"Manchester United's left-sided attack is flowing smoothly. They've moved quickly into the attacking third. Rashford cuts the ball back toward the middle!"
"Ling!"
Ling controlled the ball firmly with the inside of his foot and immediately followed it with a feint.
Christensen, who had been shaken off, quickly turned and continued to press.
He did not recklessly dive in, instead using constant physical pressure to disrupt him.
Ling looked up and quickly scanned the area, but he found no nearby teammate available for support.
This was the weakness of the 4-3-1-2 formation. There were too few players stacked in the attacking third, and it took time for the defenders to push forward and join the attack.
So during that brief attacking vacuum, Ling had to hold the ball and ride out the pressure.
Of course, he had another option.
He could take matters into his own hands.
He was not afraid of taking on Van Dijk, let alone Christensen.
Ling suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Once he regained his balance, he gently flicked the ball with his right foot.
"Cover him!"
Christensen watched the ball sail over his foot and anxiously shouted for help from Rüdiger.
He had already given everything.
But Ling's delicate dribbling and terrifying physical strength made it impossible for him to read Ling's true intentions.
He could keep up with the first two moves, but by the third, a sense of helplessness had already begun to spread through him.
Once, when Ibrahimović commented on Liverpool defender Stéphane Henchoz, he said, "I went left, he went left. I went right, he went right. I went left again, and he went to buy a hot dog."
Christensen now had the same experience.
Rüdiger's defensive support arrived in time, quickly closing in to contain Ling.
But as Ling got closer and closer to the goal, Rüdiger's defending had to become bolder.
For example, his right hand was already tugging at Ling's shoulder.
There was no other way.
If Ling suddenly shot from there, would Kepa be able to react in time?
Rüdiger did not know, but he did not dare take that risk.
It had to be said that Rüdiger's defensive ability was genuinely impressive.
Ling felt as if he were stuck in quicksand. Every time he tried to accelerate and break free, he could not quite escape.
But he still had a trick up his sleeve.
He deliberately slowed down, adjusted his stance, and lifted his right leg, making it look as though he were about to shoot.
What would a defender do?
Ling had long grown used to reverse-engineering a defender's logic, then working backward from the answer to find the solution.
Sure enough, Rüdiger's pupils contracted sharply, and the hand gripping Ling's shoulder suddenly tightened.
A perfect opportunity for a tackle!
Any attacking player needed a brief moment to adjust before shooting, and that was the best time to disrupt the play.
Using the momentum, Rüdiger threw himself to the ground, sliding fiercely toward the ball.
But the expected sound of contact never came.
Rüdiger instantly realized what had happened.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Ling deftly cutting the ball to the left.
The two simply brushed past each other.
Facing Kepa, who had rushed off his line, Ling did not try to dribble around the goalkeeper.
Instead, he flicked his right foot slightly outward.
The outside of his boot sent the ball curling toward the far post.
Swish!
The crisp sound of the ball hitting the back of the net was like the most beautiful melody in the world.
Old Trafford erupted immediately afterward.
"Ling! With no support near the edge of the box, he uses his individual brilliance to force the opening himself, and once again, he puts the ball into Chelsea's net!"
"I've said it before: when you defend against Ling, you need at least two players."
"But sometimes, even two players still aren't enough."
Neville said something obvious, then glanced at Carragher with provocation written all over his face.
"I hope Liverpool are ready for Ling's onslaught!"
Carragher could not let that slide. Pointing at Neville, he immediately retorted.
"Rüdiger and Christensen combined aren't as good as Van Dijk. Them failing to stop him proves absolutely nothing!"
The two of them launched into another heated argument.
Neville threw out statistics, while Carragher argued based on instinct. Either way, they always found a reason to keep going.
Lampard grew more and more silent as he watched.
The Chelsea players felt the same way.
Rüdiger stood in the penalty area with his hands on his hips, replaying the scene in his mind over and over again.
