At that mont, on the sidelines.
Guardiola sat heavily on the bench, his graying beard trembling slightly with stress.
He knew that with Mourinho's pragmatic personality, the Portuguese manager would absolutely not give them another clear chance.
Back in the day, during Barcelona's most dominant, unplayable period, Mourinho's Inter Milan could still Park the Bus and hold firm with ten n.
How much more so now with eleven?
Guardiola was quietly pondering the reasons for the loss.
In truth, the Manchester City players had done their absolute best, perfectly executing the pre-match tactical plan for most of the ga, and there weren't many glaring issues with individual performances either, barring the own goal.
"Boss, I can't accept this result," Arteta's voice was choked with genuine emotion next to him.
As Manchester City's passionate assistant coach, he knew exactly how much tireless effort everyone had put in for the League Title this season.
And those who work hard should not be let down by fate.
"We have done everything we could possibly do, Mikel, but the god of football fortune was simply not on our side tonight. Perhaps next ti, luck will favor soone else," Guardiola said aningfully, staring blankly ahead.
The flip side of pure joy is always deep sorrow in sports, but there's no need to be overly disheartened.
Since we have done everything within our tactical power, the future must surely be bright.
Next door in the ho dugout, Mourinho stood right on the edge of the Technical Area, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets trembling incessantly with adrenaline.
He had managed exactly 978 professional matches with a staggering win rate of 63.68%, many of which were incredible, historic cobacks, but absolutely none felt quite like today's emotional rollercoaster.
"Rui... three days from now, we're playing Chelsea in the league, right?" Mourinho struggled to contain his massive excitent, his voice actually trembling as he asked his assistant.
Faria was still lost in pure ecstasy and took a mont to ntally respond.
"Huh? Oh, yes boss, we're playing Chelsea, and then it's the Champions League Semi-final first leg. We'll host Liverpool first."
Everyone knew how incredibly professional and ticulous Mourinho was—he had the entire season's schedule morized months ago.
How could he possibly forget the next fixture now?
Faria secretly speculated with a smile, Looks like the boss has gotten a bit emotionally flashy with age.
If this were ten years ago at Porto, he'd be sprinting around the pitch sliding on his knees right now.
...
At the sa ti on the pitch.
Manchester City's desperate, final corner kick was easily intercepted by Ling, who headed it powerfully out of the box to safety.
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!
With the piercing, beautiful sound of the referee's final whistle, the epic match finally ca to an end!
Whoosh!!!
Old Trafford erupted into an absolute, unbridled frenzy, the deafening cheers soaring into the night sky as the three ho stands transford into a bouncing, celebrating sea of red.
Manchester United fans excitedly high-fived and hugged each other in the aisles, even if they were complete strangers.
This dramatic match would undoubtedly rank among the top three greatest in Manchester United's rich Premier League history.
Perhaps only the 1999 Champions League final, with its sheer, terrifying improbability, could truly surpass today's emotional ga.
"Glory belongs to Manchester United!"
"Manchester is absolutely RED!"
"We march forward to the Premier League title, with no rivals left to challenge us!"
Listening to the deafening roars of the Manchester United fans, Ling collapsed and lay flat on his back on the grass, feeling the cool dampness against his spine, finally able to relax completely.
Exhausted!
As the massive surge of adrenaline faded, overwhelming physical fatigue washed over his body.
"We are the champions!!!" Ander Herrera danced wildly beside him, screaming into the sky.
"Hey, Ander, calm down. There are still three tricky rounds left in the league. Don't pop the champagne at halfti!" Ling gently, playfully kicked Ander Herrera from the ground.
Compared to Manchester United's final three matches (Chelsea, Huddersfield, Cardiff), Manchester City's opponents were theoretically weaker, so United couldn't afford to let their guard down for a single second.
After working so incredibly hard to defeat Manchester City today, if they stupidly lost to another team next week and allowed Manchester City to pull off another miracle, Ling truly couldn't accept it.
Once the initial, wild celebrations on the pitch had died down a bit, Ling gathered his exhausted teammates in a huddle and earnestly advised them.
"Lads, listen to . We're only one single point ahead of Manchester City, which ans if we stupidly draw or lose even one of the remaining three matches, the title will likely slip away!"
"There's a famous saying from my hotown: 'The last ten percent of the journey takes half the effort.' It ans that when you're traveling a hundred miles, reaching the ninety-mile mark is realistically only halfway there."
"So, lads, we have to push even harder now and not give Manchester City or Liverpool any chance to catch us!"
"Maybe you all feel physically exhausted right now, but if you want to be legends and champions, you can't complain about being tired. Besides, the title isn't officially ours yet! We haven't won anything today!"
Ling had learned a lot of dia and man-managent skills from Mourinho, and his words were both reasonable and well-founded to keep them grounded.
The overly excited Manchester United players gradually cald down, nodding in agreent.
Ander Herrera chid in: "Ling is completely right. Often, the closer you get to the actual finish line, the harder it ntally becos, so you have to take the remaining gas even more seriously!"
