Chapter 855: The Uncertainties of Fate
The aftershocks of the crushing defeat in Paris lingered, and even a subsequent draw against Chelsea failed to dispel them.
On the night of March 3rd, in a brought-forward Round 29 Premier League fixture, Manchester United were held to a 0–0 draw away at Crystal Palace.
Originally, Round 29 was scheduled for the first weekend of late March, but due to the FA Cup, several fixtures were moved into the midweek slot.
Crystal Palace sat 13th in the table, 10 points above the relegation zone—a classic mid-table Premier League side. Yet, despite United's dominance in general play, they could not convert that superiority into victory.
In fact, Palace's sharp counters repeatedly threatened United's goal and nearly beat David de Gea. Fortunately, De Gea was solid, preserving the 0–0 to full time.
A day earlier, Manchester City had beaten an in-form West Ham United 2–1, claiming a 13th straight league win to pull within one point of United.
With United drawing again, and both sides level on 27 matches played, United's lead had been cut to just two points.
Coincidentally, the next round for both teams was the second Manchester derby of the season, with United visiting the Etihad to face City.
Thus, the derby was framed as a title decider, a summit clash that could determine the season's Premier League champion.
...
Cast the mind back a month to early February: a rampant United had thrashed Southampton 9–0 in Round 22, leading the table by 10 points and seeming to sprint away toward a fifth straight title.
Who could have imagined United would quickly hit a slump—one win and four draws in five league fixtures—squandering the entire 10-point cushion?
Now, the two sides met under completely different circumstances.
United still held a two-point advantage, but their recent league form was poor, dropping eight points in five matches, and the 1–4 defeat in Europe had added to a sense of collapse.
City, by contrast, were flying—thirteen straight league wins and victories across all fronts, twenty-one consecutive in all competitions—arguably the most in-form team in Europe.
Under such conditions, few believed United could win at the Etihad.
But football is a game of wonders.
Just as everyone expected City to win at home, overtake United at the summit, and end United's long domestic dominance, the derby delivered the most unexpected result.
After only 35 seconds, Kylian Mbappé's lateral burst in the box earned a penalty.
United captain Bruno converted with authority.
City 0–1 United, away!
In the 49th minute, United doubled the lead. David de Gea rolled the ball out to Luke Shaw, who thundered forward into the box, exchanged a quick combination, and fired home. United 2–0 up away!
In the end, United beat City 2–0 at the Etihad, ending City's 13-match league winning streak and 21-match streak in all competitions, while stretching the lead atop the table back to five points.
Truly, fate twists and turns in unexpected ways!
...
On March 12th, in Round 28 of the Premier League, José Mourinho rotated the squad, resting Bruno, Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Marcus Rashford on the bench.
In the first half, Mason Greenwood struck the frame of the goal, and it finished 0–0 at the break against West Ham United. In the second half, substitute Bruno scored the winner, while Greenwood hit the woodwork again—twice to the frame for the match.
United won 1–0 at Old Trafford, making it two straight league victories and maintaining a five-point lead at the top.
Four days later, United would host the second leg of the 2020–2021 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain.
Having lost 1–4 away in the first leg, many media and fans considered United effectively eliminated, with the second leg little more than a formality and PSG already penciled into the quarterfinals.
March 16, 2021—thirty minutes before the match of global focus.
United arrived at the stadium half an hour earlier than usual and completed their warm-up fifteen minutes ahead of their normal schedule.
In the home dressing room at the Millennium Stadium.
The players were surprised to find the windows and doors closed, blinds down, and the lights dim.
...
Suddenly, the dim lights went out completely, and a projector cast images onto a white screen.
"That's our match against Paris Saint-Germain!" someone called.
The edited footage quickly recapped the game, focusing on PSG's four goals and the massive celebrations outside the Parc des Princes.
This was the local Paris broadcast recording, obtained by United staff—shot from PSG's perspective.
Although the match had been played behind closed doors, many PSG fans had gathered outside to celebrate immediately after the win.
"This is Paris Saint-Germain! This is their overwhelming strength!" the local commentator raved. "United's resistance crumbled under PSG's relentless stars! This is our PSG! The great PSG! We can already say it—we are in the last eight!"
The last thing heard in the footage was the commentator's triumphant proclamation.
To ensure clarity, United's team provided translated subtitles for the final commentary in Portuguese, French, and German.
The image froze on a sea of fluttering flags and cheering crowds outside the Parc des Princes.
...
A brief silence fell over the room.
"Lights on."
The lights flicked back.
"After we lost to PSG, I banned you from talking about them, and from watching that match's footage or reading about it. Do you know why?"
Mourinho walked slowly down the aisle between the seats, speaking as he moved.
"The media say I was shaken—afraid the defeat would affect the team—so I chose silence, chose to run away!"
He suddenly raised his voice. "Bullshit! Nonsense! Am I that fragile? Are you the kind of weaklings who can't take a hit?"
"Answer me!"
(END CHAPTER)
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