The match on the green pitch had already resumed.
Manchester United, riding the wave of high morale, launched fierce attacks against Liverpool.
Ling no longer confined himself to the edge of the penalty area but darted around like a headless fly.
However, a closer analysis of his movement patterns revealed that he was weaving through Liverpool's formation, seemingly disrupting the movement of their defensive line as a whole.
In the 59th minute, Rashford found his rhythm.
He used his pace to outmaneuver Milner, stopped abruptly, and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot.
The quality of the shot was exceptional.
Alisson, however, produced a world-class save, stretching to tip the ball just over the crossbar, drawing sighs of disappointment from the Manchester United fans.
As Manchester United's attacks intensified, so did the physicality of the game.
When Rashford attempted to repeat his earlier move, Milner didn't hesitate and slid in with a tackle, forcefully sending both the player and the ball out of bounds.
Since Milner made contact with the ball first, even though the follow-through was a bit excessive, the referee didn't show a yellow card, opting instead for a verbal warning.
Rashford tumbled a few times on the ground, rubbed his calf, and quickly got back to his feet. Manchester United had no habit of diving.
When Cristiano Ronaldo first joined Manchester United, he had a tendency to dive, but Sir Alex Ferguson not only advised him against it verbally but also had Roy Keane and others make tough tackles in training to teach him a lesson.
But that didn't mean Manchester United would back down.
Just three minutes later, they launched a fierce counterattack against Liverpool.
Again, it was Mane dribbling down the wing.
Wan-Bissaka seized the advantageous position, directly shoving Mane out of bounds.
If it weren't for the distance from the advertising boards, Mane might have crashed into the sideline reporters.
After getting up, Mane was exceptionally furious, almost coming to blows with Wan-Bissaka.
If it weren't for Firmino's timely intervention, Liverpool would likely have been down to ten men, which left Klopp's heart racing.
When Mane first joined Liverpool, his temperament was relatively mild.
But at some point, he became increasingly emotional, like a willful child.
For example, in a recent Premier League match, because Salah held onto the ball too long up front, Mane openly and directly cursed him out on the spot.
It ended with him being substituted off.
Fortunately, among the "Red Arrows Trio," Firmino serves as the link between the two on the pitch and is also adept at mediating their relationship off it.
Wan-Bissaka seemed a bit disappointed by the outcome.
Seeing the timing was about right, Klopp made a substitution. Arnold replaced Milner.
...
"The 'Route 66' substitute comes on. His utterly abysmal defending will surely lead to a drop in defensive intensity on Liverpool's flank," Neville transformed into a "know-it-all," starting to analyze the situation.
"According to WhoScored statistics, Arnold is the defender with the most dribbles past against him in Europe's top five leagues this season. If I were Mourinho, I'd choose to focus the attack down the right flank. Moreover, Ling and Rashford could rotate, confusing Liverpool's defense. Even if they don't score, they could press Liverpool and relieve pressure on our own backline."
Carragher listened and found it more and more reasonable, unconsciously starting to worry for Arnold, silently praying he wouldn't make any mistakes.
"Isn't Manchester United going to make a substitution?" Neville suddenly asked curiously.
He felt that given the current situation, Manchester United could definitely make an adjustment to further strengthen their attacking play.
"The match resumes, Liverpool's rhythm—has changed!" Carragher's voice interrupted Neville's thoughts, and he instinctively looked down at the green pitch.
This glance was startling, his heartbeat instantly quickened, and his hands clenched.
He saw the ball transferred to Arnold's feet.
He boldly cut inside past Rashford, then directly launched a long pass spanning half the field!
Arnold's defensive ability is indeed not great, but no one would question his attacking prowess.
As the ball spun towards the open space on the left flank, Mane's forward run drew Wan-Bissaka away, while Nemanja Matic and Wijnaldum engaged in a fierce battle.
Wijnaldum is a typical all-round midfielder.
He not only possesses solid interception and tackling abilities but also has a fine header, a powerful long-range shot, and accurate long passing.
He could be considered the most underrated Liverpool player.
Wijnaldum didn't tangle with Nemanja Matic; instead, he headed the ball to a teammate making a central run. F
abinho met the ball with a diagonal through pass!
