The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 33

The Battle of Old Trafford - 1st Half :Previous «Home Page» Next: The Italian Job - Part 1
== The Battle of Old Trafford - 2nd Half ==
"I mean, Martin Keown from England, and they were all... And David Seaman, they were all great lads. I really like them. But on the pitch, there was just a real hatred." – Nicky Butt (Former Manchester United player, 1992-2004).
"At times, it wasn't too much of a football game. At times, it was more of a battle than a game. It always had an argument. It always had crazy moments, crazy goals, last-minute goals, but it was THE game for the media, for the fans, TV, managers, whatever." – Thierry Henry (Former Arsenal player, 1999-2007).
"I think it was a disgraceful way to lose. There's a lack of discipline at Arsenal. And they showed a complete lack of discipline, a lack of respect towards the best manager the world has ever seen probably."– Paul Scholes (Former Manchester United player, 1993-2013).
"I didn't like any of their players… because it was United." – Lee Dixon (Former Arsenal player, 1988-2002).
...
Sunday February 10
Manchester United vs. Arsenal (Premier League match 26)
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Start of the second half
The second half started with the Red Devils kicking the ball off with the Stretford End in their sights. United controlled ball possession for 30 seconds, but Arsenal were set up and ready to strike on the counterattack if necessary.
Martin Tyler: Shaw... passing it across to Kristiansen... Serrano...
With no way to run forward from his side, Shawzy passed the ball on his right and towards Nikolaj. But instead of taking the ball, the Danish midfielder flicked the ball on his right. However, the ball was rolling a little bit far from Francisco. The Spanish midfielder in red attempted a deep pass to a teammate forward, but the pass was blocked by Sead Kolašinac.
Martin Tyler: Blocked by Kolašinac...
The loose ball then bounced towards Patrick Jenpa, who had dropped a little deeper than huis usual position to support his Arsenal teammates. Then the Cameroonian striker passed the ball to Mesut Özil in the center circle.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa... finds Özil...
The German midfielder ran a few yards forward with the ball before he launched a pass that was intended to go into Aubameyang's run. The Gabonese forward sprinted in full speed to reach the ball before Joel Muamba. When Aubameyang arrived on the edge of the penalty area, he successfully dribbled his way beyond Joel by tuning the latter inside out.
Martin Tyler: Here's Aubameyang. He's got past Muamba...
Danger was present when Aubameyang was in a position to shoot with his favorite right foot from within 18 yards. The Gabonese struck the shot, but the ball went off Erik's leg at the most opportune time. The resulting deflection looped high in the air before Jan caught it with his hands, much to the relief of all Manchester United supporters.
Martin Tyler: Shot blocked by Johansson... and Farkas will pick it up.
Instead of waiting his teammates to get set up, Jan made the long throw forward to Joel. The English right-back started the counterattack by quickly running forward with the ball. Within seconds, the action moved towards Arsenal's end of the pitch.
Martin Tyler: Muamba... to Serrano...
Joel passed the ball towards Francisco on the left, but the Spaniard had nowhere to go since Granit Xhaka stood in the way. As a result, Francisco passed the ball back to Joel, who then made a short pass towards Nana. The Little Witch was roaming free to provide support on the right wing.
Martin Tyler: Back to Muamba... Now Mishima...
Nana looked for passing options as she approached the Arsenal penalty area from the side. Sead Kolašinac was standing in her way though.
'Come on, Nicky. I need you to come in and join the attack.' Nana thought.
As if Nikolaj was reading into Nana's thoughts, the Danish midfielder came inside the Arsenal penalty as the third Manchester United man. In response, Ryoma chose to cover Nikolaj while Kakeru and Marius were supposedly man-marked by Nacho Monreal and Laurent Koscielny respectively. Nevertheless, the 3 Manchester United players were ready to move forward should Nana be ready to make the cross.
'There!' Nana thought.
The Little Witch feinted a run to her right and thus towards the byline, but then switched to continue ahead and thus towards the Arsenal penalty area. Nana shook the Bosnian defender before she launched the cross with her left foot. In front of the 6-yard box, Nikolaj and Ryoma went after the same ball.
Martin Tyler: Good cross... KRISTIANSEN!
Nikolaj used the full extent of his 6'2" (188 cm) height to overpower Ryoma in the air. However, the following header shot struck the far post until it bounced back in front of goal.
Martin Tyler: Still there...
Being in the right place and at the right time, Marius struck the ball into a yawning cage despite Koscielny's attempt to impede him.
Martin Tyler: VAN LEEUWEN!!!
In a blink of an eye, it was 2-2 very early in the second half. For the 71,000+ Manchester United supporters inside Old Trafford, it was an explosion of joy. On the other hand, the 3,000 Arsenal supporters in the Southeast corner were disgusted at the way their team surrendered such an early equalizer.
Martin Tyler: Well, the Dutchman has equalized for Manchester United at 2-2! Just over a minute into the second half, they are thinking about winning it now!
Ryoma complained at the referee for not giving a foul against Nikolaj when the latter overpowered him in the air. However, the referee replied that the challenge was all legal. Meanwhile, the Manchester United players were celebrating the goal.
"YEEAAAH!!! Get in, Roman!" Kakeru congratulated his Dutch teammate.
"YEAH, BABY! Big goal, Roman!" Nikolaj added.
"That's it! Let's go!" Nana added.
"Thanks, guys! Let's score the next goal now!" Marius replied.
"Nice work, y'all! That next goal, we will score it!" Matthias urged his teammates to go back across the halfway line for the restart.
Gary Neville: Well, this is exactly where Manchester United wanted to be, early in the second half. Mishima waited until she found the perfect opportunity to cross the ball. Kristiansen makes the run inside the box, stands taller than Ryoma Oda, and reaches the ball with the header. The ball comes back off the post, but Van Leeuwen was there to bury the rebound. Leno had no chance on that, and he will probably be asking questions about the man-marking from his teammates.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"GREAT HEADER, MARIUS!!" Noriko shouted.
At that same moment, Marius milked the celebrations by waving both arms up as if he was asking for more noise from the crowd.
"YEAH! COME ON!" Robert responded to the call.
"Let's go for the win!" Sarah added.
"No matter what happens after this, the fighting spirit the lads have shown is something special." Harry said.
"Well said, Grandpa. We can still do this. We definitely can!" Noriko replied.
After the equalizing goal, the Arsenal team looked to provide a response against United's aggressive style. In response, the Red Devils continued to show more energy and determination than Arsenal in all phases of the action; they played like men possessed being carried by the energy of the crowd. However, the line between intensity and recklessness can easily be blurred.
In the 53rd minute:
Martin Tyler: Aizawa... comes up against Sokratis...
United were laying siege inside the Arsenal half again. Kakeru came up against Sokratis on the side of the Arsenal penalty area, but he couldn't find a way to get through. Ryoma was also in the vicinity in case Kakeru would try to cut through. The Japanese forward in red chose to pass the ball backwards to Shawzy, who then rolled the ball a dozen yards across the width of the pitch towards Nikolaj.
Martin Tyler: Back to Shaw... now Kristiansen in the middle...
Upon receiving the ball, Nikolaj moved a few yards forward with the ball before he arrived within 25 yards from the Arsenal goal. At that distance, the Danish midfielder was prepared to unleash a long shot.