How could he have been fooled so easily?
In truth, he was being too hard on himself.
There were many reasons behind that goal, and the key problem had actually been the defensive lapse on the right flank.
What level were Willian, Barkley, and Azpilicueta supposed to be at?
How had they allowed Ashley Young and Rashford to break through so easily, then even deliver a cutback past the midfield line to Ling?
Sarri sat on the bench with his head lowered, rubbing a few strands of tobacco between his fingers before placing them in his mouth and chewing on them constantly.
He was also indifferent to the outcome of the match.
He only felt sorry for the trusted players he had brought with him, such as Jorginho and Higuaín.
He had brought them into Chelsea's mess, only to leave them behind when he walked away.
"Tell Pedro to warm up. He'll replace Willian later. Giroud will come on for Higuaín."
In the end, Sarri still could not bear to leave things as they were.
He had worked his way up from the lower leagues, driven by a stubborn and unyielding spirit.
Otherwise, he would never have insisted on playing attacking football in Serie A.
Unfortunately, his tactical philosophy simply did not suit Chelsea.
Not long after, Chelsea made their substitutions.
After coming on, Giroud tried to console his teammates and reignite their fighting spirit.
But the effect was minimal.
Seeing that Chelsea had no way back, Mourinho also made adjustments.
Ling, Pogba, and Nemanja Matić were all substituted off, as they needed to conserve energy for the upcoming Champions League semi-final.
"Lukaku looks hungry. He really wants to make an impact, and after successfully losing weight, his overall sharpness has clearly improved."
"However, I've heard he's considering leaving the club. As long as Ling remains at Manchester United, he'll be the undisputed starting striker, and Lukaku certainly won't be content with a substitute role."
"Reports suggest several clubs have already contacted Lukaku and are willing to pay a hefty transfer fee."
"Oh dear... Lukaku's finishing in front of goal is still just as frustrating as it was last season!"
As Neville continued his commentary, time slowly ticked away.
After Manchester United wasted several golden chances, Chelsea's attacks gradually began to take shape, but there was very little time left for them.
Finally, the referee blew the whistle.
Beep—beep—beep!
The match was over!
Manchester United 3–0 Chelsea!
"Among their final three league opponents, Manchester United have now beaten the strongest one, Chelsea. They are one step closer to the Premier League title!"
"Now, let's talk about Ling's individual numbers."
"After scoring twice today, he now has thirty-nine goals in thirty-six league games, breaking his own personal record from last season and setting a new Premier League scoring record!"
"Every goal he scores from this point onward is a new piece of history!"
Neville showered him with praise.
Watching Ling's journey—from the youth team to the first team, from substitute to starter, from the league to the Champions League—Neville could not help but speak with pride.
"Carrington has produced many famous players, like Giggs, Beckham, Scholes... But I dare say Ling's achievements will be even greater. Having lived through those eras myself, I understand just how exceptional he truly is!"
Carragher could not help feeling a trace of envy, and his tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
"But Ling still has room for improvement. Across Europe's top five leagues, the highest single-season league goal tally belongs to La Liga—Messi's fifty goals for Barcelona in the 2011–12 season!"
"I believe that is the limit of human capability. No one can break it or even match it."
Carragher knew his words were somewhat biased.
After all, La Liga and the Premier League were very different.
In La Liga, only Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Barcelona were truly competitive, which allowed Barcelona to dominate weaker opponents relentlessly.
The scoring records across Europe's top five leagues made that clear.
The top three scorers in La Liga were Messi with fifty goals, Cristiano Ronaldo with forty-eight, and Messi again with forty-six.
The top three scorers in the Premier League were Ling with thirty-nine goals, Salah with thirty-seven, and Alan Shearer with thirty-four.
The top scorers in the Bundesliga included Gerd Müller with forty goals and Lewandowski with thirty-five.
There were inherent differences between leagues.
Of course, it could not be denied that Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo possessed extraordinary individual ability.