"Co on, let's go thank the fans properly. Without their noise and support today, it would have been hard for us to keep going," Ling didn't want to spoil the joyous mood too much and smiled warmly at his teammates, pulling them toward the stands.
Of course, they should celebrate the massive derby win, but they couldn't get carried away with the title talk just yet.
His earlier words were just a necessary captain's reminder.
As he led his teammates to the Stretford End (the Die-hard Stand), the Manchester United fans responded with wildly enthusiastic applause and rhythmic chants of the players' nas, one after another.
...
Up in the VIP boxes.
"Dad seems really heartbroken down there. Are we being too harsh by still sitting in the Manchester United stands?" Valentina Guardiola asked her siblings, still having a conscience after all.
"But it's genuinely so fun in the Manchester United fan section!" Marius replied excitedly. "Watching Ling score goal after incredible goal with our own eyes, chanting his na loudly along with everyone—that amazing feeling isn't the sa in the quiet Manchester City section."
Marius hesitated for a mont upon hearing his sister's concern but ultimately chose to follow his footballing heart.
At the end, he even glanced at his older sister: "Maria, what do you think we should do?"
Maria looked down toward the dejected Manchester City coaching bench, thought for a mont, and said softly.
"Let's go down and comfort Dad first. I think he really needs us right now."
Guardiola had stayed up countless, stressful nights for this specific match, constantly studying tactics and even drinking black coffee like water.
Maria had seen the toll it took all along.
Sotis she asked herself privately, who did she actually hope would win the match more?
Ling or her father? The honest answer was she didn't know.
...
On the other end of the green pitch, the Manchester City players looked utterly dejected and broken.
They were just one tiny step away from the championship lead but couldn't cross that line no matter how hard they fought today.
In fact, through several brutal encounters this season, although Manchester City hadn't managed to beat Manchester United, the results and performances had been getting closer and closer.
Today, they had clearly seen hope for victory—it had even been within reach at 3-3. But it was violently shattered by Ling.
That kind of profound frustration went straight to the depths of their footballing souls; they even began to genuinely doubt their own abilities.
Guardiola slowly walked up to the seated players on the pitch and comforted them in a light, philosophical tone.
"You're upset. Many people are upset today, including ."
"But every major tournant, every long league season, is just like a day in life. When the day ends, so will be happy, so will be sad. But no matter what, whether you're happy or sad today, tomorrow will still co."
"The facts on the pitch have proven we're not perfect yet, so let's go back to training and do our absolute best to beco perfect."
"Since we gave it our all today, there's nothing to regret. Hold your heads high."
"Keep pushing, all of us together."
Guardiola patted each exhausted Manchester City player on the shoulder one by one.
After everyone stood up, he led them away down the tunnel.
De Bruyne took one last, deep look at Ling celebrating before disappearing.
As the match officially ca to an end, at the post-match press conference, Mourinho surprisingly acknowledged Manchester City with respect.
"They are an excellent, world-class team that gave us a lot of trouble today, as the difficult, chaotic process of the match proves.
"It's precisely because of elite opponents like them pushing us that we can grow stronger."
"Now, let's talk about Manchester United. At the start of the season, our performance wasn't great. Because Ling was unfairly suspended for three matches, we lost gas we simply shouldn't have lost. At the ti, many of you in this room thought we didn't have what it takes to compete for the title."
"But as ti passed, we gradually grew—from seventh place in the standings to first!"
"Please don't call arrogant later, because I want to tell you a fact: Manchester United currently has the best coach and the best players in the world!"
No reporters in the packed conference room spoke up to refute him.
Even though they didn't personally like Mourinho, who could argue when he was stating obvious facts?
As for Guardiola's press conference, he kept it remarkably simple and classy.
"From the first second to the last second of the match—over two hours in total—this ga will beco an eternal spiritual treasure in our mories. It was a beautiful ga of football."
"We will rember today's bitter defeat."
"Finally, the league isn't completely over yet, and Manchester City won't give up fighting."
After the press conferences concluded, news and highlights about the epic match swept across major global sports platforms.
After all, such a thrilling, high-quality, and dramatic process gave fans a real, unforgettable feast for the eyes.
...
@TacticalNerd: Guardiola's final decision-making error cost them—if he had held the midfield defensively and continued with pure possession-based play at 3-3, Manchester United's exhausted fitness might not have allowed them to press effectively for a winner.
@PepFan: From a bird's-eye view on TV, it certainly seems that way, but making perfectly accurate in-ga decisions under that kind of pressure requires imnse ntal and tactical discipline. Mourinho gambled and won.
@RedDevilArmy: Right Flank Assault, Aerial Bombardnt, High Press—Mourinho's tactical approach today was highly targeted and brilliant. I don't think Manchester City lost unjustly. We out-fought them.
@CityBlue: Only after buying a true defensive midfielder to replace Fernandinho and a proper left-back next season will Manchester City's squad be truly complete to face Ling.
@LondonBlue: Let's wait for the league match in three days before crowning United. I think there's still room for change. Chelsea hates Mourinho so much—won't Hazard and the boys go all out to stop Manchester United at Old Trafford?
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