"No, you don't!" Ryoma said.
Instead of holding back the shot as Ryoma was rushing towards him, Nikolaj went for it instead. The shot was easily blocked by Ryoma from point blank. However, Nikolaj, who was at the end motion of his kicking motion, stuck his right boot onto Ryoma's upper thigh. Obviously not happy with the challenge, Ryoma was not going to stay still.
"Son of a bitch!" Ryoma cursed at Nikolaj.
Martin Tyler: The shot was blocked...
The Japanese shoved the Dane at the very same moment the referee blew his whistle to signal the foul. Despite the shove, Nikolaj stood up in the face of Ryoma. Within 2 seconds, a crowd of players was drawn near the point of infringement.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen clattered into Oda, who has responded with a push.
To maintain order and prevent any escalation, the referee blew his whistle several times.
"CALM DOWN, EVERYONE! CALM DOWN!" the referee ordered.
"He put his studs on me! That's a card!" Ryoma demanded justice by showing the point of contact on his shorts.
"I didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident." Nikolaj defended himself with his hands in the clear to claim innocence.
"Calm it down, everyone." the referee ordered again before he asked Nikolaj over. "Nikolaj, you come here."
"It was an accident. I finished my shot." Nikolaj said.
"Listen, I know that you were taking the shot. That is why I'm not booking you now." the referee replied. "I need you to calm it down in the play. The next offense will be a yellow card. Understand?"
"Yeah." Nikolaj replied.
"Off you go."
Martin Tyler: It looks like there will only be a warning for Nikolaj Kristiansen.
"How did he not get a card? Why?!" Ryoma protested.
"I see it as an unintentional contact. It is still a foul and a free kick for your team. But because he was at the end of his kicking motion, that's not enough for me to give him a card yet." the referee replied.
"That's ridiculous. You're getting influenced by the crowd." Laurent Koscielny added to the protests.
At the same time that the Arsenal players were arguing with the referee, Kakeru and Nana were talking with Nikolaj about what just happened.
"We were lucky just now." Kakeru said.
"He could have given a yellow." Nana added.
"It was an accident. Oda was stupid to get himself in the way like that; I already said at halftime that I would rip the first one who gets in my way." Nikolaj replied.
"Just make sure you don't cross the line. We need you." Kakeru said.
"Stay disciplined. That's all." Nana reminded the manager's instructions at halftime.
"OK."
Although Nikolaj escaped the yellow card, one would expect both sides to tone it down a notch. However, the pace of the match didn't really decrease. United was still the more intense of the 2 sides, but Arsenal was increasingly moving forward to match that level of intensity.
In the 59th minute:
Martin Tyler: The pass couldn't reach Aizawa. Sokratis...
Sokratis intercepted a pass that was destined for Kakeru. Then the Greek defender passed the ball forward to Ryoma. A couple of seconds later, Nikolaj came in full speed with a tackle that sent Ryoma flying with the tackle. The referee said play on.
Martin Tyler: Strong challenge from Kristiansen on Oda.
Despite Nikolaj's tackle, the loose ball went towards Granit Xhaka. The Swiss was hounded by Nana, but he passed the ball towards Sead Kolašinac on the left. From there, Kolašinac ran with the ball across the halfway line and inside the Manchester United half. However, Yusuke was shadowing the Arsenal player in full speed, and then launched a perfectly timed tackle to stop the attack at 8 yards outside the Manchester United penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Good challenge by Saeki.
Yusuke had to get up quickly though as the loose ball was there for Mesut Özil to pick up. In a surging effort, Yusuke clashed with Özil with a 50/50 tackle that got the ball flying high and back towards the center circle. Ryoma came in to head the ball in the opposite direction for Özil, who then made a layoff pass for the advancing Granit Xhaka.
Martin Tyler: Özil... drops it for Xhaka.
When Xhaka tried to move forward with the ball to attack the Manchester United penalty area, Nana came in with a full-blooded tackle that sent Xhaka sprawling. Nevertheless, the tackle was fully legal. The Manchester United supporters cheered at the display of grit from their team.
Martin Tyler: Tackled by Mishima.
Then Francisco picked up the loose ball, and went on the counterattack. Once the Spaniard ran across the halfway line, he then passed the ball ahead to Nana. However, the Little Witch had to face Ryoma.
"Come on!" Ryoma challenged Nana.
'You have no idea about what I'll do.' Nana thought.
Nana skillfully performed a reverse elastico feint to shake Ryoma off. The Arsenal midfielder then resorted to stick a leg out, and thus Nana was impeded. But the Little Witch was still pushing herself forward in an attempt to get back up. It was at that moment that Xhaka lunged in with a sliding tackle that sent the ball out of bounds. However, the studs on Xhaka's trailing leg caught Nana to the knee, and that was all it took to irk all of the Manchester United supporters in the stadium.
Martin Tyler: Challenges are flying in at the moment... and Xhaka could be in trouble here.
"Serves you right." Xhaka looked down at Nana, who appeared to struggle with some pain.
"Hey! Come here, you animal!" Kakeru went after Xhaka to have a piece of him, but the referee rushed in quickly to stand between both players.
"She asked for it when she tackled me." Xhaka dryly replied to Kakeru.
"Yeah, real tough!" Kakeru said sarcastically. "A ****, that's what you are."
"Hey! Hey! Calm down!" the referee ordered at the very moment more Manchester United players were going after the Swiss.
"Get out of here, Xhaka." Matthias said as he and Yusuke held Kakeru back.
"Next time I come by, I'll rip you in half." Nikolaj added.
The referee and his assistants took a few moments to separate all belligerents. Both managers also ordered everyone to back off. When things calmed down a little, the referee produced a yellow card against Xhaka. However, the decision was met with boos from the Manchester United supporters.
Martin Tyler: It's a yellow card for Xhaka.
Gary Neville: I think the referee's whistle had already gone when Xhaka caught Mishima. Oda was the one who first impeded Mishima, but then Mishima tried to get back on her feet. Xhaka lunged in and caught Mishima with his trailing leg. Arsenal will say that he got the ball, but it was still a reckless challenge.
Martin Tyler: Granit Xhaka has been sent off during preseason because of a reckless tackle on Nana Mishima. Some history between the 2 players.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"XHAKA, YOU HEAP OF SWISS COW SHITE!" Noriko angrily shouted.
"HE SHOULD BE ****ING OFF, REF!" Robert added.
"That was a disgusting tackle. I'm really hating the whole Arsenal team." Sarah said.
"I would chin the bastard if I could." Harry added.
"Yeah, me too." Noriko finished.
Xhaka's yellow card was not exactly the last thing for Arsenal to worry; they had to deal with an indirect 40-yard free kick. But before the free kick would be taken, Nana was attended by the team's physiotherapist, Ethan Hunter. Still, Nana got up on her feet.
"You OK, Seven?" Kakeru asked.
"Yeah. It was quite painful, but I will manage." Nana replied.
"You're sure you're OK?" Matthias asked Nana.
"I'm OK. Trust me."
"She will need a moment, but she will be back in no time." Ethan said.
"Just try to make something out of this free kick." Nana said to her teammates.
