The next day, shops and pubs inside and outside Old Trafford were repeatedly playing the interview from the previous night.
This greatly displeased the traveling Arsenal fans, but in truth, as an Arsenal legend praising a United player, it indirectly confirmed Ling's terrifying strength.
At 2:30 p.m. local time, players from both teams walked out of the tunnel.
Blinding spotlights flashed above the pitch to a stirring, dramatic melody, part of Manchester United's recently revamped opening ceremony aimed at creating a more intimidating matchday atmosphere.
This was followed by a hype video introducing the Manchester United players on the big screens, ending with the starting lineups for both teams.
Since N'Golo Kante had played the full exhausting match against Chelsea in the previous game, Mourinho placed him on the bench today, planning to bring him on only if needed in the second half.
Additionally, Arsenal's current physical strength in midfield wasn't particularly impressive, making it a good opportunity to test Scott McTominay from the start.
After exchanging pennants with Aaron Ramsey, Ling correctly guessed the coin toss and decisively chose to take the kickoff.
Manchester United aimed to start extremely aggressively today, hoping to secure an early lead and then manage the game with minimal effort.
After all, the massive English League Cup final against City was just a few days away, and they needed to conserve as much energy as possible.
Manchester City still firmly held the top spot in the league standings, not by luck, but by genuine, terrifying ability.
BEEP!!!
The piercing whistle signaled the start of the match, and both teams clashed like ancient armies, their formations instantly intertwining in the center circle.
Peter Drury: "Under the floodlights of Old Trafford, two giants of the English game renew hostilities! Unai Emery still hasn't given up on reshaping Arsenal's tactics, even though they've dropped dangerously to sixth in the standings."
Jim Beglin: "Emery's 3-4-2-1 formation certainly offers advantages in possession-based play, Peter, but it comes with glaring weaknesses in transition, especially on the flanks. It's no surprise Mourinho started Ashley Young today with the clear aim of exploiting those exact wings."
Just as Jim Beglin finished analyzing the basic tactical situation, a significant change occurred on the pitch.
Pogba received a diagonal pass from Wan-Bissaka, smoothly feinted past Alex Iwobi's half-hearted pressing with a quick body move, and immediately delivered a beautiful, sweeping long pass!
This season, Pogba's position had shifted slightly from a pure defensive midfielder to a roaming attacking midfielder.
With the addition of Kante as a tireless ball-winning machine behind him, Pogba had gradually found his stellar form from the French national team, becoming increasingly bold and creative in his play.
Ling moved quickly near the left flank, holding off Hector Bellerin as the ball dropped.
Can a smaller, technical player overpower a physical beast? Most people would say no, and in reality, that's exactly what happened here.
Ling felt no pressure at all from the Spaniard, leaped effortlessly into the air, and flicked the ball perfectly with his head, passing it into the path of the aggressively overlapping Ashley Young.
'What a perfect delivery!' Ashley Young marveled inwardly, controlling the ball perfectly in stride as he charged at full speed toward the Arsenal byline.
After passing, Ling immediately turned and sprinted forward like a gazelle, his trajectory clearly aimed at the near post of the penalty area.
Shkodran Mustafi's nerves instantly tightened as he closely watched Ling's every rapid move.
Having suffered far too many humiliating setbacks against United before, he understood Ling's abilities all too well.
'Absolutely cannot let him receive the ball here!' Mustafi thought, following closely, step for step, keeping tight.
Ashley Young suddenly decelerated and stopped sharply on the wing, creating about half a body's worth of space from his defender, seemingly intending to curl a right-footed cross toward the far post of the penalty area.
But suddenly noticing Ling's darting movement to the near post, Young decisively swung his foot early for a zipped, low cross.
Within the Manchester United squad, Ling held an exceptional tactical status, one that even Pogba couldn't match.
Of course, this wasn't just Mourinho's tactical intention—it was also the active, natural request of the Manchester United players on the pitch.
If it were Raheem Sterling, Edinson Cavani, Lukaku, or other "happy-go-lucky" strikers making that run, they certainly wouldn't receive such immediate, trusting service.
But Ling's ability to seize half-chances was undeniable.
"Beautiful!" Ling's eyes instantly sharpened as he tracked the low cross, and his movements quickened by more than threefold!
Mustafi, seeing Ling raise his left foot to strike, had only one desperate thought in his mind: Block it!
Truth be told, Mustafi was quite mediocre.
He was originally brought in to replace Laurent Koscielny's vital role, but his error rate was at least five times higher.
He often had erratic, rash moments, directly gifting opponents golden opportunities.
During the 2014 World Cup, when Mustafi was substituted off injured, German fans had infamously applauded and cheered.
"Damn it!" Mustafi watched in horror as Ling didn't shoot but instead deftly cut the ball inward with a fake shot, realizing he had just made another colossal, sliding mistake!
Manchester United fans instinctively rose to their feet across the stadium, arms raised halfway in anticipation.
Ling glanced up quickly at Bernd Leno in goal and Rob Holding, who was lunging in desperately from the side, before sharply poking the ball with the tip of his right foot (a toe-poke).
A sudden, hidden toe-poke from less than ten meters out—few goalkeepers in the world could react in time to the lack of backlift.
Leno was no exception.
The ball flew like a guided arrow toward the right side of the goal.
Leno threw himself sideways with all his might, but the ball remained agonizingly out of reach, leaving him to watch helplessly as it sailed into the net!
1-0!!!
