The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 48

The Calm Before the Storm :Previous «Home Page» Next: Down to the Wire - Part 2
== Down to the Wire - Part 1 ==
"I think it's going to go to the wire. The team that shows the most consistency now will win it. Squeaky bum time." – Sir Alex Ferguson (Former Manchester United manager, 1986-2013).
...
Sunday May 12
Manchester United vs. Leicester City (Premier League match 38 - final day)
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
3:00 PM BST
PEEEP!
Martin Tyler: Leicester City hit the final day under way here at Old Trafford.
From the very start, the Leicester City players attempted to control the game by passing the ball among themselves in order to test United. Needless to say though, boos rained down whenever Ukyo touched the ball. The Old Trafford faithful were not going to tone down with the hostility for a second against the former Kamakura High School midfielder in blue.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Martin Tyler: You won't need me to tell you when Sera has the ball today.
Despite Leicester's attempts at setting up the pace, United responded with aggressive pressure just as they did against Manchester City a couple of weeks ago. After a few minutes of play, the action started to shift deeper inside the Foxes' half in front of the East Stand.
In the 5th minute:
Martin Tyler: Köhler... Shaw...
While pinning the Leicester City players inside their own half, Matthias passed the ball from the center circle to Shawzy on the left. Then the English left-back looked up ahead for passing options. One of those options was Kakeru.
'Over here, Shawzy!' Kakeru thought as he waved his hand up and started a run behind one of the Leicester City defenders.
Spotting Kakeru, Shawzy launched a looping ball into Kakeru's path. Upon receiving the ball, Kakeru started shifting his run across and towards the front of the penalty area. Knowing that he made a mistake by letting Kakeru slip behind him, Ricardo Pereira rushed back and then fouled Kakeru just outside of the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Here's Aizawa... He's decked by Ricardo. Free kick given.
The crowd shouted when the foul was committed, but then applauded the decision by the referee to award a free kick. Within seconds, Leicester set up a 3-man wall in front of the point of infringement while United sent 4 players to distract the remaining players in blue. Over the ball stood Nana and Yusuke, who attempted to force their opponents into a guessing game.
"What do you say? Think you might take it?" Nana asked Yusuke.
"It looks more difficult for a leftie like me from here. I think you'd have a better chance of hitting the target with a curled shot." Yusuke replied.
"I was thinking the same too. So I'll do it."
"Send a good one in there." Yusuke said.
Gary Neville: I think this is a slightly better angle for Mishima, coming from that side to test the goalkeeper.
Martin Tyler: Mishima and Saeki are looking on the ball.
The 2 Japanese midfielders in red took a few steps back while the other players stood on the ready at their assigned positions. All eyes were on the referee at the time.
PEEP!
Following the referee's signal, Nana ran towards the ball before she whipped the shot from her favorite right foot. The shot combined curve and dip as it flew above the ball and towards the top corner to Schmeichel's right. However, the Danish goalkeeper managed to jump just far enough to parry the shot out of play, much to the disbelief of the tens of thousands of home fans.
Martin Tyler: And Schmeichel just got there. He stopped Mishima from carrying on the run she started against Manchester City and then against Bayern Munich.
In the process, Schmeichel was went crashing into the side netting of his own goal. Then he was picked up and congratulated by his teammates. Nevertheless, the next action was a corner kick for Manchester United. The home crowd roared in expectation as both teams moved in position. For the second time within seconds, Nana moved to set piece duty as she was set to take the corner kick.
Martin Tyler: Corner for Manchester United. Mishima to take...
PEEP!
Following the whistle, Nana whipped the ball towards the area in front of the 6-tard box. However, the ball flew towards an area where no Manchester United player was in a position to attack. Kasper Schmeichel easily caught the ball to slow the play in the end.
Martin Tyler: Easier one for Schmeichel to predict.
The majority among the 71,000+ home fans at Old Trafford let out a sigh of disappointment when they saw Kasper Schmeichel catch the ball. Nana clenched her teeth, knowing that she missed 2 opportunities to put her team early on the scoreboard.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"That's such a shame. A good effort by Kakeru and a good free kick by Nana, both spoiled by a poor corner kick." Noriko said.
"One thing I can give the players is that we have chosen to attack them instead of playing on our heels." Robert replied.
"True, Dad." Noriko said.
"For as long as we can impose our game on them, we will have more chances." Harry said.
"The real question will be about what Leicester City will do should they weather the storm unscathed." Sayuri remarked.
"In any case, we have to keep testing them and go for goal." Noriko replied.
Although United failed to take the early lead, momentum was on their side for a few more minutes. Every time that the home side recovered the ball, there was a feeling that something might happen. On the other hand, Leicester City were making efforts to survive the early onslaught first and foremost.
In the 11th minute:
Martin Tyler: Now Köhler… Blanco on the right...
From the center circle, Matthias made a lobbed pass towards Diogo on the right wing and slightly ahead. But as soon as Diogo received the pass, he had to deal with Maddison running towards him. In response to the pressure, Diogo made a side pass to his left and towards Nana.
"Not on me!" Ukyo shouted as he rushed towards Nana.
But instead of dithering on the ball, Nana flipped the ball above Ukyo and ahead towards one of the Manchester United forwards. Jumping for the ball, Marius flicked the ball into Kakeru's path.
Martin Tyler: Mishima... towards Van Leeuwen...
Kakeru received the pass onto his left foot before he made a nifty move to shift the ball onto his right foot. The move fooled Ricardo Pereira, who was caught flatfooted and overcommitted in expectation of a run to the outside that never came.
Martin Tyler: ...lands it for Aizawa.
Kakeru prepared to take a shot from the inside of his right foot. But as the Japanese forward took the shot, former Manchester United defender Jonny Evans threw his right foot in the way. Then the ball bounced out of play, prompting the Old Trafford faithful to roar in anticipation for another upcoming attack.
Martin Tyler: Blocked by Evans. Corner.
"Damn!" Kakeru cursed out loud.
"I may be older, but I can still stop you, Kakeru." Evans said.
"I'm just getting started, Jonathan." Kakeru replied.
"We have a corner, lads. Let's go!" Matthias reminded his teammates in red of the upcoming task.
In response, both teams moved to their assigned positions ahead of the corner kick. Meanwhile, Nana walked towards the corner flag with the ball to resume her set piece duties. United moved up 6 players – Kakeru, Matthias, Nikolaj, Didier, Kevin, and Marius to counter the presence of all 11 Leicester City players, who were defending the corner kick.
