After the match resumed, the momentum of the two teams suddenly became completely different.
Sunderland's comeback from two goals down to equalize was a huge boost to their morale.
Coupled with Defoe's actions after scoring, they gained a massive 'Little Bradley buff,' making all their players charge forward with enthusiasm.
All the Sunderland players had met Little Bradley and were very fond of the little guy, so they naturally hoped to dedicate a victory to him!
On the other hand, the Manchester United players clearly showed various expressions of confusion and bewilderment.
What exactly happened today?
In the first half, everything was fine, and they had a comfortable two-goal lead.
But in the second half, how did the situation suddenly change so drastically?
The penalty was missed, then they conceded a goal, and then Mourinho, their manager, and Ibrahimović, their center-forward, were both sent off, and the opponent equalized.
It felt like in an instant, the tables had completely turned!
This situation made Mourinho, who had already retreated to the VIP box, even more of a headache.
He even regretted not focusing on defense from the start of the second half, instead of continuing to press Sunderland.
Although some Manchester United fans might not be satisfied with a 2-0 score, it was still better than the current situation!
"I didn't expect it, I actually fell into this young man's trap," Mourinho sighed, shaking his head.
Looking back now, Zhao Zhao coming to 'trash talk' him during halftime definitely had his purpose.
He wanted Manchester United to push their formation forward!
Otherwise, with Manchester United's strength, once they tightened their defense, Sunderland would have absolutely no chance!
But now...
Mourinho's situation was very awkward.
If they started defending, the score was 2-2, how could Manchester United fans accept only getting one point at home?
Moreover, for Mourinho, he also desperately needed these three points.
The Premier League was currently in its 30th round, and the top six teams were the strongest six, known as the 'BIG6': Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Manchester United.
But the problem was, Manchester United was ranked sixth!
Although their current points total was already 17 points behind Chelsea, who topped the table, and they had long since said goodbye to the championship;
Their goal of finishing in the top four to qualify for next season's Champions League still needed to be achieved.
At this moment, every point was crucial!
But if they were to continue attacking in this match, to get three points...
The opponent's morale was soaring, and Manchester United was also down a man.
At that point, let alone three points, they might not even be able to hold onto one!
Mourinho felt like this match was going to turn his hair white.
But not making adjustments now was impossible, after all, Ibrahimović, the center-forward, was off, and the formation had to change.
After a short period of internal struggle, Mourinho still made a decision and started calling his assistant coach Faria, remotely making substitutions!
First, he substituted Mata and Martial, who were both suffering from fatigue in the front, and brought on Mkhitaryan and Rashford to maintain the attacking vitality of the front line.
Then he brought on the tall midfielder Fellaini, replacing Pogba, which would provide another aerial target for set-piece tactics.
However, due to Ibrahimović's sending off, Manchester United's original front three trident lost one prong.
Mourinho could only adjust the formation to a 4-3-2, barely managing to maintain a balance between attack and defense.
This was actually a manifestation of his current contradictory mindset:
He didn't dare to attack freely, but he was unwilling to settle for a draw!
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"After being reduced to ten men and conceding the equalizer, Mourinho was forced to adjust his formation, and he also used up all three substitution slots at once."
"This also meant that in the remaining twenty minutes of the match, Mourinho had no more cards to play."
"Would the 'Special One,' who had dominated world football for many years, truly be stripped of his magic at Old Trafford today?"
"And the one who achieved this today was surprisingly a rookie coach from our country, Zhao Zhao, with only two Premier League coaching experiences!"
"When Zhao Zhao first took office, everyone joked that it was because of the Chinese 'test-taker' talent that Zhao Zhao got his coaching certificate, but today, it seems Zhao Zhao might really have coaching talent!"
"After the baptism of two professional matches, he completely unleashed his adjustment and commanding abilities in the second half of today's match!"
"Ah, we see that Sunderland is also going to make substitutions. Is Zhao Zhao going to demonstrate his highly targeted deployment again?"
At this moment, Zhao Zhao also made two substitutions on the sideline, and both were attacking players.
He substituted both wingers, Borini and Januzaj.
These two players had an average performance today, especially Januzaj, who was on loan from Manchester United. Facing his former club, he seemed a bit too eager to perform, sometimes over-dribbling and missing opportunities.
Replacing them were Khazri, the Tunisian international, and Anichebe, the tall Nigerian center-forward.
Anichebe, standing at 190cm, was a heavy weapon on the front line.
Upon his entry, he formed the classic 'one tall, one fast' combination with Defoe, and Sunderland's formation naturally shifted to a 4-4-2!
This formation change was very obvious; Zhao Zhao was no longer pretending. He was going for long balls and aerial bombardment to overwhelm Manchester United!
And clearly, Manchester United was not adapting well to such changes.
Firstly, this might be because Mourinho was not on the sideline, and reactions were always slower.
