-4 formation, hoping to turn the game around in the simplest way possible.
After the match restarted, Chelsea launched a fierce attack on United's goal.
Just as United didn't want to lose, Chelsea, playing at home, even more so didn't want to lose to United. In football, if you can't win, don't lose; a draw is better than a loss.
After four minutes of stoppage time, the referee finally blew the full-time whistle!
"The match is over! Manchester United has come from behind to beat Chelsea 2:1 at Stamford Bridge! Bruno was outstanding, scoring twice and being the key player in United's comeback!"
"The referee blows for full time! What a thrilling match! Chelsea had pushed United to the brink, but United turned the tables, pushing Chelsea to the edge. Mourinho and United have avenged last season's heavy defeat at Stamford Bridge!"
"United's performance was remarkable and worthy of respect! Among them, Bruno's performance was the most spectacular, making him the deserved Man of the Match!"
The TV cameras followed Bruno closely, evidence of his Man of the Match status.
Scoring two goals and completely dominating the match, who else but Bruno could deserve the title of Man of the Match?
...
On the sidelines, Mourinho shook hands with Conte.
Conte, having lost, looked grim. After losing this match, Chelsea, although still fourth in the standings due to goal difference, were now 14 points behind the leaders, United!
Only 11 rounds into the league, and they were 14 points behind the top; Conte knew the immense pressure he would face.
He even wondered if his time at Stamford Bridge was counting down.
Chelsea's owner Abramovich, despite being immensely supportive of the team and liked by coaches, was not a patient man.
Even Mourinho, who had led Chelsea to three Premier League titles, was unceremoniously sacked by Abramovich when results dipped.
With huge spending on signings but no trophies to show, Abramovich would have no hesitation in firing Conte.
Conte looked at Mourinho approaching him, seeing in him his own looming fate at Chelsea.
Despite his great joy from avenging his grudge, Mourinho controlled his emotions, wearing a polite smile.
Being the winner feels so good!
The media swarmed the star players, eager to hear their thoughts on the match. Especially Bruno, who scored twice and was the center of attention. As he left his teammates' embrace, he was surrounded by reporters and countless microphones.
"Tell us how you feel about winning against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge?"
"Congratulations on scoring twice at Stamford Bridge! Can you share your thoughts...?"
...