Gary Neville: Almost out of nothing, really. Mishima was clever to only take one touch of the ball. Then the light flick by Van Leeuwen opened things up for Aizawa, who beat Ricardo but not Jonny Evans. He was unlucky, Aizawa.
Martin Tyler: It would be quite a body blow to Leicester City's hopes for top 7 should they concede now.
Then all eyes and ears were on the referee to order the play to proceed.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Mishima to take...
Nana whipped the ball towards the area just in front of Schmeichel's 6-yard box. Marius jumped towards the ball, but Wes Morgan got his head on the ball a split second earlier. But instead of a clean clearance, the contact led to the ball popping up in the air and yet still inside the Leicester City penalty area. But then the ball went on the downward trajectory, and Kakeru was preparing to hit the volley.
Martin Tyler: Oh, and Aizawa's unmarked...
Kakeru isolated himself from the Leicester defenders for a split second, and it was all he needed to take a good shot that neither Ukyo nor Akira could stop. However, Kasper Schmeichel put his gloves up to parry the shot away.
Martin Tyler: Good save by Schmeichel!
Then the rebound was clear far away from the penalty area and out to the side. All that the 71,000+ Manchester United supporters in the stand was to express total disbelief once again. However, no one was more disappointed than Kakeru at that moment.
'I don't believe this!' Kakeru thought.
"This is not your day, and it won't be as such." Ukyo taunted.
"You and your big mouth." Kakeru replied.
"Wait until we weather the storm. You will see how far we have come since December." Ukyo finished.
Then Kakeru walked his way back to prepare for the restart. However, the Japanese forward in red was thoughtful of the dangers of missing on the chance his team has had thus far.
'This could be dangerous. If we keep on missing our chances, then they only need one good shot to put us in trouble.' Kakeru thought.
Looking from her position, Nana shared the same sentiment.
'If we start losing our grip on the pace of this match, they could well start going at us soon. We have to be very careful now.' Nana thought.
Unfortunately for Kakeru and Nana, they were right as Leicester City started to play better after surviving all Manchester United attacks in the first 15 minutes of the match. Meanwhile in North London, Arsenal and Wolves were also locked at 0-0. But it was at Old Trafford that momentum started to change sides.
In the 17th minute:
Martin Tyler: Here's Tielemans... to Ricardo...
For a rare occurrence at that time, Leicester City mounted an attack with several players moving inside the Manchester United half. From just inside the Manchester United half, Youri Tielemans passed the ball towards Ricardo Pereira, who then flicked a through pass towards Demarai Gray.
Martin Tyler: He finds Gray...
Running at full speed on the right wing, Demarai Gray entered the Manchester United penalty area. But instead of taking the shot himself, Gray made a short side pass for Akira. Without hesitation, the Japanese striker in blue unleashed the shot.
Martin Tyler: TAKAJO!!!
Akira blasted the shot, but Jan managed to get his arms in the way. Then the rebound went quickly towards Maddison, who couldn't control it with his first touch. It was enough of a time window for Yusuke to clear the ball out of bounds, conceding a corner kick though.
Martin Tyler: And Maddison... cleared away by Saeki. Fine stop by Jan Farkas on a great shot from Akira Takajo.
"Damn that Farkas!" Akira cursed out loud for himself.
"Better luck next time, Takajo." Yusuke quipped, but Akira did not reply.
Gary Neville: Well, that was great save by Jan Farkas. But you have to say that the build-up and the shot were also clever from Leicester City. They manage to carve their way up to Gray, who saw Takajo to his left. Takajo was clever by dropping off the defenders slightly to be in a good position to take a good strike. The 2 Manchester United centre-backs switched off for a split second, but Farkas comes up big as he has done so many times this season.
Both teams moved to prepare themselves for the upcoming corner kick. Nana was sent to guard the far post while Kakeru and Yusuke were assigned to man-mark Ukyo and Akira respectively. Within seconds, everyone got ready.
Martin Tyler: Maddison will take the corner for Leicester City.
PEEP!
Maddison whipped the ball towards the area in front of the far post and outside of the 6-yard box, but Matthias managed to head the ball outside of the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Cleared by Köhler...
However, United was not safe yet as the ball went towards Ben Chilwell, who stood just within 25 yards from goal. Kevin tried to rush and block the shot, but Chilwell managed to take a a left-footed strike that had a perfect combination of pace and dip. Jan appeared to be left helpless until...
Martin Tyler: CHILWELL!!! Grazed off the top of the bar!
The 71,000+ United supporters at Old Trafford let out a collective sigh of relief when the ball struck the top of the crossbar and then out of bounds. After back-to-back scoring chances from Leicester City, United survived with just a goal kick.
"We were lucky in the end." Kakeru said to Nana.
"They are starting to grow in confidence." Nana replied.
"We have to keep pushing them back. Otherwise, it will be tougher for us." Yusuke said.
"Let's do this." Kakeru replied.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"They are edging closer to our goal." Noriko said.
"I was dreading this would happen if Leicester managed to survive the first 15 minutes." Robert replied.
"That is not good. The last thing we need is to have Leicester dictate the pace now."
"What's the score in the Arsenal game, Noriko?" Harry asked.
Noriko checked on her smartphone for a few seconds.
"Still 0-0, Grandpa. Arsenal have more possession and more shot attempts, but Wolves are still holding on." Noriko replied.
"The first goal will matter a lot now." Robert said.
"Knock on wood." Noriko finished.
From that moment forward in time, Leicester City started to take control of the momentum in the match, blunting United's attacks to better effect. Although the Foxes did not land anything convincing on target for a few minutes, there was a feeling that something was going to happen. Tension was the enemy as one single shot could spell trouble casting its shadow upon United's title hopes in a split second.
In the 23rd minute:
Martin Tyler: Here's Ben Chilwell...
Starting from his own half and on the left channel, Ben Chilwell made a long pass ahead and towards James Maddison. The English playmaker came up facing Diogo at the entrance of the small corridor between the touchline and the side of the Manchester United penalty area. With some skillful dribble, Maddison got his way past Diogo.
Martin Tyler: This is great play by Maddison...
After getting past Diogo, Maddison attempted to cut his run towards the penalty area from the side. In response, Nana came in to try helping the defenders. Nevertheless, Maddison managed to attempt a pass towards the face of goal. The ball then came off Didier before it bounced freely towards the front edge of the penalty area, too far for Yusuke to recover in time. It was all it took for Ukyo to fire a drive to Jan's left and into the back of the net, confirming United's worst fear at the time: falling behind by 0-1!
Martin Tyler: And a GOAL!! By Ukyo Sera! An arrowing drive beyond Jan Farkas, and trouble looms on the horizon for Manchester United at Old Trafford!
