Chapter 738: "This Damn Football!"
Mourinho stood on the sidelines, arms raised high, shouting in protest. He insisted Henderson had committed a foul.
However, referee Damir Skomina waved play on. Liverpool's attack culminated in a high cross from Arnold, with Firmino's header saved by De Gea, who tipped it over the crossbar. Liverpool earned consecutive corner kicks.
Mourinho continued his tirade on the touchline, clearly displeased by Skomina's refusal to call the foul on Henderson. His complaints drew the attention of the fourth official, who warned him to quiet down or risk a yellow card from the referee.
Reluctantly, Mourinho stopped arguing but remained on the edge of the technical area, watching nervously.
Liverpool's Corner
Robertson delivered the corner into the box, but the quality was subpar. De Gea leapt high, collecting the ball cleanly mid-air.
The Spanish goalkeeper quickly advanced to the edge of his penalty area, launching a powerful throw to Gundogan to initiate a counterattack.
Liverpool, fired up from their recent attacks, had most of their players—including Robertson, Arnold, Fabinho, and Koulibaly—pushed past the halfway line. Only Matip and captain Henderson remained in Liverpool's half.
As soon as Gundogan received the ball, Bruno Fernandes signaled with a diagonal run, urging for a pass. Henderson tracked Bruno, moving forward to intercept him.
Meanwhile, Robertson abandoned his defensive position to pressure Gundogan, leaving a significant gap behind him.
Exploiting Space
Gundogan initially intended to pass to Bruno but noticed the empty space left behind Robertson. A better option presented itself: Mason Greenwood was surging forward, aiming for that very space.
Robertson realized his mistake too late. He attempted to stop and chase Greenwood but was already a step behind.
Henderson stayed with Bruno, while Robertson scrambled to pursue Greenwood. Koulibaly sprinted back, but the Liverpool defense was in disarray. Matip was caught between marking Kane and Rashford, effectively tasked with covering two players.
Gundogan seized the opportunity, sending an accurate lobbed pass toward Bruno.
Henderson tried to muscle Bruno off the ball but struggled against the Portuguese midfielder's strength. Frustrated, Henderson resorted to fouling Bruno, who tumbled to the ground.
Before falling, however, Bruno executed a brilliant first-time volleyed pass, redirecting the ball forward. Referee Skomina allowed play to continue, signaling advantage.
Rashford's Breakaway
The ball reached Harry Kane, who had his back to goal. Matip moved in to challenge him, but Kane deftly headed the ball into Rashford's path.
"Rashford! He's through on goal!"
Rashford collected the ball just outside the box. Alisson charged out of his goal, cutting down the angle and appearing as a towering presence before Rashford.
Instinctively, Rashford attempted a quick shot.
Boom!
Alisson stretched his leg, managing to deflect the ball.
Liverpool fans in the stands erupted in cheers, but their celebrations were cut short when a red-shirted United player darted forward to meet the loose ball.
Greenwood's Heroics
It was Mason Greenwood. He calmly struck the ball with a low, precise shot, sending it rolling into the open net.
Koulibaly's desperate sliding tackle failed to connect with the ball. The Senegalese defender slid into the net as the ball nestled inside.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!"
"Greenwood! Greenwood! Mason Greenwood! His alertness and composure have restored Manchester United's lead!"
"It's in! It's in! 4-3! Manchester United takes the lead for the fourth time in this incredible final!"
"What a breathtaking counterattack! Liverpool's defenders gave everything to recover, and Alisson even denied Rashford's one-on-one chance. But Greenwood was there to finish it off!"
Commentator Reactions
"Alisson did all he could—his save on Rashford was world-class. But where was Robertson when Greenwood took that shot?" lamented a Liverpool-supporting commentator.
"Alisson had no chance with that rebound. Against a counterattack as swift and deadly as this, he can't be blamed. It's his defenders who let him down," another commentator remarked.
In the Liverpool technical area, Klopp buried his head in his hands, visibly frustrated. Across the field, Mourinho celebrated jubilantly with his staff, exuding confidence.
