Less than five minutes after Manchester United kicked off, after a dead ball situation, the fourth official on the sidelines signaled that Manchester United should also make personnel changes.
Two veterans, Giggs and Keane, were substituted by Ferguson, and Park Ji-sung and Heinze came on in their place. Rooney was moved to the attacking midfield position by Ferguson, while Ronaldo and Scholes played on the left and right flanks respectively. O'Shea was moved to the defensive midfield position to strengthen the midfield defense together with Park Ji-sung.
As the game continued, neither side created any significant opportunities. Although Leeds United players were eager to equalize as quickly as possible, Manchester United's strength was undeniable, especially after Park Ji-sung came on. His seemingly inexhaustible energy and tireless running proved invaluable in defense.
Because Leeds United's attacks, apart from long passes, almost 80% of them originate from Modric, then go to Deisler to advance or distribute the ball.
However, Park Ji-sung almost completely shut down Deisler during this period, making it nearly impossible for him to turn around after receiving the ball. When the ball was passed to the wing, Ronaldo and Scholes would immediately drop back to help defend, which meant that Leeds United rarely had the opportunity to pass the ball from the ground to Falcao's feet.
Watching the situation on the field, Li Shiguang frowned slightly, glancing at Ferguson, who was a dozen meters away. He thought to himself: "As expected of Sir Alex Ferguson, who has absolute dominance at Manchester United, his on-field command ability is indeed strong. After Maicon scored earlier, in addition to making substitutions, Ronaldo was called to the sidelines and given a good scolding. As a result, in the last few minutes, Ronaldo was no longer seen wandering around the center circle in Leeds United's attacking rounds. He always retreated very deep to defend, which temporarily prevented Ribery, who had been looking for another opportunity to break through one-on-one, from doing so."
With 80 minutes played, the score remained 2-1, with Manchester United in the lead.
Su Tao and Wang Lu were chatting animatedly in the live broadcast room.
"It seems that Manchester United has regained its composure and has not been overwhelmed by Leeds United's momentum after scoring at the start of the second half. In the latter part of the game, they gradually regained control of the game. It must be said that Ferguson's two substitutions were indeed brilliant. As soon as Park Ji-sung came on, he disrupted Leeds United's midfield organization."
"Yes, and it seems Leeds United don't have many options left. Deisler just showed clear signs of cramping, and I guess... oh, Berbatov is already on the sidelines. It seems they should substitute Deisler. In that case, it should be considered a like-for-like substitution. Berbatov has occasionally played as an attacking midfielder or shadow striker in the Bundesliga before."
"We see that Manchester United is also making a substitution, a like-for-like change, with Tevez replacing Van Nistelrooy. As expected of Ferguson, he's putting immense pressure on Leeds United's defense in the final stretch of the game. This is Tevez's first time facing his former club since his transfer. Although there's not much time left, we can still look forward to his performance!"
Tevez, coming on as a substitute, was filled with mixed emotions. In less than a month, he had gone from being a member of Leeds United to their opponent. Just now, when he entered the game, former captain Milner had given him a friendly smile. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Leeds United would likely suffer a defeat today. After the match, he would still need to go and comfort his former teammates.
Under Ferguson's direction, Manchester United did not rush to attack in the later stages of the game. Instead, they kept passing the ball around after gaining possession, trying to stretch Leeds United's defense and wear down their opponents' stamina. Whenever there was an opportunity during the passing, they would pass the ball to Tevez or Ronaldo, who would then attempt a shot.
Fortunately, Leeds United's defense remained focused, and although Manchester United had a few shots, they were unable to extend their lead.
In the relatively slow pace of the game, the time reached the 89th minute, and the fourth official had already raised the sign for injury time on the sidelines. There were 3 minutes of injury time added to the game.
Manchester United are launching another attack, while Leeds United players are defending in their own half. Only Falcao is wandering around the center circle, next to two tall Manchester United center-backs, Ferdinand and Silvestre.
Because Kompany and Chiellini had been too cautious with himself, Tevez dropped back to about 15 meters from the Leeds United penalty area to receive the ball. Although there wasn't much time left, since he was on the field, he wanted to perform well so that he could gain an advantage in the competition for a starting position.
Park Ji-sung, who was dribbling the ball for Manchester United, saw Tevez waving for the ball and passed it to him without much thought. Since Tevez was already far away from Leeds United's penalty area, no Leeds United player immediately came up to press him. So Tevez turned around with relative ease after receiving the ball.
Tevez, having received the ball, looked around, considering his next passing option. Leeds United's defense in the middle was very tight, making it almost impossible for him to break through on his own.
But just as he was still thinking, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.
Hey! Carlos!
Upon hearing the sound, Tevez instinctively turned around with the ball and looked in the direction from which the sound came.
Then he saw a familiar figure in a white jersey facing him, pointing towards the center circle with his right hand and shouting, "Carlos! Pass it back!"
In the post-match interview, reporters mentioned this comical scene, and Sir Alex Ferguson could only shrug helplessly and reply, "I haven't asked Carlos what he was thinking at the time. I think he was probably just nostalgic."
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