As if scoring the goal was not enough, Ukyo went a step further by doing the shushing gesture in the midst of the celebrations. Needless to say, shock quickly made way to full anger as several among the irked 71,000+ United supporters responded by throwing even more swear words and several obscene gestures towards him in retaliation.
Gary Neville: Well, we were talking about how a goal on either side could be a body blow to the other. This is the situation that Manchester United dreaded, and everything that Leicester City wanted. James Maddison does ever so well to run past Diogo Blanco. Then the cross went off Kamara. It was a broken play, but one thing that no one can argue with is the sheer quality of the strike that arrows in the bottom corner. Of all people, the public enemy number one at Old Trafford is the one putting Leicester City in the driving seat for the Europa League.
At the same time that the Leicester City players celebrated their goal, the Manchester United players were looking to rally together with the same objective in sight.
"It's OK. Let's calm down and stick to the game plan!" Matthias ordered.
"He's right! We still have plenty of time." Nikolaj added to the rally cry.
"We can still come back and win this. Let's go at them again!" Yusuke added.
Nodding to the rally cry, Kakeru and Nana took their focus back in place.
'We have 67 minutes and stoppage time left to play. We can still do this.' Kakeru thought.
'We scored twice against them last time. We will do it again.' Nana thought.
At that time, United's title hopes were barely kept alive by the fact that an Arsenal draw would not be enough for the North Londoners to win the title. However, news of Ukyo Sera's goal would definitely give Arsenal a boost.
⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
Meanwhile at the Emirates Stadium, North London (Arsenal vs. Wolves)
When news of Ukyo's opening goal against United reached thousands of smartphones through notifications and direct phone calls at the Emirates Stadium, thousands of Arsenal supporters cheered as if their own team scored a goal. Hope was definitely revived in the red and white half of North London.
Rob Hawthorne: There has been a goal at Old Trafford. Ukyo Sera has given Leicester City the lead against Manchester United. It means that Wolves would miss out the Europa League if things stand as they are. But more importantly, it means that Arsenal are one goal away from taking the advantage in the title race.
The cheers in the crowd sent a loud and clear message to the Arsenal players, prompting them to keep on attacking against Wolves. An Arsenal goal would tilt the balance of the title race back in the Gunners' favor for the first time since February.
In the 26th minute:
Rob Hawthorne: Pedro Neto... against Kolašinac...
Receiving the ball on the halfway line, the Wolves player was looking to start an attack before he faced Sead Kolašinac. The Wolves player then attempted to run past the Arsenal player, but then got stripped of the ball by a well-placed tackle from another Arsenal player in Granit Xhaka.
Rob Hawthorne: Neto says he was fouled, but the referee shakes his head.
Xhaka's tackle came from behind but managed to touch the ball before the player. The loose ball was recovered by Ryoma Oda, who then ran a few yards with the ball before passing it ahead for Araki.
Rob Hawthorne: Now it's Araki...
Ahead of Araki, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Patrick Jenpa started to make their runs for the purpose of breaching the Wolves' defensive line. In a blink of an eye, Araki launched a through pass into Patrick's path.
Rob Hawthorne: Jenpa is in...
Left unmarked for a split second, Jenpa rushed towards the Wolverhampton goalkeeper. But instead of taking the shot, Jenpa made a square pass towards Aubameyang. The end result left the Wolves goalkeeper standing totally helpless as Arsenal drew first blood.
Rob Hawthorne: AUBAMEYAAAANG!!!
The vast majority among the 60,000+ spectators in the attendance jumped on their feet to celebrate the 1-0 goal. For the first time since the match at Old Trafford back in February, Arsenal were in the driving seat for the title race.
Rob Hawthorne: With over 25 minutes gone, breakthrough for Arsenal! It's the goal that puts them back to the top of the table at this time, and the dynamic front pair from Africa have combined again! From Jenpa to Aubameyang!
The Arsenal players celebrated with the Gabonese striker.
"Bien joué (Well played), Auba!" Patrick congratulated Aubameyang.
"Toute une passe, mec! (What a pass, man!)" Aubameyang replied.
"Well done, guys! Big goal!" Araki congratulated both strikers.
"LET'S GO! We have this!" Ryoma added.
Alan Smith: Well, Wolves are asking why a foul was not called against Granit Xhaka. But this is a quick reaction from Arsenal. Xhaka touched the ball first; it's a good decision. Then Oda picks up the loose ball, finds Araki ahead of him. Great movement off the ball by both Jenpa and Aubameyang to find gaps in the Wolves' defence. Jenpa was in the clear, but he saw Aubameyang was in a better position to tap it in. Great team goal!
Rob Hawthorne: This is a significant moment in the title race, especially with Manchester United still trailing behind against Leicester City. Arsenal have moved one step closer to a first Premier League title since 2004 – the famous Invincibles' campaign, but there is still a long time left to go.
From prayers to rekindled hope to a belief in victory, Arsenal fans all around the world went through a large part in the entire spectrum of emotions. But just as Rob Hawthorne pointed out, there was a lot of time and a lot of football left to be played, especially on a day when victory hinges on the whole set of circumstances to unfold in one direction or the other.
As it stands: 1) Arsenal... 90 points, 2) Manchester United... 88 points.
⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
Back to Old Trafford, Manchester (Manchester United vs. Leicester City)
Within the first 60 seconds that followed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goal at the Emirates Stadium, the 3,000 Leicester City fans sitting in the Southwest corner at Old Trafford started cheering loudly as they received the news that Wolverhampton Wanderers were losing against Arsenal, meaning that Leicester City were holding a strong grip on the 7th and last place leading into next season's Europa League. The noise from the away fans told the story before Martin Tyler received the video of the Arsenal goal on his monitor.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal have taken the lead over Wolves at the Emirates Stadium through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. This is why the Leicester City supporters are celebrating. But more importantly, the margin for error is narrowing for Manchester United here at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, there were murmurs among the 71,000+ Manchester United supporters in the stands, shocked at the turn of events in the title race. Memories of a Premier League title lost on the very last day of the 2011-12 season were still haunting the minds of all Manchester United fans worldwide as well.
On the pitch, the players also realized what was going on in North London when they heard the crowd's reaction.
'Those cheers mean that Arsenal took the lead against Wolves.' Kakeru thought as he looked at the away supporters.
'Arsenal are winning. We have to get one on the scoreboard ASAP.' Yusuke thought.
'We must throw everything at them now. All we need to put some pressure is a tying goal before halftime.' Nana thought.
