The Manchester United players gathered in a tight, united circle, Ling's hoarse voice ringing out over the crowd noise.
Then he extended his right hand into the center.
As each palm stacked firmly on top, the Manchester United players roared in aggressive unison: "LET'S GO!!!"
Just as Ling had said, there was absolutely no reason for anyone in red to lose.
Honor, championships, faith... it didn't matter what it specifically was, as long as it could get people fired up to run.
Whoosh!!!
...
The second half was even more intensely physical than the fans had anticipated, with players from both teams clearly fighting with absolutely everything they had left in the tank.
Gary Neville: "Just two minutes into the restart, Nemanja Matic violently knocked down De Bruyne on the turn, earning the first yellow card of the match."
Jamie Carragher: "This will also become the fuse for the bomb! The tackles are flying in now!"
Gary Neville: "Surprisingly, it's Manchester City who are acting even crazier and more physical than Manchester United."
Neville was about to say the game had entered Manchester United's disruptive rhythm when he noticed Manchester City seemed to have completely regained their tactical composure, starting to systematically tear apart Manchester United's tired defense with their rapid passing and possession.
Fernandinho launched a raking long pass to the left wing, Sterling impressively half-volleyed it back inside to David Silva.
The Spaniard no longer attempted to break through physically but made a simple, intelligent switch, finding De Bruyne cutting inside from the right.
Football is essentially a complex geometric problem involving 22 moving points.
Guardiola's philosophy is to use rapid passing and positional possession to constantly find the optimal mathematical solution amidst the chaos.
And what about Mourinho? Use physical movement and structure to constantly change the shape of the formation, making the opponent's problem increasingly complex and unsolvable.
The clash of their two dominant philosophies was perfectly illustrated at this moment on the Old Trafford pitch.
"Don't retreat! Push up the line!!" Ling roared exhaustedly toward the backline.
Facing Manchester City, retreating even half a step into a low block would allow them to press endlessly and eventually find a crack.
The Manchester United players halted their natural instincts to retreat deeper, mustering their fading strength to press higher, turning the midfield into a fiercely contested, brutal battleground.
De Bruyne, facing Pogba's improved pressing, delivered a brilliant, early through pass that bypassed the midfield entirely.
Kante was half a step too slow to react, unable to intercept it midway, and the perfectly weighted ball rolled cleanly to Sergio Aguero's feet in space.
As Diego Maradona's former son-in-law, when healthy, Aguero scored 20+ league goals every single season, making him arguably a top-tier, world-class continental striker.
Poaching, physical duels, lethal shooting—he had virtually no technical weaknesses.
Aguero actively dropped back into the pocket to receive from his teammates, cleverly not giving Maguire a chance to get tight and disrupt him. But it was this brief "safe period" that allowed Manchester City to fully build their lethal attacking system around him.
In an instant, all of Manchester City's midfield players charged forward desperately, like an unstoppable, fluid blue torrent!
Gary Neville: "Ten City players are involved in this attack! Manchester City have gone completely mad for an equalizer!"
Jamie Carragher: "Who can possibly stop this overload?!"
Carragher shouted and yelled in excitement.
The hearts of the traveling Manchester City fans were also hanging high—this kind of all-out, risky attack... If it worked, it would be glorious.
But if Manchester United intercepted it, given their lethal counter-attacking efficiency with Ling, the score would likely change to 3-1 and kill the game.
Still, it must be said, witnessing such a bold attacking scene truly gets the blood pumping.
As Ling sprinted back with all his remaining might to help defend, he watched Aguero calmly pass the ball wide to Bernardo Silva.
The inside forward dropping back!
It was Manchester City's most frequently used, devastating tactical weapon this season, it's a terrifying constraint for all teams studying them, the tactical Sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's heads.
You never know exactly when it will be deployed during possession, but once used, it means Manchester City's attack has fully taken shape!
Bernardo Silva finally bared his attacking fangs!
He accelerated sharply, easily shaking off the exhausted Professor Young, and delivered a wicked, low through pass from the edge of the penalty area!
Maguire's attention was entirely, foolishly fixated on the dribbling Bernardo Silva, completely unaware of Aguero's stealthy, curved run back into the box behind him.
David Luiz did notice the run in time, but he was too far away from the Argentine striker, and it was too late to rush over and cover the massive defensive gap.
"David!"
Ling still hadn't stopped running.
He stared intently at De Gea, desperately hoping the "Duck" could pull off a miracle and save Manchester United.
Sergio Aguero was no Raheem Sterling.
He was ruthless.
De Gea's "K-block" coverage was indeed extensive and unorthodox, but it couldn't magically cover the entire 17.5-square-meter goal against a perfect finish.
Aguero simply and expertly pushed the ball into the far corner with a deft, powerful touch.
Ling finally came to a grinding halt near the edge of the box.
Leaning heavily on his knees, he gasped for breath, sweat soaking his black hair and dripping onto the turf.
He knew Manchester City was about to gain terrifying, unstoppable momentum.