"We'll try." Yusuke replied.
Nana followed Ethan on the touchline as per the procedure for players who want to carry on after they get hurt. Meanwhile, both teams set themselves up for the upcoming free kick. Yusuke and Kakeru were in the mass of players standing at a short distance in front of the Arsenal penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen with the free kick.
PEEP!
Nikolaj whipped a strong long ball towards the movement of players inside of the Arsenal penalty area. At the very end of the pass, Yusuke and Ryoma both went towards the ball. Going for the contact, Yusuke outjumped Ryoma.
Martin Tyler: It goes for SAEKI!
Yusuke headed the ball with pace, but the shot went inches wide to the Arsenal goal. The 71,000+ Manchetser United supporters got off their seats for a split second until they realized that the shot missed the target.
Martin Tyler: Oh, so close! Yusuke Saeki would have given his team the lead if that went in.
'Man! So close! I had it.' Yusuke thought. Nevertheless, his teammates applauded his last effort.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Damn! I thought he would head that one in." Noriko said.
"We couldn't ask much more from him, Noriko. He outjumped the Arsenal player on that, but both players were in a tight space." Harry said.
"You're right, Grandpa. Still, it would have been great if he scored though."
'I know what you're thinking, Noriko. You want him to become the hero today.' Sarah thought with a little smile on her face.
"We should be careful about not wasting too many chances now. All it takes is one mistake that would tilt the balance on one side or the other." Robert said.
"That's right. Both teams are pretty even at this moment." Harry replied.
'Come on, guys. Please find a way to get through and grab that important goal.' Noriko thought anxiously.
Following the period of furious action displayed by both sides in the first 15 minutes of the second half, the match descended into a scrappy affair for a few minutes, with no clear cut scoring chances for either side. Both sides were basically cancelling out each other.
In the 65th minute, Arsenal made their second substitution: the yellow-carded Granit Xhaka was replaced by young French midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, who is a tall, strong, aggressive, and talented "regista" (deep-lying midfielder). On the other side, Andrew Butler made the first substitution for United in the 67th minute: Francisco Serrano was replaced by Santiago Araya. The Arsenal setup remained the same, but the Manchester United setup was changed from a 4-1-2-1-2 into a 4-3-3. Kakeru and Santiago were ordered to attack on the wings forward while Nana would drop a little further back and to the right of her starting position.
Tension was running high inside Old Trafford, and nerves were getting edgy on both sides as one single mistake could be costly.
In the 72nd minute:
Martin Tyler: Maitland-Niles... Jenpa...
As Arsenal shifted the action from their own half to the Manchester United half, Mattéo Guendouzi led the counterattack by carrying the ball beyond the halfway line. Then the Frenchman made a short pass forward to Mesut Özil, who had to deal with both Yusuke and Nikolaj rushing back to defend. The German midfielder stopped his run at around 35 yards from the Manchester United goal.
Martin Tyler: Guendouzi... leaves it for Özil... 
Although Yusuke and Nikolaj were positioning themselves to block any possible path for a dangerous path, Mesut Özil passed the ball forward to Patrick Jenpa. Marked tightly by Matthias on the edge of the Manchester United penalty area, the Cameroonian striker made a side pass to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, the Gabonese forward, facing Erik at that moment, chose to make a layoff pass to Sead Kolašinac.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa, Aubameyang... drops it for Kolašinac.
The Bosnian left wingback waited for the window of opportunity to launch a pass forward, but Nana was rushing towards him to defend as well.
'This is dangerous. I have to stop him!' Nana thought.
Without much time to react, Kolašinac chose to cross the ball towards Jenpa at the near post. Matthias was trying to prevent the shot by jumping in front of him. However, the Cameroonian fooled everybody when he headed the ball across the face of goal for Aubameyang.
Martin Tyler: A cross in for Jenpa... and AUBAMEYANG!!!
The Arsenal players started celebrating, but the referee cut the celebrations short when he signalled an offside flag from the linesman. The disbelief from the Arsenal players was going in hand with the mocking cheers from the Manchester United supporters
Martin Tyler: The flag is up! It won't count.
"How offside? How?" Patrick asked the linesman.
"You were offside when the pass came in. Away you go." the linesman replied.
"Oh, come on!" Patrick said, dejected by the decision.
"You stop cheating, and you may get a favorable call." Yusuke said.
"Screw yourself!" Patrick replied to Yusuke before he walked away.
Indeed, the linesman spotted Patrick Jenpa moving little too quickly in a offside position on the exact moment when Kolašinac made the cross towards him. The flag was raised immediately when Jenpa touched the ball, much to the relief of the home supporters.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa is particularly aggrieved. Although he scored one goal today, it has become an increasingly frustrating for him.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"That was a close call." Noriko said.
"I thought that was it too." Sarah replied.
"That was a warning. If we let ourselves go asleep, they will make us pay." Robert said.
"You're right, Dad. We have to take the action back up to that notch from earlier in the second half." Noriko finished.
Unlike what Noriko expected, neither team really stepped up its game for several minutes; the scrappy affair continued during that time. Entering the final quarter of an hour in the match, both teams remained cautious as much as possible. However, Arsenal were about to have their best spell in a long time, and thus bring the danger to Manchester United.
In the 79th minute:
Martin Tyler: Özil with the corner for Arsenal...
Upon the referee's signal, Mesut Özil struck a corner kick towards the front of the 6-yard box. Unfortunately for Arsenal, Erik headed the ball away and out of the Manchester United penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Cleared out by Johansson.
Marius rushed forward to try heading the ball further away from his own penalty area, but Nacho Monreal arrived first. The Spaniard headed the ball back forward for Kolašinac, but the Bosnian wingback was quickly pressured by Erik.
Martin Tyler: Kolašinac... Blocking from Johansson...
Kolašinac made a very short pass just inside the penalty area for Aubameyang. The Gabonese forward attempted to dribble the ball past Joel Muamba, but he saw no way forward. Instead, Aubameyang preferred to pass the ball backwards to Kolašinac
Martin Tyler: Good spell by Arsenal. Aubameyang... back to Kolašinac...
The Bosnian attempted a cross at the far post, but the ball rolled too far away from any Arsenal player inside the penalty area. Instead, it was Ainsley Maitland-Niles who recovered the ball in the corridor on Arsenal's right wing.
Martin Tyler: The cross goes too far away... only as far as Mailand-Niles. Good angle for the cross...
Without any hesitation, Maitland-Niles crossed the ball towards the front of the 6-yard box inside the Manchester United penalty area. The ball arrived right on cue for Patrick to strike the header towards the bottom corner on the goalkeeper's right. However, Jan dived and stretched his arms just enough to deny the goal.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa! Great header, but Farkas comes with a big save!
The rebound was still near Jan, but Joel immediately kicked the loose ball out of play and on the side. While the home supporters stood on their feet to applaud their goalkeeper's brilliant saves, the Arsenal players stood with their hands on their heads in disbelief. Nevertheless, Arsenal had a throw-in to take in order to maintain the pressure.
Martin Tyler: Kolašinac will take the throw.