From the 27th minute forward, United started to repeat what they did in the first 15 minutes of the match by launching more incisive attacks against Leicester City. The Foxes were holding their ground fairly well by playing aggressive defending against the player with the ball, but the Red Devils were determined to find the gap in Leicester City's armor.
In the 29th minute:
Martin Tyler: Chilwell...
After a pass from Schmeichel to Chilwell, the English left-back started running forward with the ball. Nana stood in the way ahead to deny Chilwell passing options towards the Leicester City defenders. Then Kevin surprised Chilwell by tracking back in full speed and then stripping the ball away from the Leicester City defender.
Martin Tyler: Great pullback by Flynn...
After Kevin retrieved the ball, he made a short pass to Yusuke.
"Come on, Saeki!" Ukyo shouted as he rushed towards Yusuke.
Having no option of passing forward, Yusuke chose to pass the ball backwards to Didier, who then kicked the ball. What looked to be a clearance finally became an accidental pass ahead to Nikolaj. The Danish midfielder sneaked his way behind Wilfred Ndidi before he spotted Kakeru charging on the left wing.
Martin Tyler: Kamara found Kristiansen more by accident than by design...
Without hesitation, Nikolaj launched the pass into Kakeru's path. The crowd at Old Trafford roared as they saw the opportunity building up.
Martin Tyler: And here's Aizawa. Ricardo trying to get to him...
Kakeru could have ran his way forward, but he chose to stop just in front of the Leicester City penalty area to shift the ball from his left foot onto his right foot. Ricardo Pereira fell back to stop Kakeru's run. Jonny Evans and Wes Morgan also fell back into their own penalty area to mark Marius. Nevertheless, that single second that Kakeru used to hold onto the ball a little longer allowed Nana to run in full speed towards a shooting position.
Martin Tyler: He's held up Manchester United...
"Kakeru!" Nana shouted for a pass.
Knowing what was about to happen, Kakeru made a layoff pass into Nana's path. The Little Witch fired the shot with her right foot, despite Jonny Evans' attempt to slide across and block the shot.
Martin Tyler: MISHIMA!!! Gone wide!
Unfortunately for Nana, the shot rolled just wide to the post. However, Nana waved her hand up to demand a corner kick before she saw the referee give a goal kick instead.
"WHAT? HEEEEEYYY!!! That should be a corner!" Nana protested.
Martin Tyler: She's absolutely furious that she hasn't got a corner.
The home crowd also voiced discontent against the referee's decision. Nana was not finished arguing with the referee.
"The ball went off Evans and behind; that's a corner. Are you kidding me?" Nana argued.
"From what I saw, the shot went wide to the target." the referee replied.
"Come on, man!" Nana lamented.
"Even I saw the ball going off Evans from here. You can't be serious!" Matthias added to the protests.
"It's too close for me to overturn that." the referee reiterated his position.
Gary Neville: Well, everything seemed to open up when Kristiansen split the defence with that ball towards Aizawa. Ricardo does well to fall back and stop Aizawa's run, but Aizawa was also clever to remain unselfish and make the layoff pass for Mishima to shoot. Then... the shot came off Jonny Evans and behind. The Manchester United players wanted a corner. Nana Mishima had a very good argument for it. 
Nana then turned away, waving her arms in the air in dejection when the referee chose to make the original goal kick call stand.
"Absolute horseshit!" Nana cursed out loud for herself.
"Forget about it, Seven. Stay cool." Kakeru said in an attempt to calm Nana down.
"We should have had a corner. How can that ref miss that one on the biggest day of all?"
"I know, I know. But we must not let that get to our heads now; that's what they want." Kakeru said.
"All right. Let's go at them again." Nana replied.
"That's far from finished." Kakeru finished.
Despite the moment of controversy, the Red Devils continued to apply tremendous pressure upon the Foxes. The home team was hoping that they would eventually break the ice through attrition, but it was a slight moment of confusion that opened the door rather than a team effort or a superb solo effort.
In the 32nd minute:
Martin Tyler: Saeki looking onto his left. Shaw...
For a little less than a minute, the Manchester United players passed the ball between themselves. The action was taking place mainly inside the Leicester City half of the pitch, but the Foxes were gathering numbers to defend their own half. After a pass from Yusuke to Shawzy, the English left-back in red passed the ball ahead and towards Kakeru.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa...
Kakeru was arriving in the opposite direction, with his back showing to the Leicester City goal. The Japanese forward in red had to deal with Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans attempting to close down on him from opposite directions.
'Have to spin around. Run in there, Shawzy.' Kakeru thought.
Following his instinct, Kakeru made a 180-degree spin in his run before he fired an attempted through pass intended for Shawzy. At first, the ball looked to be an easy one for Ricardo Pereira to pick up. But Shawzy kept on pushing forward in full stride, forcing Ricardo Pereira to make a quick decision. Then in a moment of total confusion lasting barely a tiny split second, Ricardo Pereira poked the ball towards Kasper Schmeichel, who then picked the ball with his hands.
"HEEEEEEYYY!!!" all Manchester United players shouted in unison.
"BACK PASS! BACK PASS!" Noriko shouted at the very same time that almost all 71,000+ Manchester United supporters in the stadium did.
Martin Tyler and Gary Neville: Oh, that's a back pass.
PEEEEEP!!!
When the referee blew his whistle, the majority in the crowd at Old Trafford cheered as it gave United an opportunity to score from a rare free kick INSIDE the penalty area. On the other end of the spectrum of emotions, the Leicester City players were shocked by the turn of events.
"How? That's not a free kick." Kasper Schmeichel pleaded his case.
"There was no purpose there." Jonny Evans added.
"That was an accident. Come on." Ukyo added.
"Ricardo Pereira poked the ball on purpose towards the goalkeeper, who picked that up. It's a back pass. Free kick, Manchester United." the referee replied.
As for the culprit himself, Ricardo Pereira did not say a word as he knew he did a mistake by poking the ball to his goalkeeper without any warning, thus creating the confusion.
Gary Neville: It's definitely a back pass. Ricardo guided the ball straight to Kasper Schmeichel. Aizawa's pass did not like it would go anywhere, but Ricardo probably panicked when Shaw was pushing forward. Then Ricardo and Schmeichel got mixed up, which is why the goalkeeper picked it up. No doubt about that.
Introduced in 1992 in the aftermath of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, which was deemed as one of the poorest competitions of its kind because of rife back-passing and goalkeepers handling the ball, the back-pass rule prohibits goalkeepers from handling the ball when it has been deliberately passed to them by a teammate. Deliberate passes include kicked passes and passes resulting from a teammate's throw-in, the latter stemming from an amendment that extended the rule in 1997. The resulting punishment for a back-pass is an indirect free kick at the exact location where the goalkeeper picked the ball up, unless it is within the 6-yard goal area, for which the kick is taken from the point on the 6-yard line closest to the point of infringement.