"Manchester City equalizes again! It's 2-2!"
"Sergio Aguero's brilliant organization and movement in front of the box revitalized Manchester City's entire attacking system, giving Bernardo Silva enough time to handle the ball before Aguero finished ruthlessly in front of goal!"
"People often wrongly say Manchester City lacks historic heritage, but true heritage doesn't just appear out of thin air—it requires the accumulation and struggle of generations! And I have this inexplicable, massive feeling that we're about to witness them create a miracle today no less remarkable than 'Agüerooooo!' in 2012!"
"The Theatre of Dreams?! We're going to shatter Manchester United's title dreams right here in their own backyard!"
John Motson, a loyal Manchester City fan and guest commentator for the international broadcast, roared with unbridled excitement.
Since he could remember, he had proudly worn sky blue, witnessing countless heartbreaking stories.
In the 1998-99 season, he watched Sir Alex Ferguson lead Manchester United to a historic treble, while City fans celebrated merely returning to the First Division.
In the 2000-01 season, he remembered the brutal red card for Roy Keane's flying kick on Alfie Haaland.
In the 2010-11 season, Old Trafford witnessed Rooney's stunning, devastating overhead kick.
But no matter how much Manchester was dyed red globally, the blue tide had always been churning beneath the surface locally.
In the 2011-12 season, on the final, dramatic matchday of the Premier League title race, Sergio Aguero scored a miraculous goal in the 92nd minute, snatching the title from United and helping Manchester City lift the Premier League Title.
Sir Alex Ferguson had once arrogantly declared, "In my lifetime, Manchester City will never surpass Manchester United!"
John Motson raised his middle finger toward the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand off-camera and laughed, shouting into his mic, "Bullshit! Bullshit! Manchester will belong to blue sooner or later, and today is the day!"
Neville, sitting in the adjacent domestic booth, trembled with pure, unadulterated rage upon hearing the City celebrations through the thin walls.
If not for the live broadcast, he would have lunged at the neighboring booth!
Across the stands in the Directors' Box, Sir Alex Ferguson turned to Ole Gunnar Solskjær and asked quietly, "Ole, from an objective coaching perspective... do you think Manchester United still has a chance in this?"
Solskjær lowered his gaze and noticed that even with his hands clasped tightly together, the legendary boss couldn't stop them from trembling slightly with anxiety.
Silence was the Norwegian's honest answer.
The deeper one studied modern tactics, the clearer the brutal core of the match became.
Just as Ling had discussed before the game on TV.
When two elite teams' tactics and technical skills are at their absolute peak and cancel each other out, it ultimately comes down to who has stronger willpower and stamina.
What did Manchester City's equalizer signify tactically? It meant their possession-based system was now fully working, United were tiring, and City had the absolute ability to repeatedly break through Manchester United's exhausted defense!
Therefore, in the grueling remainder of the match, they would be even more fiercely determined to stick to their dominant game plan.
Still, Solskjær tried to console his mentor.
"Boss, the ball is round—anything is possible. And this green pitch has never been short of miracles."
Hearing this, Ferguson's hands stopped trembling.
Behind his glasses, his eyes seemed to suddenly reflect the vivid memories of glorious days gone by.
"In the Champions League final at Camp Nou, Bayern scored within six minutes and held the lead comfortably until stoppage time. Do you know what UEFA President Lennart Johansson said to me in the elevator down to the pitch?" Sir Alex Ferguson answered on his own, a smirk forming.
"After saying sorry to me for the loss, he was literally walking out to present the trophy adorned with Bayern ribbons to them! But then—" cough, cough, cough!
At the end of his story, Ferguson coughed violently a few times, spat out his chewing gum in disgust, and said fiercely, "But then we scored two goals in three minutes, shocking Johansson into looking like a complete idiot."
"I believe in the lads of the Red Devils. Even if we look exhausted today, they'll fight until the very last second." Ferguson looked down toward the green pitch, specifically at the exhausted player wearing the iconic number 7 jersey.
To be completely honest, in his illustrious, unparalleled coaching career, he had personally seen and managed countless generational talents.
But he had never encountered a player quite like Ling. Only 21 years old, yet mature and tactically aware far beyond his years.
The sheer, terrifying ferocity in his bones was downright frightening.
He was absolutely ruthless toward his opponents, and even more ruthless toward himself in his preparation.
For example, that famous training plan of his, precise down to the absolute minute—Ferguson had never seen anyone else achieve that level of monastic dedication.
Even Cristiano Ronaldo back in the day fell slightly short of that robotic discipline.
Ferguson suddenly smiled softly. "Actually, Ole, even if we lose the title today, it doesn't matter in the grand scheme. The Red Devils have a long, glorious future ahead with him."
Down on the pitch, the Manchester City players were still wildly celebrating the equalizer near the corner flag, but Ling walked slowly over to his crestfallen teammates without saying a single word of encouragement.
Because everything that needed to be said had already been said in the tunnel.
Besides, he vastly preferred to let his actions do the talking.