Peter Drury: "LING!!! HE POKES IT HOME! If you've just turned on your television, you must be curious about the score in the top-left corner. But your eyes do not deceive you—Manchester United's blitzkrieg has secured a goal at 2 minutes and 36 seconds!"
Jim Beglin: "It is absolute magic from Ling. He sends Mustafi to the shops with the fake shot and uses the toe-poke to completely wrong-foot Leno. Arsenal are sliced open in the blink of an eye!"
The resonant voice of stadium DJ Alan Keegan echoed across the pitch, and the next second, Old Trafford roared with a single name.
"The scorer of our goal, number 7... JEREMY...LING!"
The Manchester United fans hadn't fully settled into the game yet, so their cheers weren't particularly deafening—much to Keegan's theatrical dissatisfaction.
So he asked again into the mic, "I said, the scorer of our goal... JEREMY..."
In the Die-hard Stand, also known as the Stretford End, leaders of several fan associations beat the drums, and after the final drumbeat, 75,000 Manchester United fans erupted with absolute deafening shouts.
"LING!!!"
Among the Premier League's Big 6, the most passionate, intimidating fans likely belong to Manchester United and Liverpool, given the two clubs' storied working-class histories.
That historic spirit naturally influences the modern fans.
Ling sprinted to the base of the Stretford End stands, grinning wildly as he raised his arms, urging the fans to cheer even louder.
Just think—what could possibly be more exhilarating than tens of thousands of fans chanting your name?!
He certainly couldn't think of anything.
"Damn it! How many times have I told you—don't rush in! Don't slide in!" Leno couldn't help but roar in absolute frustration at his defense.
"How many times have you been burned by Ling doing exactly that? Can't you learn from your mistakes?"
Leno worked diligently at Arsenal, making saves, but the defensive line often faltered completely in front of him.
Especially Mustafi, who relied far too much on subjective, rash judgment to rush forward—such an erratic player wasn't suited to be a top-level center-back.
"What else could I do? Just stand there and watch him take the shot?" Mustafi shrugged helplessly, throwing his arms out.
It was this innocent, clueless demeanor that infuriated Leno even more.
"Couldn't you just hold your position?! Did you have to lose all your balance on a fake and throw off your teammates' judgment too?!"
The argument between the two grew increasingly heated in the Arsenal box.
Ramsey ran all the way back from the forward line, shouting angrily, "Both of you, shut up! We are playing! Whatever it is, we'll talk after the match!"
Mourinho watched the conflict among the Arsenal players from the touchline and couldn't help but sigh deeply, recalling his many toxic experiences with the so-called "Third-Season Syndrome" at previous clubs.
He turned to Rui Faria and asked quietly, "Rui, there shouldn't be any issues like that here this year, right?"
"Boss, absolutely not—provided you continue to completely trust Ling," Faria's words carried a deeper meaning.
Truth be told, Mourinho himself had been a massive part of the problem in the past—his pathological need for control in the dressing room, treating players like programmable robots, and publicly throwing them under the bus.
It was only in recent years that he had changed significantly, otherwise, trouble would likely have erupted at United again.
"Hmm." Mourinho nodded thoughtfully.
Given his naturally controlling personality, if he didn't have unwavering trust in Ling, he would never have delegated so much authority to a player.
Recalling the moments they had shared over the past season and a half, Mourinho thought of the young yet remarkably mature captain who handled dressing room relationships with ease and held massive influence within the team.
Whether it was the seasoned veterans or the younger academy players, they were all willing to listen to him without resentment.
But most importantly, Ling possessed a sense of responsibility for the badge.
This is the perfect leader, Mourinho silently praised.
On the other side of the technical area, Unai Emery watched the disastrous scene unfold on the field, rubbing his face vigorously with both hands as if trying to physically wipe away the sheer exhaustion.
Because he knew deep down—after just three minutes, the match was already over.
What followed unfolded exactly as the Spaniard had grimly anticipated.
After the game resumed, the Arsenal players seemed to have lost their fragile fighting spirit entirely, barely creating any threatening attacks or pressing with intensity.
In stark contrast, the Manchester United players launched a frenzied, confident offensive.
In the 24th minute of the first half, Pogba delivered a stunning long-range cross from midfield.
Ling made a sharp forward run, drawing away two terrified defenders, allowing Mahrez to cut inside unmarked and curl a beautiful signature shot into the net.
Once again, the ball flew past a helpless Leno into Arsenal's goal!
2-0!
...
In the second half, Emery had no tactical choice but to bring on Koscielny, who had just recovered from a long-term injury, desperately hoping to reignite the defensive spirit of the Arsenal players. But it was entirely futile.
Arsenal's attacks remained toothless and ineffective, though their defense showed some noticeable, cowardly changes.
Peter Drury: "Arsenal are... parking the bus even when they're 2-0 behind?"
Jim Beglin: "It is bizarre, Peter. Do they really think just holding on until the end to avoid a thrashing makes any sense for a club of this stature?"
As the match drew closer to its boring conclusion, Mourinho substituted Ling once again—mainly because keeping him on the field against a low block served no tactical purpose.
Rather than exhausting themselves trying to physically break down Arsenal's cowardly bus, it was far better to conserve energy for the upcoming cup final clash against Manchester City!
Ling didn't complain either as he walked off to applause.
Facing an Arsenal side that had clearly already surrendered, he found the match rather dull and uncompetitive.
In the end, Arsenal set a pathetic, historic record of exactly zero shots in the second half, and the match concluded with Manchester United comfortably defeating Arsenal 2-0.
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