In this particular case, Manchester United were set to take an indirect free kick around 12 yards from Kasper Schmeichel's goal and slightly to the goalkeeper's right. With the point of infringement being that close to goal, the Leicester City players were forced to stand very close to their own goal line. To make sure that the minimum distance of 10 yards would be respected on the free kick, the referee ordered the Leicester City players to fall back until the referee used the vanishing spray to mark the line that must not be crossed until the ball leaves its position.
Looking towards the goal, Nana was assessing her options as she watched Kasper Schmeichel organizing the 7-man goal in front of his goal. Schmeichel himself stood behind the wall and on the goal line, somewhat expecting a shot in the top corner to his left. Only 3 field players were not in the wall for Leicester City, including Ben Chilwell on guard at the far post to Kasper Schmeichel's left.
"Think you need me as a decoy or as a shooter?" Nikolaj asked.
"From here, I don't think so. We need power and accuracy instead of finesse in this situation. Kakeru can help me." Nana replied with a hand covering her mouth to hide the words from her opponents.
"OK." Nikolaj said to Nana before he called Kakeru over. "Knight. Witch has something to say."
"OK." Kakeru replied.
Just as Nikolaj walked away from the vicinity of the ball, Kakeru walked his way next to Nana to discuss about the upcoming free kick strategy. Then Kakeru and Nana used their hands to hide their conversation away from prying eyes.
"Have a plan?" Kakeru asked.
"Yeah. They expect shot power, but I know what can surprise them." Nana replied.
"Tell me then."
Nana moved up and whispered her plan in Kakeru's ear. The Japanese forward nodded and agreed to the proposed plan before both he and Nana moved at different positions to the left of the ball. Kakeru moved more to the left side of the ball while Nana stood at a direct angle with the goal.
Martin Tyler: Well, Nana Mishima really knows her way around set pieces, but this is something completely different from what she's been involved into. And Kakeru Aizawa may look more suited for this by being United's own fox in the box, having scored 41 times this season already.
Gary Neville: One thing for sure is that I wouldn't want to be in that wall when the player can blast the shot right away from point blank. The most difficult thing for the shooter in those situations is to combine power and accuracy with so many opponents standing in the way.
When everyone stood ready for the upcoming free kick, the referee stepped back to stand on the edge of the penalty area before the whistle was blown.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Aizawa...
From his position at a more acute angle, Kakeru made the first run towards the ball. But at the same time, Ukyo, who first stood at the right of the wall (on Schmeichel's left), started rushing towards him. By the time Kakeru stepped over the ball, he stopped his run while Ukyo already made 2 steps towards him.
"Hey! He jumped out." Kakeru protested to the referee.
Then the referee stepped out of his position, walking towards Ukyo. Among the 71,000+ Manchester United supporters, boos quickly turned into cheers as the referee produced the yellow card against the former Kamakura High School midfielder in blue.
Martin Tyler: Yellow card against Ukyo Sera for moving too soon.
"Why?" Ukyo protested.
"You stepped out too early to impede the free kick. Keep your ground until the ball is moved or you will be penalized even more. Get back." the referee replied.
Ukyo moved back into the wall of Leicester City players. However, only he knew fully well what he was doing when he previously stepped out of his position. The purpose was to take Kakeru and Nana's focus away before the free kick.
'A small price to pay for distracting you two. We'll see if you still have a good shot coming up or if I did a good job playing in your heads.' Ukyo thought.
Regardless, both Kakeru and Nana walked back to their original shooting positions while the referee moved back to the safe position that overlooks the upcoming free kick. Under the tight watch of the referee, the whistle was blown again to order the play to carry on.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Take 2...
As in the previous attempt, Kakeru made the first run towards the ball. But instead of taking the shot, Kakeru tapped the ball backwards and into Nana's path. The Leicester City players only had a split second to rush towards Nana while Kakeru provided a screen of his own. But nevertheless, Nana rifled a shot that found its way just by Ukyo's head, beyond Kasper Schmeichel's reach, beyond Ben Chilwell, and into the top corner of the goal to the goalkeeper's left.
Martin Tyler: It's back for MISHIMA! 1-1!!! Manchester United have equalized! It's Aizawa and Mishima combining again. But more importantly, United are back within one goal of winning the title once again after conceding the first goal to Leicester City.
In a flash, Old Trafford erupted in an explosion of noise when the ball hit the back of the net. In the celebrations, Nana went down on one knee, throwing her right arm around and to the sky before she was mobbed by her teammates.
"COME ON!" Nana shouted in front of the crowd.
"Well done, Seven!" Kakeru congratulated Nana.
"Thanks. Perfect layoff pass, Kakeru!" Nana replied.
"Huge goal, guys!" Yusuke joined his friends.
"Nice, Witch!" Nikolaj added.
"One down. One more to go. Big goal!" Matthias added.
Gary Neville: That was a great free kick. Absolutely brilliant and thought out. Aizawa just took it back to open things up a little bit for Nana Mishima. Lots of power and accuracy on the shot. Look at this: Aizawa nudges the ball behind, Mishima blasts it right away, and Schmeichel has been beaten by sheer power and accuracy.
Martin Tyler: Mishima has reached a milestone with that goal – her 15th goal of the season for Manchester United. The goal has brought some relief here at Old Trafford, but it may not be enough. If Arsenal win and Manchester United draw, the title would go to Arsenal. There is still plenty of time to go, and we may not be on the last twist in this amazing title race yet.
After the celebrations with her teammates, Nana took a quick glance towards Ukyo in the distance. When their eyes met, Nana pointed her right index finger towards Ukyo without saying a word. Nevertheless, the message was loud and clear without any need for uttered words: "We will get you."
Alan Keegan: UNITED'S GOAL... SCORED BY NUMBER NINETEEN... NANA MISHIMAAAAA!!!
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Well done, Nana! Nice pass, Kakeru!" Noriko exclaimed.
"That's one step in the right direction." Robert replied.
"I have seen that kind of free kick with the same moves before. When did that happen?" Sayuri asked.
"I know: England against Georgia in late April 1997." Robert replied.
"From Teddy Sheringham to Alan Shearer after a back pass, yes!" Harry said.
"Good memory, Dad. Sheringham and Shearer combined on the 2 goals against Georgia that night."
"We're just one goal away. If we score and win, we'd get the title regardless." Noriko said.
"The most important is that we attack. The result in North London does not matter at all." Robert replied.