For Klopp and Liverpool, the challenge now was not just tactical but psychological. Could they muster a fourth equalizer in a final as relentless as this?
"Seventy-seven minutes! At the 77th minute, Manchester United leads Liverpool 4-3. What an incredible match this has been! Manchester United has taken the lead for the fourth time. Can Liverpool equalize for the fourth time as well?"
On the sidelines, Mourinho leapt into the air, raising his arms in celebration. He clapped his hands vigorously, shouting in pride for his players' performance.
Three leads. Three equalizers. Most teams would have mentally crumbled by now.
In this context, for Manchester United to score their fourth goal and reclaim the lead at 4-3 was even more remarkable than if Liverpool had turned the game around. The team fighting back to equalize gradually builds momentum and confidence, while the team repeatedly overtaken faces mounting pressure.
With just over ten minutes left, Mourinho made more substitutions. Jesse Lingard replaced Harry Kane, who had scored United's third goal. Rashford also made way for Riyad Mahrez.
This reshuffled United's attacking trio, with Greenwood moving to center-forward, flanked by Mahrez and Mata.
Liverpool also made changes, with Fabinho being substituted for Divock Origi. Klopp replaced a holding midfielder with a striker, switching to a two-forward system for an all-out gamble.
Trailing 4-3, Liverpool launched a relentless and almost desperate offensive. They created several chances that threatened United's goal but failed to find the net.
Then, in the 89th minute, a Manchester United counterattack extinguished Liverpool's hopes.
The Decisive Counterattack
Gundogan launched a perfect lofted ball from midfield, finding Bruno Fernandes breaking through Liverpool's defensive line.
"Bruno! What a breakthrough! Beautiful! He's past him!"
"Matip's been beaten! He's completely helpless against Bruno!"
Bruno surged past Matip, forcing Koulibaly into a rushed attempt to cover. Bruno, cool as ever, sent a precise cross into the box.
And there was Lingard—ghosting into the penalty area like a phantom.
"No offside!"
"He's beaten the trap!"
The commentators' voices rose with excitement.
Lingard's Precision
Lingard was indeed onside. He caught up to the ball and took one touch to adjust.
Media outlets often praise Lingard for his sharp instincts inside the box. But beyond that, his first-touch control is something many forwards envy.
Lingard deftly used his left foot to push the ball slightly into position before unleashing a well-placed shot.
Liverpool's goalkeeper, Alisson, dove to save, but the shot was perfectly angled. Alisson's outstretched arms couldn't reach it.
The ball bounced once in front of the goal and nestled into the bottom left corner of the net, brushing the side netting as it went in.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!"
"Lingard! Lingard!! Lingard!!! Oh my God, Lingard scores after Bruno's setup! A clinical finish to make it 5-3! This seals the victory and the Champions League title for Manchester United!"
"Glory to Lingard!"
"Glory to Manchester United!"
"United! United! United! We are United! The glory belongs to us!"
"We are the champions!"
In the stands at the Wanda Metropolitano, in bars across Madrid and Manchester, and in countless other places where fans had gathered to watch, Manchester United supporters erupted into ecstatic celebrations.
The Turning Point
With the 89th-minute goal, United led 5-3, their first two-goal lead of the match.
With so little time remaining, it was almost certain: Manchester United would defeat Liverpool and ascend to European glory for the second consecutive year.
The Red Devils were poised to become the second team in the Champions League era to defend their title successfully, following Real Madrid's feat just two years earlier.
Ten years ago, United had the chance to make history as the first team to defend the title in the Champions League era. But Pep Guardiola's Barcelona thwarted them in the 2009 final, heralding the dawn of the Catalan club's dominance.
That fateful night at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome was seen as the turning point in Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Empire.
Though Ferguson returned two years later to contend for Europe's crown again, it was merely the twilight of an era.
When Ferguson retired in the summer of 2013, Manchester United's Red Empire crumbled entirely, plunging the club into years of mediocrity.
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