Bosnian wingback Sead Kolašinac made the throw towards Aubameyang just on the outside of the box. Just as Aubameyang was trying to take control of the ball, Joel Muamba came in to take the ball away. But at the same time Joel was looking to run away with the ball, Aubameyang took the English right-back in red down. The referee did not blow the whistle yet because of a potential advantage though.
Martin Tyler: Aubameyang... Muamba goes down...
Running towards the loose ball was Patrick, but Yusuke was also following him like a shadow. Yusuke even went as far as to use his arms to grab Patrick's left arm from behind.
"Let me go!" Patrick said.
"Screw yourself!" Yusuke dryly replied.
Then the referee blew his whistle since there was no advantage after the previous foul called against Arsenal. But within 2 seconds after the whistle, a very pissed off Patrick turned around to swing his right arm towards Yusuke's head. The Japanese midfielder jumped backwards to avoid contact, but the general reaction inside Old Trafford was immediate when everyone saw the swing of the arm.
Martin Tyler: Now, did Jenpa lash out at Saeki?
"HEY! SEND HIM OFF!!!" Noriko shouted alongside the thousands in the stadium.
"THAT'S A RED CARD!" Harry shouted as well.
"OFF! OFF! OFF!" Robert added his voice as well. That particular shout was echoed by thousands of fellow United supporters.
"I think he's off this time. Look." Sarah remarked.
Realizing what he has done, Patrick immediately went to the referee and asked him to not make a decision that would cost his team. A few Arsenal players also tried to plead in Patrick's favor at the very same time the huge majority of the crowd pleaded for the opposite outcome. Nevertheless, the referee brushed everyone away before the red card was produced against Patrick.
Martin Tyler: Patrick Jenpa has been sent off! And Arsenal are down to 10 men with a little more than 10 minutes plus stoppages to go. Sensation at Old Trafford.
Gary Neville: Well, the play was about to be blown because of a foul against Aubameyang on Muamba. I think Jenpa has been acting stupid. Saeki was grabbing Jenpa, and that would have been called a foul under other circumstances. There was an attempt to play the advantage after Muamba was fouled, but it was called back when Jenpa touched the ball. And then the swing of the arm came up. Jenpa didn't hit anybody, but the referee will say that the intent was there. It's a moment of madness from the Arsenal striker.
While the vast majority inside Old Trafford cheered at the decision, Patrick and a few of his teammates continued arguing with the referee to no avail. Suddenly, Patrick saw Yusuke in distance, and ran towards him. In the process, he pushed Matthias aside, and then ran straight into Nana's back. That incidental contact got players from both teams gathering into a scrum.
Martin Tyler: It looks like we are not finished yet. Tempers are really flying here.
"Hey! Back off, Jenpa!" Kakeru shouted as he just came in between Nana and Patrick.
"Chill out, Jenpa!" Nikolaj said as well.
"You're not helping anybody's cause here. So just leave the pitch calmly now." Matthias said.
Most of the players in the scrum were just making sure there would be nothing more from either side. A few Arsenal players tried to provoke a reaction from Yusuke. However, Yusuke was aware of his own situation with already a yellow card to his name, and said nothing in return. Meanwhile, Patrick was walking towards the exit tunnel on a long walk of shame under the customary serenade destined to opposition players who get sent off. The vast majority of the 71,000+ Manchester United supporters put their voices in while waving goodbye with sarcasm.
CHEERIO, CHEERIO, CHEERIOCHEERIO, CHEERIO, CHEERIOCHEERIO, CHEERIO, CHEERIOCHEERIOCHEERIO!
Following Patrick's dismissal, the Arsenal manager felt that attacking was no longer possible as a primary mission. As a result, he decided to send Shkodran Mustafi in replacement of Sead Kolašinac. Mustafi moved directly into the left centre-back position while Monreal was moved into the left wingback position. Nevertheless, Arsenal was playing with a backline of 5 players for the purpose of getting a result, either a draw or a win, at any cost. Meanwhile, Andrew Butler kept his Manchester United team unchanged since Santiago's introduction in the 67th minute, but he also ordered Shawzy and Joel to support the attack as much as possible.
With one team working to park the bus and secure a draw, time was quickly running out for the side willing to score the winning goal. But in late stages of the match, Manchester United were pushing forward.
In the 87th minute:
Martin Tyler: Manchester United are still looking for a goal, but Arsenal are still holding on. Remember that if the score remains unchanged, Arsenal would still hold a 3-point lead over Manchester United at the top of the table.
Kakeru ran with the ball on the right wing and towards the byline before he attempted to cut towards the inside. Then Laurent Koscielny stuck the leg to push the ball out of plays. However, it was exactly what Kakeru wanted as his team were given a corner kick.
Martin Tyler: It's a corner for Manchester United.
Nana quickly ran to the corner flag with the ball to get ready. Meanwhile, both teams were set up inside the Arsenal penalty area.
PEEP!
Nana whipped the ball towards the mass of players at the near post. Matthias outjumped everyone to get his head on the ball. But instead of redirecting it towards the goal, Matthias let the ball bounce off his head so a teammate would recover the ball at the far post, 12 yards from the goal. That teammate was Santiago; he escaped all of his markers momentarily.
Martin Tyler: And here's Araya!
Controlling the ball on his first touch, Santiago struck the shot on the second touch. Unfortunately for him, the shot was blocked by one of 3 Arsenal players standing in his way.
Martin Tyler: Blocked...
The rebound rolled just outside of the Arsenal penalty area, but only as far as to Yusuke. Without any hesitation, Yusuke struck a left-footed strike that appeared to fly towards an open space of the Arsenal goal. However, Ryoma threw his foot in the way to block the shot.
Martin Tyler: SAEKI!! Blocked by Oda!
The ensuing deflection saw the ball fly out of bounds on the touchlines, much to the relief of the Arsenal players and the 3,000 Arsenal supporters alike.
"Great block!" Laurent Koscielny congratulated his teammate.
"Thanks, but we have to stay focused." Ryoma replied.
On the following throw-in, Joel launched the ball ahead and towards the Arsenal penalty area. Although he was marked tightly by 2 Arsenal players, Kakeru flicked the ball with the back of his heel. The ball rolled inside the penalty area and across the width.
'I have to get to that ball before Koscielny!' Nana thought.
It first appeared that Laurent Koscielny would easily get to the ball because of his longer reach, but Nana made a mad dash towards that same ball. Surprised by Nana's quickness and determination, the Arsenal captain tried to poke the ball away from Nana.
"Merde! (Shit!)" Laurent Koscielny exclaimed.
Koscielny lunged his left leg forward to try clearing the ball away, but Nana poked the ball for herself with her left foot a split second earlier. That split second difference saw Koscielny making contact with Nana's left foot after the poke, and the contact took place inside the Arsenal penalty area! Thousands of Manchester United supporters jumped off their seats with their arms up screaming for a penalty. And then the referee, who also saw the incident, immediately pointed towards the penalty spot.
Gary Neville: PENALTY!
Martin Tyler: OH, PENALTY! It's against Laurent Koscielny, and Arsenal cannot believe it!
When the decision was given, several Arsenal players were still frozen in total disbelief while the stadium erupted as if a goal was scored. A couple of Arsenal players even dropped on their knees in despair. Needless to say, there were a few protests from the visitors.