"Right. We need to stay in control of our fate now. Knocking on wood." Noriko finished.
In the final day of any Premier League season, any tight race that drags into the final day always brings its share of twists and turns that could change the whole picture on a dime. As Wolves had something to play for, they were not going to roll over that easily against Arsenal. Nothing is ever finished before the final whistle.
As it stands: 1) Arsenal... 90 points, 2) Manchester United... 89 points.
⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
At the same time at the Emirates Stadium, North London (Arsenal vs. Wolves)
Unlike what happened 9-10 minutes earlier, news of Nana's equalizing goal against Leicester City came as a cold shower upon the vast majority at the Emirates Stadium. Thousands of Arsenal supporters remained silent, knowing that their rivals from the Northwest came back within one goal of accomplishing their destiny. On the other hand, the 3,000 Wolves supporters in the away stand cheered and then urged their team to fight for an equalizer that would lead into a spot for the Europa league.
'The stadium has gone almost silent... United must have scored.' Araki thought.
'Wolves will throw everything at us. So we must stay strong now and take that lead into halftime.' Ryoma thought.
Rob Hawthorne: Another goal at Old Trafford. This time, Nana Mishima has equalized for Manchester United on a free kick given after a back pass. Arsenal are still leading in the title race as it stands, but the next goal could tilt the Premier League title on one side or the other.
With an objective of their own in their sights, the team from Wolverhampton started to launch more attacks by using quite an underrated pool of solid talent on their team. Arsenal worked their way to counter Wolverhampton's game plan as much as possible by controlling the ball over more time, but Wolves were capable of adjusting themselves to any team.
In the 38th minute:
Rob Hawthorne: Matt Doherty with the throw...
Taking the throw-in quite deep inside the Arsenal half, the Wolverhampton right wingback threw the ball in and towards a teammate, who was making a run just inside the Arsenal penalty area. Although he was followed closely by Granit Xhaka, the Wolves midfielder whipped the ball across after letting it bounce off the ground once.
Rob Hawthorne: João Moutinho...
The ball flew towards the Arsenal defender guarding in front of the far post, but Mexican striker Raúl Jiménez made full use of his 1.90 m (6'3") height to outjump the defender and strike a powerful header into the back of the Arsenal goal. In a flash, the Emirates Stadium was stunned into silence.
Rob Hawthorne: It goes in for RAÚL JIMÉNEZ! WHAT AN EQUALIZER!! It's the Mexican striker who pounces it in for Wolves! As it stands, Wolves are in the Europa League. But more importantly, the title goes to Manchester United if both scorelines stand as they are! It's a major turning point in both the title race and the race for the Europa League. Incredible.
Outside of the 3,000 jubilant Wolverhampton supporters, the mood in the stadium was one of major concern as the conceding of the goal was an important setback for Arsenal. On the pitch though, the Arsenal players were looking to pick themselves up.
"Come on, lads! Let's go at them again!" Ryoma rallied his teammates.
Looking disgustingly at the celebrating Wolves players, Araki was determined to help his team even more to give Arsenal a chance to finish over the line with some silverware at the end of the day even though his former high school teammates in the Northwest were the ones with fate in their own hands.
'This is not over yet. We can still go on and win this, but we have to hope that Leicester can do their job too.' Araki thought.
"Just send good balls forward to Auba and I, Araki. We will take care of the rest." Patrick said.
"I look forward to. No, we must do this." Araki replied.
The Arsenal players were determined to win the match and thus push their rivals all the way in the title race. Nevertheless, they also knew in the back of their minds that they would need help from Leicester City to open that door leading to the Premier League title because this is the final ranking as it stands: 1) Manchester United... 89 points, 2) Arsenal... 88 points.
⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽ ⚽
Back to Old Trafford, Manchester (Manchester United vs. Leicester City)
Within a very short amount of time, news of Raúl Jiménez's equalizer came through to the tens of thousands at Old Trafford. Then tens of thousands of cheers erupted as everyone knew what that goal meant in the title race.
"Oh my God! Get in, yes!" Noriko exclaimed when she read the notification on her smartphone.
"Wolves?" Robert asked.
"Aye! Raúl Jiménez with a header." Noriko replied.
Martin Tyler: There has been another goal in North London. Raúl Jiménez has scored for Wolves with a thumping header, and it's 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium. You can understand why the crowd are on their feet at Old Trafford. If things stand as they are, Manchester United would be crowned champions.
"We're back in the driving seat for now then, right?" Sayuri asked.
"For now, yes. If we win though, what Arsenal does wouldn't matter anyway." Robert replied.
"Kakeru, Nana, Yusuke, and their teammates will push to find that winning goal." Noriko said.
"I'm sure they will." Robert finished.
Meanwhile on the pitch:
"1-1 at Arsenal, but that doesn't change a thing. Let's keep playing, guys!" Yusuke said to all of his teammates.
"Stick to the game plan!" Matthias added.
'Wolves have given our fans a boost now. We have to do the same too.' Kakeru thought.
'One goal away to seal the deal.' Nana thought.
From the utter shock after Ukyo Sera's goal, to growing concern after Aubameyang's goal, to hope reborn after Nana's goal, and then to a new belief after Jiménez's equalizer against Arsenal, the Manchester United supporters had gone through the whole spectrum of emotions within the last 15 minutes. But with halftime quickly approaching, neither United nor Leicester City dared anything to risk getting caught on the counterattack. United controlled the ball a little better than Leicester City, but the Foxes managed to fend off the attacks. Regardless, another subplot was about to unfold within the high-stakes match as Ukyo Sera started to play a tighter game against his opposite number – Nana Mishima. Considering the actual history between the 2 opponents, it only took a spark to reignite a mutual animosity.
In the 44th minute:
Martin Tyler: Throw-in for Leicester City...
From just inside the Leicester City half, Ben Chilwell proceeded with the throw-in towards Akira. The Japanese striker in blue was running after the ball across the halfway line, but Matthias was there to short punt the ball back in the opposite direction.
Martin Tyler: Too far for Takajo. Köhler...
The punt became a pass towards Diogo, who let the ball bounce once off the ground before chipping the ball above James Maddison and towards Nana. The action was taking place in the middle third of the pitch.
Martin Tyler: Blanco... Mishima...
Wilfred Ndidi attempted to get to Nana, but she flicked the ball towards Yusuke. Then Ukyo put up the pressure on Yusuke, who then flicked the pass back towards Nana.
Martin Tyler: A give-and-go with Saeki...