Even Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga's masters at crushing weaker teams, had still not surpassed Messi's record.
"Perhaps—"
Neville initially wanted to say that Ling had a chance to break it, but he swallowed the words before they left his mouth.
Could Ling actually do it?
He truly lacked confidence, because the difficulty was unimaginable.
"If Messi came to the Premier League and still scored fifty goals, then I'd have absolutely nothing to say."
Neville still refrained from making a bold claim.
What if it stirred up controversy and put unnecessary pressure on Ling?
What if it affected his performance?
"Haha, why don't we make another bet? Let's bet on whether Ling can surpass Messi. This time, you can set the stakes however you like!"
Carragher pressed his advantage relentlessly.
Neville reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Back when Manchester United were not performing as well as Liverpool, he could tolerate Carragher's arrogance.
After all, he never fought losing battles.
But whose situation was better now?
Neville pointed to the badge on his chest and said, "What's the point of betting on that? Is Messi a Liverpool player? Why not bet on who advances in the Champions League semi-final?"
Carragher was momentarily speechless.
He had trusted Liverpool too much in previous bets, only to become a laughingstock among Manchester United fans.
Could he really fall for it again?
He silently gathered his documents, stood up, and left without the slightest hesitation.
...
With the conclusion of the 36th round of the Premier League, some were overjoyed, while others were full of worry.
Naturally, Manchester United fans were the ones celebrating, while Manchester City and Liverpool fans were the ones feeling anxious.
After losing the title-deciding clash, Manchester City's form had noticeably declined.
They struggled to a narrow 1–0 away win against Burnley.
When Sergio Agüero scored in the 63rd minute, the scenes on the pitch were astonishing.
Burnley launched a frantic offensive and completely overwhelmed Manchester City for a period of the match.
In the end, Guardiola even resorted to deploying six defenders just to avoid conceding an equalizer against Burnley.
Unlike Manchester City's slump, Liverpool were in formidable form, thrashing Huddersfield 5–0.
Keïta scored once, while Mané and Salah each netted a brace.
Although the opposition were relatively weak, the result still showed Liverpool's current momentum.
That brought joy to Manchester United fans, but also stirred a little concern.
After all, the Champions League was fundamentally different from the league.
If Liverpool were to triumph, Manchester United fans would be ridiculed for years.
Soon, reports about this round of Premier League matches spread rapidly across the internet.
"Breaking the Premier League scoring record last season, then breaking his own record this season—where exactly is Ling's limit?"
"Incredible Dribbling: One Against Two, Ling Tears Through Chelsea's Defense!"
"Analyzing Manchester United's Potential Transfer Targets for Next Season!"
"..."
Among all the headlines, Ling had already become the center of attention in English football, and even across Europe.
Young stars like Mbappé, who had previously been compared with him, now seemed to be gradually falling a considerable distance behind Ling.
@RedDevilPulse: Manchester United have basically put one hand on the Premier League title now. Chelsea was supposed to be the toughest of the final three league fixtures, and United handled them 3-0. Only the Champions League and FA Cup still feel truly dangerous.
@UtdFixtureWatch: The schedule is brutal. Fighting on three fronts sounds glamorous until you remember how little recovery time there is. If I'm Mourinho, I'm prioritising the Champions League above everything else now.
@AnfieldTactico: People are acting like United are already in the final, but this Liverpool side is not far behind them at all. The front three are flying, the press is clicking, and Klopp has had months to refine the system. United fans should remember what happened to AC Milan before popping the champagne.
@FootballEconomist: Genuine question: why do Manchester United still need major signings next season? The squad already looks close to complete—elite striker, strong midfield, improved defense, and enough depth to compete on multiple fronts.
@TransferRoomTalk: United still need reinforcements because several players could leave. Lukaku wants a starting role, Rashford and Lingard may look elsewhere, and Ander Herrera is starting to fall behind the level required. An all-action midfielder should be high on the list.