"No way! That's not a penalty!" Shkodran Mustafi added.
"That is a soft call, ref!" Ryoma added.
"Don't sell me that excuse. Laurent touched Mishima's standing foot, so that's a penalty. Don't argue with me." the referee replied.
"I don't believe it! That was a typical homer's decision, typical!" a particularly aggrieved Ryoma protested.
Unlike his Arsenal teammates, Laurent Koscielny didn't protest. The French defender knew that he made a huge mistake at the worst of times. Meanwhile, the Manchester United players surrounded Nana to congratulate her effort.
"Great job, Seven!" Kakeru hugged Nana, who also returned the hug.
"Well done, Witch!" Nikolaj said as he ruffled Nana's hair.
"¡Bien jugado, Bruja! (Well played, Witch!)" Santiago added.
"We've got the penalty! Good job!" Marius added.
"Thanks!" Nana replied.
"Let's finish them off now!" Matthias said.
Kakeru picked up the ball, knowing that it was his mission. He took a deep breath before he stepped forward.
"OK, here we go." Kakeru said.
"Stay strong, Kakeru. It's all yours now." Nana said.
Finally, the players from both teams moved out of the penalty area except for Kakeru and Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Time already reached the 89th minute.
Martin Tyler: With an opportunity to push United back to the top of the table, the responsibility now rests with Kakeru Aizawa.
The Old Trafford crowd didn't stop buzzing since the penalty was awarded. Kakeru had to fight a hard internal battle to keep a cool head against all distractions: the crowd, the goalkeeper, potentially negative thoughts, etc. Finally, the referee gave Kakeru the signal to proceed.
PEEP!
Kakeru made his run, and took the shot towards the goalkeeper's right. The Arsenal goalkeeper also went to the right, but the shot was struck high and with ferocity into the top corner of the goal.
Martin Tyler: From the spot for Manchester United... AIZAWA!!! From 0-2 down, Manchester United have gone 3-2 up in the last minute of normal time!
Kakeru raised the roof at Old Trafford in an instant. In a thunderous sound of joy, the home crowd felt that a crucial victory against Arsenal was within reach. Meanwhile, Kakeru ran a few yards to celebrate his goal before he was quickly joined by his teammates into a man pile.
Alan Keegan: UNITED'S GOAL... SCORED BY NUMBER TEN… KAKERU AIZAWAAAA!!!
"ATTABOY, KNIGHT!" Marius exclaimed.
"Way to go, Kakeru!" Nana also exclaimed.
"Great shot, Kakeru!" Yusuke added.
"HELL YEAH!" several United players shouted.
Gary Neville: It's a very good penalty by Aizawa. Leno goes the right way, but he was beaten by the pace and the accuracy of the shot into the top corner.
Martin Tyler: Kakeru Aizawa has now scored 25 goals in this campaign. It is already a remarkable number by any standard, but he still has a plenty of time ahead to do more damage until the end of the season.
In the stands, Noriko and Sarah were hugging each other in the celebrations. Meanwhile, Robert and Harry were jumping alongside the rest of the crowd for a few seconds.
"THAT'S THE WAY, KAKERU!" Noriko shouted.
"KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!" Sarah added.
"That was great composure shown by Kakeru there. For a moment, I was worried that he would not be able to cope with the pressure." Robert said.
"The fact that he handled the pressure so well is the hallmark of a great player. And Kakeru has not reached his peak yet." Harry said.
"Not only him, but Nana as well. They both really played a great match today." Robert finished.
Before the action was resumed, Andrew made his second substitution by replacing Nikolaj with Aleksandar. The Serbian midfielder was sent to provide a stronger defensive midfield presence for the final minutes of the match.
Martin Tyler: Is this the day when Manchester United come back to the top of the table or is there another twist coming up?
When Arsenal restarted the action, the clock was about to enter stoppage time. The Gunners brought several players forward in an effort to break the Mancunian resistance, and their first effort led to a corner kick.
Martin Tyler: Corner kick for Arsenal. This could be their best opportunity to level things up.
On the following corner kick taken by Mesut Özil, the ball was aimed to reach Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, Aleksandar and Matthias worked together to clear the ball outside of the penalty area. Mattéo Guendouzi recovered the ball for Arsenal outside of the penalty area, but came up against Erik. United's Swedish defender easily stripped the ball off the Arsenal midfielder.
Martin Tyler: Taken away by Johansson... now to Saeki...
Erik made a short pass to Yusuke, who then ran a dozen yards forward before he kicked the ball down the pitch. Fortunately for Yusuke, his clearance also became a 70-yard long pass towards a running Kakeru on the left wing.
Martin Tyler: Long clearance that becomes a pass for Aizawa. Mishima is also coming in support...
Knowing that Nana was arriving behind him, Kakeru made a layoff pass for Nana. The Little Witch first came up facing Sokratis in front of Arsenal's penalty area, but then surprised Arsenal's Greek defender with a sombrero flick to the right. Nana then started running along the longer edge of the penalty area with Sokratis right next to her.
Martin Tyler: She goes past Sokratis...
"I'm not gonna let you!" Ryoma said.
'Watch me.' Nana thought.
Knowing that Ryoma was rushing towards the ball with a very imminent tackle, Nana gave a quick toe poke on the ball before she stopped her run for a short split second. The plan worked as Ryoma came crashing into his teammate Sokratis in full speed while the ball was still in play for Nana to continue ahead. The Little Witch then moved forward and all alone towards the Arsenal goalkeeper.
Martin Tyler: She's past Oda. MISHIMAAAAAAA!!!
From a very good position, Nana curled the shot into the bottom corner of the goal to the goalkeeper's left. At 4-2, Old Trafford went into total bedlam. All doubts about the result were finally brushed aside.
Martin Tyler: It's 4-2 for Manchester United! Nana Mishima, who earned the penalty that made it 3-2, has scored the insurance goal in injury time! And Arsenal are certainly beaten at Old Trafford now!
On the Manchester United bench, Andrew could not contain himself as he made several pump fists in his run to celebrate the goal. After Nana celebrated her goal with an acrobatic twist flip, she was greeted by Kakeru with a tight hug and a quick kiss before they were both joined by their teammates.
"You did it, Seven! YOU DID IT!" Kakeru was ecstatic.
"It's over for them now!" Marius added.
"Hell yeah! Well done!" their other teammates shouted.
"We all did it, guys! WE DID IT!" Nana replied.
Alan Keegan: UNITED'S GOAL... SCORED BY NUMBER NINETEEN… NANA MISHIMAAAA!!!
Back to the commentators:
Gary Neville: It's now game, set, and match. We know this could happen when a team brings so many players forward. It started with a long clearance from Saeki that became a pass for Aizawa. Aizawa then lays it off for Mishima. It's a great solo effort by Mishima to get past Sokratis and past Oda. After that, she curls the shot past Bernd Leno and into the bottom corner.
Martin Tyler: It's a joint effort by the Japanese Connection for Manchester United. Arsenal will claim the same number of points as United, but will fall to second place because of United's superior goal difference.
In the stands, the Manchester United supporters started chanting a brand new song for Nana on the tune of "Freed from Desire".