As she received the ball, Nana had to dribble and resist Ndidi's pressure at the same time. However, Nana ended up being sandwiched between Ndidi and Ukyo. Because Nana was flicking the ball in mid-air, Ukyo flicked his boot up and grazed Nana's right knee in the process of knocking the ball away from her.
"Ouch!" Nana jumped on her left leg to shake off the brief pain.
Martin Tyler: Referee lets it go...
Unfortunately, the referee did not blow the whistle to call a foul. As the play continued, Ukyo's earlier intervention knocked the ball towards James Maddison. But then Diogo responded with a poke of the right boot to knock the ball away from Maddison. The loose ball rolled towards a position for Ben Chilwell to recover and start a counterattack. But then Chillwell was knocked down by a hard shoulder-to-shoulder contact with Nana, who kicked the ball out of bounds in the process.
Martin Tyler: Chilwell... the ball knocked out of play by Mishima.
As Nana looked at the ball being out of play, she felt a slight nudge as Ukyo ran past her to proceed with a quick throw-in. However, Nana was not going to let anything from Ukyo slide at all, especially not after the last painful bit. She rushed to confront him directly, almost chest to chest.
"Hey! Is this how you want to play?" Nana angrily asked.
"Beat it, Mishima. You don't belong here." Ukyo replied with quite a disgusting smirk on his face.
"Oh, make me! Make me!"
Martin Tyler: Now tempers are flying high here.
Within 2 seconds, the referee and players on both sides came to separate the belligerents while the crowd was screaming for blood. Yusuke quickly stepped in to pull Nana away, but he was not going to let it go without giving his 2 cents as well.
"Why don't you pick on someone of your size?" Yusuke asked.
"What will you do? Punch me as well?" Ukyo replied.
"Hey, hey! Enough you all." Akira stepped in as well.
"You tell that to your teammate, Takajo. He's the one with a problem." Nana shot at Akira.
"Just piss off, Sera!" Kakeru shot at Ukyo as well.
Ukyo did not say a word, but he gave quite the death glare at the Japanese players in red. Needless to say, Kakeru and his friends were irked.
"Oh yeah, Sera. Real tough!" Kakeru said.
"We will finish this later, Mishima. I'm not done with you." Ukyo replied.
"You have no idea about how much pain I endured and dished out to be here. I will make sure you get a taste." Nana fired back at Ukyo.
Martin Tyler: Well, there was a feeling that those two would go at each other after their last encounter back in December and everything that came in the aftermath.
Gary Neville: Nana Mishima is angry about something with Ukyo Sera. It all started when Mishima flicked the ball in mid-air. She gets caught to the knee by Sera's boot, but the referee doesn't see it. Mishima comes back with a strong shoulder challenge on Chilwell while putting the ball out of play. Then Sera gives a nudge on Mishima as he went to get the ball, and it all kicks off. Totally unnecessary. Sera is pushing his luck even though he already has a yellow card.
Then the referee gave both Nana and Ukyo a strong lecture about good behavior he expects from both players for the rest of the match. However, large sections of the crowd were disappointed that Sera did not receive a second yellow card for instigating the whole incident with a sneaky high boot to Nana's knee. After the referee's lecture, Ukyo walked away alongside Akira.
"What's up with you, Sera?" Akira asked.
"Just doing my job. If you think we will win fairly without getting into their heads, you're mistaken." Ukyo replied.
"I know that, but you're already on a yellow. The referee has his eyes on you."
"I know how and when to not cross the line. The only way we can beat their firepower is by getting into their heads, especially Mishima's. She's the one to target. Disrupt the middle link and they will be taken over by our midfield."
"Fine. But as your senpai, I will say this: don't step into bullshit." Akira finished.
On the other hand, Kakeru wanted to make sure that Nana would not get into more trouble.
"Don't let him get into your head. We can't afford to lose you." Kakeru said to Nana.
"I know, but that jerk almost got me injured seriously with that high boot. He won't stop at anything to take me down." Nana replied.
"Yusuke and I will answer the bell if he tries something. Just think about playing your game."
"I won't do anything worth a red card, but I'm ready to make him taste some pain if it comes down to it."
When Kakeru heard Nana's last words, he gulped. A past memory of when Nana made life both painful and miserable for a dirty and sexist opponent in the old U21 Premier League came back to the surface.
"Better it not to be like when you kicked a guy's nuts in an U21 match a few years ago." Kakeru said.
"It won't have to go that far." Nana replied.
After that incident, the final seconds of the first half winded down without any further incident. Both in the United/Leicester City and the Arsenal/Wolves matches, 2 minutes of injury time were added. However, the scoreline read 1-1 in both matches when the halftime whistle was blown.
PEEP PEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Martin Tyler: Well, it's 1-1 here at halftime; it's also 1-1 in North London as well. Leicester City are not too dissatisfied to be still in a position where they can get a result at Old Trafford. Manchester United will feel they must do better to secure a victory today. Things are happening thick and fast on the last day of the Premier League. Ukyo Sera gave Leicester City the lead, but then Nana Mishima equalized on a free kick inside the penalty area following a back pass foul. The whole of Old Trafford has gone through the whole spectrum of emotions as well when news from North London came through, first with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opening up the score for Arsenal and then Raúl Jiménez equalizing for Wolves. As things stand, Manchester United would be crowned champions, but we may not be short of twists and turns yet. At Old Trafford, at halftime, it's Manchester United 1-1 Leicester City.
At halftime on the final day of the season, the London-based Sky Sports studio was ready to go live on the air as the pundits are set to give their impressions on the important matches in progress. Of course, the match at Old Trafford, being the one with the biggest implications on the title race and with a little personal subplot in the background, was the first to be discussed about. David Jones is the host of that last Super Sunday of the season while former Manchester United captain Roy Keane is one of the pundits in the studio.
David Jones: Seventeen goals so far on the final day, four of them scored in the 2 matches involved in the title race here. It's 1-1 between Manchester United and Leicester City; 1-1 between Arsenal and Wolves as well. What do you think of this first half? First with Manchester United and Leicester, Roy Keane.
Roy Keane: Decent first half. United had many chances as you would expect, but Leicester also had a few good chances as well. The first goal was a broken play, but Ukyo Sera knows how to get in a good position. Schmeichel made a few good saves for Leicester as well. On the free kick, there was no doubt it was a back pass. Then Mishima... it was a not an easy free kick to take, but she took it so well. It's a good thing that we're level for now, but the longer the game goes on at 1-1... Leicester could grow in confidence. I would be nervous if I were Andrew Butler; I know I am. United need to take their chances and keep the pressure on them.