The ball moved from left to right, then from right to left, tracing a zigzag line.
And it was precisely this kind of wide-ranging switch that tore open Manchester United's defense!
The same tactic was employed again.
Salah's forward run pinned down Luke Shaw, while Arnold surged forward at speed along the touchline!
"Brilliant!"
"Since Arnold came on, Liverpool's right-sided attack has intensified by several levels. As for Manchester United, still stuck in their previous rhythm, they can now only watch helplessly as their defense is torn apart by Liverpool!"
Carragher stared intently at Arnold, muttering under his breath, "One more, one more goal, send Manchester United straight to hell!!!"
Under the gaze of all the fans in the stadium, Arnold suddenly changed direction, darting past McTominay from the side.
In Liverpool's internal tests, Arnold's sprint speed is even higher than Mane's and Salah's.
While possessing this speed advantage, Arnold also has decent footwork.
McTominay turned and hurriedly chased back, but he was already a step and a half behind, and could only shout a warning to Maguire.
"Close him down, don't let him shoot!"
Maguire had already sprung into action.
Knowing his own slow turning speed, he had already shifted his body to the left in advance.
Because David Luiz was on the right side, if Arnold dared to break through there, he would face a fierce challenge.
Not everyone is Ling, Arnold wanted to break through continuously.
The difficulty was too great!
However, Arnold didn't attempt to break through.
Instead, he discreetly delivered a pass!
Maguire instinctively stuck out a foot but still failed to touch the ball.
He then turned his head to look back.
...
"Salah!"
"After receiving the ball, he cuts inside into the penalty area and directly fires a shot towards the far corner!"
"Top corner!!!"
"Top corner! Five minutes after Arnold came on, Liverpool scored again!"
"Arnold used his signature passing to orchestrate Liverpool's attack, allowing Salah's individual ability to shine perfectly! Who dares to underestimate this 21-year-old youngster now!" Carragher shouted excitedly.
All the worries in his heart vanished, replaced by boundless joy.
He never expected Liverpool to take the lead once again!
"Klopp's tactical dominance not only prevented his own flank from being exposed but also exploited Manchester United's flank to open up the game!"
"A classic case of using attack to suppress attack! With two away goals in hand, the balance of victory has already begun to tilt. Perhaps tonight is the night Manchester United's dreams are shattered!"
As Carragher spoke, he even teased Neville: "Wijnaldum is truly Manchester United's nemesis. He is the first player to defeat Manchester United while representing three different clubs: Villa, Manchester City, and Liverpool."
Meanwhile, in the away section at Old Trafford, the Liverpool fans were already in a frenzy.
They chanted Arnold's name.
Salah, surrounded by his teammates, celebrated the goal wildly in the corner arc.
"Has the match ended already? But I haven't heard the whistle. And besides! Liverpool have led Manchester United many times, but they've won very few of those matches," Neville retorted with a displeased tone.
Haven't Manchester United been behind against Liverpool before?
In the two matches last season, it was lead, comeback, lead, comeback again... Until the final whistle, no one knows the outcome.
But Neville still had a bad feeling.
It seemed Klopp had figured out Mourinho, evident from the tactical setup and adjustments.
Otherwise, the second goal wouldn't have been so straightforward.
Still no substitutions?
Just as Neville was thinking this, the fourth official raised the board: Ashley Young on for Luke Shaw.
Mourinho rubbed his temples.
He had indeed been a bit too overconfident.
He should have substituted Luke Shaw earlier, as the experienced Ashley Young would face much less pressure defending against Salah.
A minor mistake led to a goal being conceded.
"Tell Ling to switch positions with Rashford more frequently. We need to put enough pressure on Liverpool's right flank," Mourinho whispered into Ashley Young's ear.
Ashley Young nodded.
Upon hearing this, Ling felt somewhat puzzled.
Given the strength of Liverpool's defense, frequent positional switches wouldn't be very effective.
It would be better to bring on Lukaku directly and let him play as the left winger.
But he didn't question Mourinho's decision.
Nodding, he said to his Manchester United teammates, "Don't let Liverpool's goal affect your mentality. Stick to our own rhythm. Equalizing and taking the lead is absolutely no problem!"
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