WANT MORE AND MOREPEOPLE JUST WANT MORE AND MOREPASSES, SHOTS, AND GOALS, WHAT SHE'S LOOKING FORWANT MORE AND MOREPEOPLE JUST WANT MORE AND MORETRICKS, FLICKS, AND TURNS, WHAT SHE'S LOOKING FOR
NANA'S ON FIREYOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIEDNANA'S ON FIREYOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIEDNANA'S ON FIREYOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIEDNANA'S ON FIRE
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NA NANA NA NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NANA NA NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NA NANA NA NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NA.
Nana saluted the crowd for the song that praises her. At the same time the Manchester United players celebrated, Ryoma was beating the ground in sheer frustration. He felt humiliated by Nana's action on the last play.
"DAMN IT!" Ryoma cursed out loud.
For almost all Arsenal players, the intensity levels dropped considerably with the game being out of reach. However, no one could foresee the second moment of total madness that would soon leave an everlasting mark on the history of the match.
In the dying seconds of injury time:
Martin Tyler: Cleared away towards Oda… Maitland-Niles...
In an attempt to complete a give-and-go with his English teammate, Ryoma ran towards the ball. However, Nana was also hunting for the same ball. As a result, Ryoma came in with a strong sliding tackle that touched the ball before Nana was taken down.
"HEEYY!!!" the Manchester United players shouted, but to no avail as the referee saw it as a legal tackle.
Meanwhile, the loose ball bounced off Erik and back to the middle of the park. There, Aleksandar cleared the ball back into Arsenal's half. Laurent Koscielny then chested the ball down, and passed the ball back towards Ryoma. However, Nana, who got up after the previous tackle, retaliated with a sliding tackle of her own to take the ball away.
Martin Tyler: Mishima comes in...
Although he was not taken down by Nana's tackle, Ryoma inexplicably saw red at that moment. The Arsenal midfielder deliberately stamped on Nana's ankle she was still on the ground. In a split second, tempers flared on both sides. Dashing in full speed towards the point of infringement, Yusuke immediately came to confront Ryoma directly.
"ODA, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Yusuke shouted.
"COME ON!" Ryoma then threw a jab towards Yusuke.
Martin Tyler: Well... Ryoma Oda has lit the fuse here. And now there's more bad blood on the pitch.
That jab was all it needed for both players to go at each other's throat. Yusuke and Ryoma started the scrap by grabbing each other's shirt. Despite all attempts by referees and players to stop the hostilities, both belligerents were still grabbing and tussling each other strongly. Then Ryoma attempted to throw 2 punches at Yusuke, who deflected them away with his arm. Meanwhile, Yusuke got his own right hand free in a flash before he fired a powerful right hook that struck Ryoma directly on the left temple.
Gary Neville: Somebody will have to stop this. Things could get very nasty.
Following Yusuke's punch, Ryoma collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes. It was an instant knockout. A few angry Arsenal players wanted to go after Yusuke, but his Manchester United teammates stood in the way. Yusuke was being held by Kakeru and Matthias.
"YOU DON'T FEEL GREAT NOW, HUH? I'M LOVING IT!" Yusuke chirped primarily at the knocked out Ryoma. 
"Calm down, Yusuke! He's out for the count." Kakeru begged Yusuke.
"That's enough! ENOUGH! STOP IT!" the referee said as he came in to pull Yusuke away as well.
In the midst of this chaos, Andrew Butler and the Arsenal manager came in to act as peacemakers, ordering their players to stand down. Meanwhile, the Arsenal team doctor came in to attend Ryoma's condition. The Arsenal midfielder was still definitely feeling groggy although he sat up on his own.
When players managed to calm down a little, the referee then summoned Yusuke first to dish the inevitable punishment.
"You engaged yourself in fisticuffs with Oda. That's violent conduct, and that's a straight red card offense. Off you go." the referee showed Yusuke the red card.
Martin Tyler: It's a red card for Yusuke Saeki, and I expect Ryoma Oda to receive the same as well.
The home crowd booed momentarily when the red card was shown against Yusuke. Without any further arguing, Yusuke walked his way towards the exit tunnel. He showed no emotion whatsoever as he left the pitch. Nevertheless, the Manchester United supporters applauded their own player on his way out.
Gary Neville: They both have to go. This is outrageous by Saeki, but we must not forget the incident that sparked all of this. Oda stamped on Mishima and then threw the first punch on Saeki as well.
The referee waited for Ryoma to stand up with some little help from his teammates. When the Arsenal midfielder was on his feet, the referee dished the punishment.
"The stamp on Mishima is already a red card in itself, but then you instigated the fight with Saeki. My report will say that you're responsible for 2 incidents with violent conduct. Off you go too." the referee said before he showed Ryoma the red card, much to the joy of the home supporters.
Martin Tyler: Red card for Oda as well. You have to wonder how long Arsenal will have to endure without him after all the unpleasant moments he instigated.
Meanwhile, the Manchester United team doctor and physio both assessed Nana's condition.
"It's not serious, but you'll need some ice on that ankle for a few minutes." Dr. Ridley Nolan said.
"That guy... I wished I had a piece of him." Nana angrily said.
"Yusuke wiped the floor with him. With a 4-2 scoreline, you have done enough. We'll get you back to the dressing room now." Ridley replied.
On the long walk of shame towards the Southwest tunnel, Ryoma was booed off the pitch by the crowd. He was escorted by the Arsenal team doctor and 2 security guards. Despite Ryoma's efforts to ignore everything and everyone around, he had to endure insults and jeers. Thousands of angry Manchester United supporters, including Noriko, called Ryoma by all names under the sun.
"HOW DOES IT FEEL NOW, ODA? GET THE **** OUT OF HERE, YOU WANKER! JAPAN DOESN'T NEED A ****ING DEAD FROM THE NECK UP (stupid) TOSSER (supreme jerk) LIKE YOU!" Noriko shouted loudly enough to make sure Ryoma heard her.
"What the hell does she want?" Oda asked.
"Drop it, Ryoma. You caused enough trouble for today." the Arsenal doctor made sure Oda kept on walking out.
"THAT'S RIGHT! SHINJIMAE, KONOYAROU! CHIKUSHOU! (Go to hell, you bastard! Son of a bitch!) PISS OFF, YOU SHITE PIE-EATING TOSSER! GET OUT OF THE STADIUM, YOU PRICK! YOUR FRIENDS SHOULD DITCH YOUR ARSE 'CAUSE YOU'RE A BELLEND! WALK ALONE, YOU ****ING KNOBHEAD! F*** OFF!" Noriko shouted. The nearby steward also had to ask Noriko to tone down with the swearing.
"Noriko, what was that?" Robert asked.
"That's the first time I see you curse like that at a player, Noriko. What was that for? You sounded like Vinnie Jones." Sarah was also surprised.
"Sorry. But I had to say what I said because that jerk sank really low in my estimation. I can't believe he dared to do that against a friend. What happened there was arguably the worst thing I have ever seen in person." Noriko replied.
"I can somewhat understand Noriko's reaction. Oda is not worthy of being a friend with my granddaughter's friends after something like that. Personally, I also think he's a ****ing pillock." Harry added.
"Spot on, Grandpa. Oda better think again about his actions. I won't feel sorry for that shitebag if he loses a lot more than his pride after this." Noriko replied.