David Jones: You mentioned both Nana Mishima and Ukyo Sera. There has been some history between the two since December when Mishima was sent off for what was deemed as a headbutt on Sera before the red card got overturned later. Sera also received a retroactive ban in return for the dive. Today, Sera went after Mishima at the end of the first half. What do you make of that?
Faithful to himself, Keane's eyes started spitting fire when something was irking him.
Roy Keane: Ukyo Sera is a good player, but he's the kind of player who can put his team into trouble here. Listen, he has been found guilty of diving on purpose to get Mishima sent off. This is a guy who is booed all over the country because of that. One would expect him to lay low and just do his job, but then he has been ranting in the media about how he's treated harshly and so on. And now he can't even act any more mature in a game like this... Do me a favour.
For those not fully familiar with English idioms, the expression "Do me a favour" is used as an ironic answer to something stupid and impossible.
Roy Keane: He's an embarrassment for his club. If Sera had behaved like that in my day, if he had gone after one of our best players like that and then went on ranting in the media with such utter nonsense, I would be fighting him and ripping his head off at halftime. I have no sympathy for someone like that. Sera, you should hang your head in shame.
Then the host and the other pundits tried really hard to not burst in laughter out loud. Although some of the language used can be sometimes sound hyperbolic with quite the perfect timing for inducing laughter, Keane's comments remain cutting-edge sharp and spot on.
David Jones: Well, Roy's opinion has been clearly made and heard.
Then the discussion carried on in the studio with other pundits looking at other matches of interest, especially the Arsenal/Wolves game. Meanwhile at Old Trafford, both teams were taking a moment of rest before their respective managers would deliver their final speech of the Premier League campaign.
In the Manchester United dressing room:
"Alright, people. We all knew that it would be a tough one because those guys have something to play for. They scored the first goal, but the good news is that we fought our way back to 1-1 in 10 minutes. Just to let you know: it's 1-1 in North London now. Regardless, this result doesn't matter because our goal remains the same: to WIN this match!" Andrew spoke to his players.
"YEEAAH!!!" the Manchester United players replied.
"We keep our cool, we move our feet, we challenge for every ball, we control the game, and we hurt them where it matters. Keep it simple, work hard, and stay positive. Play our game. Same approach, same formation in the second half. Come on, let's go!" Andrew finished his speech.
"COME ON! LET'S GO!" the players shouted as they gave a round of applause after the manager's speech.
Then the players went back to their respective halftime routines as they prepared for the next 45 minutes. Meanwhile, Andrew wanted to set the record straight and make sure he can still rely on Nana for the second half.
"Mishima, I need to talk with you." Andrew said.
"Yes, Boss?" Nana replied.
"It's obvious that Ukyo Sera is going after you. The fact that he jumped out on the free kick was no accident at all. Then the high boot and that nudge were meant to take you out of the game by all means. Can I rely on you in the second half?"
"I won't do anything that will get me sent off, but I will do everything necessary to stand my ground and protect myself. Other than that, I will find my teammates like I always did." Nana replied to Andrew.
"Alright. Make sure Sera does not get to you, but also make sure you leave everything out there." Andrew finished.
After nodding to her manager's bit of advice, Nana took a few moments to listen to her teammates providing all kinds of words to cheer the team up. But then Nana took her opportunity to do something she has not often done before: lead the rally cry with a short speech for the rest of the team.
"Lads... I'm not the best to deliver a speech, but I want you to know this: we are only 45 minutes away from accomplishing something that we have dreamed for so many years. Sure, there is a team that wants to deprive us of that moment like a certain idiot whom I won't name. But if we leave everything out there, then beating Leicester City will double the joy because that would mean beating Arsenal and beating that guy at the very same time."
"Yeah!" some players replied.
"Preach it, sister!" Nikolaj added.
"We can beat them! I want to see us fighting like warriors on the pitch, not only for the next 45 minutes but perhaps 48 or even over 50 minutes if we have to. We will kill them or I will die trying to the very end!" Nana said.
"YEAH!!!" several players shouted.
"Yeah, baby!" Kakeru added.
"I'm still here, and that it's because I'm willing to fight and die to win! Let's do this once more! COME ON, LADS!" Nana finished her speech.
"YEEAAH!!!" the players cheered and applauded in response.
Then Kakeru was the first to give Nana a high-five handshake after the speech.
"Great speech, Seven. I wouldn't have given a better one." Kakeru said.
"Thanks, Kakeru. Let's get this show on the road." Nana replied.
"Yep, let's go at them!" Kakeru finished.
A few minutes later, the Manchester United players jogged out of the exit tunnel under the cheers from the home crowd. At the very same time, the club's theme song since 1983 was being played loudly in all speakers throughout the stadium and accompanied by thousands of voices singing their support loud and proud.
GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,AS THE REDS GO MARCHING ON, ON, ON!
After the chorus was repeated once again, the crowd started shouting "UNITED! UNITED UNITED!" in full voice to pump up the atmosphere inside the stadium. Noriko, her family, and her friends were no exception.
"COME ON, UNITED!" Noriko shouted
"COME ON, YOU REDS!" Robert added to the shout.
Meanwhile in the private box where Taeko and Sarah were located:
"This is where it happens now." Taeko said.
"Everything or nothing in the next 45 minutes or a little more." Sarah replied.
David Jones: It's all tied at 1-1 at Old Trafford. Can Manchester United find a way past Leicester City here and seal their first Premier League title since 2013? Gary Neville and, first, Martin Tyler.
Martin Tyler: Thank you, David. There have been a good share of twists and turns already in the first half, but there is a feeling in the air that more drama could unfold between now and the final whistle. No doubt that everyone will want to know what is happening in North London, but remember that a Manchester United win will definitely put an end to the title race. Leicester City will have to work hard in order to get a result and hope for Wolves to slip up in order to clinch the 7th place that would get them into the Europa League.
For the second half, Manchester United had their eyes towards the West Stand, colloquially named the Stretford End, while Leicester City players were looking at the East Stand. Before Kakeru and Nana were set to kick things off in the second half, they took a look across the halfway line and towards Ukyo and Akira respectively in the eyes.
'In this second half, we will get over the line in 7th place.' Ukyo thought.
'I will not let you ruin this day, Sera. We have worked too hard to falter now.' Nana thought.
'Aizawa... This is the day when I will show everyone who is the best Japanese striker between us.' Akira thought.
'One last half between us and glory. By the time the final whistle will be blown, we will finish what we have started in August.' Kakeru thought.
The clock reached 4:02 PM in all of England when the "go" signal was given in both matches – Manchester United/Leicester City and Arsenal/Wolves. Everyone was now expecting the story of the Premier League title race to go down to the very last whistle... down to the wire.
PEEEP!
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