Secondly, Mourinho's contradictory mindset on the field also led to a lack of unified thinking among the players, making them play somewhat disjointedly.
Then, when the match reached the 80th minute, Sunderland truly executed a classic attack through this combination, rewriting the score once again!
Captain Cattermole played a long ball from the back, finding the tall Anichebe, who outmuscled Manchester United defender Smalling and headed the ball down.
Defoe, who was waiting at the edge of the penalty area, met the ball with a powerful shot, once again finding the back of the net past De Gea!
2-3, Sunderland had taken the lead!
On the sideline.
When the referee blew the whistle confirming the goal, even Zhao Zhao, who had already 'seen' the match footage, couldn't help but jump up excitedly.
It was like watching Stephen Chow's movies countless times, but still laughing out loud when a classic scene played out...
Well, the analogy doesn't seem quite right, but seeing his team finally reverse the score in reality felt truly different from seeing it in simulation.
So, after jumping up, Zhao Zhao couldn't help but rush out of the away team's coaching area, wanting to celebrate with another wild sprint.
However, this time, the fourth official on the sideline was quick-witted and immediately pulled Zhao Zhao back.
Although Mourinho was no longer on the field, if Zhao Zhao were to rush to the home team's side and celebrate wildly again, who knew what kind of trouble would ensue.
This was Old Trafford!
On the other side, Defoe, who had completed a hat-trick, celebrated his goal with a long-distance knee slide.
Afterward, he also rushed to the camera and roared:
"My dear Little Bradley, did you see it! We did it! I did it! You must do it too!!!"
Soon, countless teammates rushed up behind him, tackling him to the ground, and then they all huddled together, celebrating wildly!
Although Zhao Zhao was persuaded back to the coaching area by the fourth official, preventing him from rushing up to celebrate with everyone, he also waved his fists at the fans in the away stand, expressing his emotions.
Of course, beside him, coaches including Breswell, as well as the players on the bench, also surrounded Zhao Zhao, congratulating him.
And after Defoe finished celebrating on the field, he also specifically ran to the away team's dugout, high-fived Zhao Zhao emphatically, and gave his boss a big hug.
While hugging, Defoe kept muttering: "Thank you, boss, thank you. I really scored again, I really got a hat-trick here!"
This scene was also captured by the live broadcast camera and presented to fans worldwide.
"This scene before us is deeply moving."
"From Defoe's expression and actions, he has been deeply impressed by Zhao Zhao's coaching artistry!"
"This Sunderland team, on the brink of relegation, displayed extraordinary team spirit and fighting will today under the leadership of the 25-year-old Chinese coach Zhao Zhao, and played a stirring match at Old Trafford."
"Their performance is truly respectable!"
"Now there are less than ten minutes left in the match, does Manchester United still have a chance to equalize?"
In the stands, Mourinho was already somewhat exasperated.
He picked up his phone again and began to adjust his formation, bringing more players into the attack!
Especially 'tall center-forwards' like Fellaini, who were directly pushed to the front, also attempting an aerial bombardment like Zhao Zhao!
However, since Manchester United was down a man, their formation could only be a distorted 4-2-3...
This led to them being unable to perform, even when attacking desperately, due to a lack of midfield control and immense physical exhaustion.
By the time the match reached injury time, Manchester United's players were even struggling to run.
Instead, Sunderland had a very good counter-attacking opportunity, but unfortunately, Khazri's shot was saved by De Gea, failing to extend their lead.
But that was no longer important.
The referee looked at his watch and finally blew the final whistle!!!!!!
At that moment, cheers from Sunderland players and Sunderland fans in the away stand echoed throughout Old Trafford.
And Sunderland's coaches and substitute players also rushed onto the field en masse, hugging each other and celebrating the team's epic comeback.
Although this was just an ordinary Premier League match, this was Old Trafford, and the opponent was Manchester United!
And under the disadvantage of being two goals down, they actually scored three consecutive goals, truly achieving the miracle of turning defeat into victory!
This was something to be proud of for any team, and even more so for Sunderland, who were currently in deep trouble.
Although the three points from this victory were not enough to lift them out of the relegation zone, everyone believed that this would be a beautiful beginning.
Some fans even couldn't help but cover their faces and weep, because it had been too long since they had seen their team perform with such determination!
And when Zhao Zhao, along with the players and coaches, held hands and waved to the loyal Sunderland fans who had traveled from afar in the stands;
The fans all stood up, singing and giving the team the most enthusiastic applause!!
Then, the fans suddenly and uniformly shouted one person's name.
Although Defoe scored a hat-trick today and seemed to be the primary contributor to this victory.
However, any fan who watched this match knew who truly made this comeback miracle happen!
Soon, this person's name resounded over Old Trafford:
"Zhao--Zhao!"
"Zhao--Zhao!"
"Zhao--Zhao!"
...