"Still, you better never say a word of that to your mother. She would freak out if she was told only a part of what you just said to Ryoma Oda." Robert said to Noriko.
"I won't." Noriko finished.
After Ryoma walked down the tunnel, tempers calmed down on both sides. As for Nana, she was escorted to the dressing room by the medical staff as a precaution. There was not much time left to play when the incident broke out. Only a few seconds after the restart, then came the sound that sparked a massive celebration among the 71,000+ Manchester United supporters.
PEEP! PEEP! PEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Martin Tyler: It's the final whistle. Manchester United are back at the top of the table on level terms with Arsenal at the end of a fierce contest. They could have gone 6 points adrift of Arsenal when Patrick Jenpa and Ryuichi Araki gave the Gunners an early 2-goal lead. But then contributions from Kakeru Aizawa, Marius van Leeuwen, and Nana Mishima allowed United to score 4 unanswered goals. After Aizawa made it 3-2 on a late penalty, Arsenal were wide open for the counterattack, which was brilliantly executed by Manchester United. There are still 12 matches left in the Premier League season, and you may feel it may not be the last twist in the title race just yet. It's a big win for Manchester United, but it has come at the price of a few unpleasant moments of which you will hear about later in the studio. Nevertheless, let's not forget the football that has made the final score: Manchester United 4-2 Arsenal.
For all who support Manchester United, there was a massive feeling of relief. On the opposite end, it was a tough pill for Arsenal to swallow. The remaining players shook hands very briefly, but handshakes between rivals were very cold considering the chain of events that took place over the last 2 hours or so. The mutual feeling on both sides was that it was only the beginning of a revived rivalry.
The Manchester United players celebrated with their loud supporters for a few minutes. After that, Kakeru and his teammates finally left the playing surface. However, the match was not over yet for one player as there was more to come inside the tunnel.
"Don't do it!" Laurent Koscielny shouted.
"COME OUT HERE, MISHIMA! YOU TOO, SAEKI! WE HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS!" Ryoma angrily shouted as he stormed out of the Arsenal dressing room.
Then Nana and Yusuke came out of the Manchester United dressing room to face Ryoma although their teammates asked them to stay back.
"What do you want? You didn't have enough?" Yusuke asked.
"Don't you have to get yourself checked? You're losing your head." Nana said to Ryoma.
"Oh, yeah? Check this!" Ryoma threw a sports drink bottle at Nana, who barely evaded it.
However for Nana, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. The Little Witch retaliated by throwing an ice pack, which was intended to be put on her sore ankle, straight at Ryoma in the stomach. As if things needed to escalate any further, Ryoma and Nana charged against each other. Thankfully, players from both sides moved quickly in between before punches could be thrown. Referees also intervened although they did not see what started the fracas.
While opponents shouted all kinds of words in the heat of the incident, the main conversation of interest was the one between Japanese rivals from the moment Kakeru stepped in front of Ryoma.
"YOU BASTARDS!" Ryoma's shouted at both Nana and Yusuke.
"Calm down, Oda!" Laurent Koscielny also tried to calm his teammate down.
"Let me go! That's between me and them!" Ryoma replied to his captain.
"HEY! Lighten up, Oda, you punk!" Kakeru pushed Ryoma back.
"You want some too?" Ryoma replied.
"Try me!" Kakeru had a very angry look in his eyes. "This is my business too."
"I cannot stand players who use dirty tricks to get players injured, sent off, or to win penalties." Ryoma said to Kakeru.
"And who are you to lecture me? What happened with Araki was unfortunate, but Jenpa asked for trouble himself. And Nana was taken down by your stupid captain. Nana and Yusuke took hits for the team, but look at you: all you did was for your own ego. I said you're were a hypocrite and a rat, but it's worse than that: you're a selfish, pathetic man. You've got a head full of bad wiring."
"What was that?"
"You are ****ed up in the head, Oda!" Kakeru replied to Ryoma's question with an angry face.
"YOU BRAT! Is that how you treat friends?"
"I WISH I WAS NEVER YOUR FRIEND! WHO NEEDS ENEMIES WITH FRIENDS LIKE YOU?!" Kakeru shouted in English.
Those words had as much of a staggering impact on Ryoma's psyche as a gunshot wound.
"Until you grow up, we have nothing left to say, you and I. You forced me into this position." Kakeru added.
"That's it then? Fine. F*** you all!"
"F*** you!" Nana swore back at Ryoma.
"I swear on my brother's grave: if you touch my girl again like that, you're a dead man. Now get the **** out of my sight." Kakeru finished while pointing his finger at Ryoma's face.
After that, referees and stewards pushed both teams back to their respective dressing rooms. A little later, the chief referee of the match tried to gather as much information as possible about what happened in the fracas for his report. Video footage of the altercation was also leaked on social media, and thus investigators considered those as primary evidence.
A little less than one hour and a half after the match, Kakeru, Nana, and Yusuke came to meet with Noriko in the lobby of the Lowry Hotel.
"Hey, Noriko!" Nana called her friend over.
"Hey, you guys!" Noriko walked towards her friends, and hugged them one by one.
"You're a great sight for sore eyes after that kind of match." Yusuke said
"I'm glad to hear that, handsome." Noriko greeted Yusuke with a little kiss first before she turned towards her other friends. "That was a huge win. All thanks to you."
"Thanks, Noriko. I don't think I've ever been happier for being at the top of the table even if that's only on goal difference." Kakeru replied.
"Yeah. Now that we have 12 League matches left to play, all we have to do now is to take one match forward at the time." Nana added.
"How's your ankle, Nana?" Noriko asked.
"It's fine. I just needed to put some ice after the match. I should be OK to train with the boys on the next training session." Nana replied.
"Good. I was worried that we could lose you." Noriko said.
"Well, Oda is disinvited from the guest list for my wedding with Kakeru." Nana replied.
"I share the same sentiment. His fault." Kakeru added.
"What do you mean by that?" Noriko asked.
At that moment, a few Manchester United players, who came to meet their loved ones, spotted Noriko. The Manchester United skipper was the first to approach Yusuke and Noriko.
"Is this your missus, Yusuke?" Matthias asked.
Then Noriko looked at Yusuke. She was unsure if it was the right time for them to tell the other players about their relationship.
"Should we tell them?" Noriko asked Yusuke in Japanese.
"I think it's about time you join my other family, and that includes joining the WAGs (wives and girlfriends) club." Yusuke replied with a smile.
Noriko then answered first to Matthias, albeit timidly: "Well, yes, I am Yusuke's girlfriend... Hello."
"Lads, this is Noriko Lewis. She's half-British and half-Japanese, but born in Manchester." Yusuke formally introduced Noriko to his non-Japanese teammates.
"Nice to meet you." Matthias said to Noriko.
"My pleasure." Noriko replied.
Then players and their respective significant others continued to formally introduce themselves to Noriko and vice-versa.
"Hey, I now remember where I have seen you before." Marius said to Noriko. "You're the one fans call 'Red Kate' on fan channels, right?"
"Yes. It's based on middle name." Noriko replied.
"I watch videos of fan reactions after matches sometimes for fun, but I must say that I always enjoy your comments." Marius said.
"Really?" Noriko asked.
"Absolutely. You know how to make clever comments in front of the camera."
Noriko started to blush a little.
"What about we take advantage of the situation to announce the world that we're an item?" Yusuke asked in English to make sure everyone around understood the conversation.
"What?" Noriko asked.
"I have over around 100,000 followers on my Twitter account, so I think it would be right if we make sure to end all speculations about the two of us. I will put a picture of us in the tweet. Then I will write that 'Red Kate and I have been dating each other since November', and that 'I'm privileged to be the boyfriend of such a devoted fan'... only if you're comfortable with it."
"Well, I guess I knew that the day would come sooner than later since I started dating you." Noriko said before she took a deep breath and gave her answer: "Do it."
Yusuke then wrote the tweet in English, and sent it on the web through his smartphone.
"Sent!"
"You're just incredible!" Noriko showed a big smile, and then hugged Yusuke, which got everyone among the United players and their loved ones giving a round of applause.
"Welcome in the big Manchester United family, Noriko." Matthias said.
"Thanks."
"I have to say that your man has quite the punch when he knocked Oda down." Matthias said.
"He really punched hard like Fury." Shawzy added.
"Hey, that tells me. We couldn't find Yusuke a nickname so far, but we may have one now." Nikolaj said.
"What? Fury?" Marius asked.
"Yeah, that sounds nice." Nikolaj replied.
"Do you mean 'Fury' like the tank in the movie or Nick Fury in 'The Avengers'?" Yusuke asked.
"No, I meant Tyson Fury. He's a heavyweight boxing champion from Manchester, and he's a United fan too." Shawzy replied.
"The Gypsy King... as they call him." Marius added.
"Fury, that's it. That's his nickname." Matthias said.
"That's perfect." Kakeru chuckled and smiled.
All the Manchester United laughed before they started shouting Yusuke's new nickname.
"Fury! Fury! Fury! Fury!"
"OK, guys. I like it too." Yusuke replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Nice! I guess we'll leave you guys alone now. Enjoy your evening." Matthias said.
"OK, Skipper. See you guys." Kakeru replied.
"Enjoy the evening... Fury." Nikolaj said.
"OK. Thanks, Nicky." Yusuke replied.
Kakeru, Nana, Yusuke, and Noriko then saw the other Manchester United players leave with their loved ones.
"Fury..." Noriko said.
"Ah, come on! I'll get used to it, but I don't want to get fed up with it after one day." Yusuke replied.
"OK, no more for today." Nana said.
"Before the other players talked to us, you said that Ryoma Oda has been disinvited from the guest list for the wedding." Noriko said to Kakeru and Nana. "Is it because of that incident at the end of the match?"
"Not only that... There was also the incident in the tunnel after the match." Kakeru replied.
"What happened in the tunnel? I didn't read the news after the match."
"Oda stormed out of the Arsenal dressing room. He was running mad at Nana and Yusuke. He threw a bottle at Nana." Kakeru said.
"But I dodged before I threw an icepack at him. After that, we came up short of fighting each other. Insults and shoves were flying everywhere. Kakeru stepped in between him and me." Nana added.
"But then I got sucked into the exchange too. I told him that I wish I was not his friend, and that he would be a dead man if he ever touched Nana again like he did today." Kakeru finished recounting the events. "In other words, I told him to go **** himself."
"Wow." Noriko's jaw dropped.
"Until today, I never came out against someone with words that harsh. But I really did. I now wonder if I was right to go that far." Kakeru said.
"Kakeru..." Nana softly said.
"Sometimes when emotions run high on both sides, people do or say reckless things. Friends might even fall out at times." Noriko said.
"I know. It's just that I never thought I'd dare saying something like that. When I finished high school, my former schoolmates and I promised that would always remember Enoshima High School before we ever reach for hate as adversaries. I feel bad for breaking my side of that promise." Kakeru replied.
"As far as I'm concerned, a promise no longer stands when someone breaks it. In this case, Oda broke the promise when he wrongfully called you out at the Asian Cup. It may take a long time until the dust settles down, but Oda guy will apologize down the road if he really values that friendship with you." Noriko said.
"I hope you're right." Kakeru replied.
"He better do so." Nana remarked.
"If he doesn't... well, you would say that he was never a true friend to begin with." Noriko said.
"The ball is in his court." Kakeru replied.
"By the way, Noriko, thanks for preparing us like you did." Nana said. "I think I never played a grittier game in my life until today, and yet it was very satisfying."
"No need to thank me. I'm willing to do this for my friends and for my club." Noriko replied.
"She's right though. If I didn't watch those videos, I would not have been aware about what it takes to beat an Arsenal team that looked to play like they used to back in the days." Yusuke said.
"I felt like I was more powerful than ever out there. I don't think I would have been prepared to endure such adversity if I didn't feel such a genuine hatred towards a team. Of course, it helped that Oda was on the other side after what he did. But you know... I really played like a wounded animal today." Kakeru added.
"That's great. When you go through a match like this, and win it under huge pressure and with a lot at stake, it will become a massive baggage of experience in the future. Why? Because you will know how to react should a similar situation arise." Noriko said.
"You're right. We will be prepared against the next top opponent who wants to fight us like that." Nana replied.
"Let's go home now. I think we all need a good rest after such a day." Kakeru said.
"I agree. I'm exhausted too." Yusuke replied.
"Yeah, let's all go home." Nana added.
"I will open myself a bottle of Guinness to celebrate this win." Noriko finished.
In the aftermath, the Football Association charged a number of players with foul play, improper conduct, or even violent conduct. Video footage, including those that captured the whole incident in the tunnel after the match, was used to support the charges. Suspensions (involving consecutive domestic matches only) and fines were finally dished on February 13.
On Arsenal's side, Ryoma was suspended for the club's next 7 domestic matches (Premier League and FA Cup) on 2 accounts of violent conduct aggravated by the fact that he was the instigator of the altercation in the tunnel. Ryoma also had to pay £100,000 in fines on top of the ban. Patrick was handed the standard 3-match ban for a straight red card, but also earned an extra one-match ban for failing to leave the pitch immediately after his dismissal.
On Manchester United's side of the punishment, Yusuke received a 3-match ban for the sending off. Nana received the automatic 2-match ban for violent conduct as an active part in the tunnel altercation. Kakeru didn't receive any ban for his verbal tirade with Ryoma, but he was fined in the thousands of British pounds for improper conduct.
Regarding injuries, Ryuichi Araki sustained milder damage to his left knee than what was feared at first. The diagnosis was a grade I sprain to the medial collateral ligament of his left knee. Nevertheless, the sprain would rule Araki out of action between 2 and 4 weeks. Ryoma Oda also suffered a mild concussion in the aftermath of his fight against Yusuke; he didn't return to training until 2 weeks.
In the past, only 2 matches were dubbed as "The Battle of Old Trafford" by the British media. The first one took place in September 2003, and the second one known as "The Battle of Old Trafford II" or "The Battle of the Buffet" was played in October 2004. The recent confrontation entered the annals of football history as "The Battle of Old Trafford III" or "The Battle of Old Trafford – The Next Generation".
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Commentary by Martin Tyler and Andy Gray.
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Commentary by Martin Tyler and Andy Gray.
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