The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 32

The Flowers of Manchester :Previous «Home Page» Next: The Battle of Old Trafford - 2nd Half
== The Battle of Old Trafford - 1st Half ==
"I had a lot of hatred for Arsenal because I knew they were big rivals. I can't think of any other word that springs to mind when I was going into battle with Arsenal. Absolute hatred was the word." – Roy Keane (Former Manchester United player and captain, 1993-2005).
"If I play against him [Roy Keane], I would be concentrated, all the week. So I would prepare myself in a different way maybe because I still have this game in mind, and I still have how to play against him in my mind." – Patrick Vieira (Former Arsenal player and captain, 1996-2005).
"It's a disgrace, but I don't expect Wenger to ever apologize. He's that type of person." – Sir Alex Ferguson (Former Manchester United manager, 1986-2013).
"Ferguson's out of order. He has lost all sense of reality." – Arsène Wenger (Former Arsenal manager, 1996-2018).
"I'll ****ing see you out there, you ****! I'll see you out there!" – Roy Keane to Patrick Vieira (before the match on February 1, 2005).
...
These previous quotes were some of the things former Manchester United and Arsenal players said regarding the rivalry between the 2 clubs back in the mid-1990s up to the mid-2000s. It was so intense that there was no room for friendship at all when the 2 sides met in that period. It was THE match for lovers of the beautiful game to watch. However, no one could fathom the kind of animosity the 2 sides were about to show on the ground that saw a lot of battles between them.
Sunday February 10
Manchester United vs. Arsenal (Premier League match 26)
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
For the summit meeting, Andrew butler sent the following 4-1-2-1-2 formation to begin the match: Jan Farkas (goalkeeper), Joel Muamba (right-back), Erik Johansson (centre-back), Matthias Köhler (centre-back and captain), Andrew Shaw (left-back), Yusuke Saeki (central defensive midfielder), Francisco Serrano (right central midfielder), Nikolaj Kristiansen (left central midfielder), Nana Mishima (central attacking midfielder), Marius van Leeuwen (striker), and Kakeru Aizawa (striker).
Over the course of the season, Arsenal had to experiment their fair share of tactical setups despite their current success, namely because of a couple of long-term injuries. However, it appeared that the Gunners found the right balance they needed in the following 3-4-1-2 formation: Bernd Leno (goalkeeper), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (right centre-back), Laurent Koscielny (centre-back and captain), Nacho Monreal (left centre-back), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (right winger), Ryoma Oda (central midfielder), Granit Xhaka (central midfielder), Sead Kolašinac (left winger), Ryuichi Araki (central attacking midfielder), Patrick Jenpa (striker), and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (striker).
On the bench, Andrew had the likes of Santiago Araya, Anthony Laurent, Kevin Flynn, and Aidan Whelan ready to support the attack if they were to get the call. Meanwhile, Arsenal had Mesut Özil, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Alex Iwobi, and Alexandre Lacazette available in case they would need a goal.
Arsenal elected to take the kickoff after they won the first coin toss. In return, United was allowed to choose field positioning for the start of the match. As such, United chose to attack towards the East Stand in the first half. The minute of silence commemorating the victims of the Munich Air Disaster was a distant memory even though it happened just a few minutes ago. With everyone in position, all eyes turned towards the referee ready to end the long wait for 74,000+ spectators in the stadium and millions of viewers worldwide.
1:30 PM GMT
PEEEP!
Martin Tyler: So here we go. We could have another classic in this historical rivalry.
Arsenal kicked the match off. In the first few minutes, the Gunners were looking to take the game upon their opponents. However, the Red Devils were looking to stand their ground firmly, retrieve the ball, and then find the gaps inside Arsenal's 3-4-1-2 formation.
In the 4th minute:
Martin Tyler: Xhaka... off Araki, but too far for Aubameyang.
In an attempt to build up the attack, Araki attempted to flick the ball from Xhaka's pass towards Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, the pass went astray and straight into the feet of Erik.
Martin Tyler: Now Johansson... Köhler... to Shaw...
The 3 Manchester United passed the ball at the back before Shawzy passed the ball forward to Nikolaj. However, Ryoma was rushing quickly towards the Danish midfielder in red, who had no other choice but to pass the ball backwards to Yusuke.
Martin Tyler: No way forward for Kristiansen. Saeki...
Yusuke had to run backwards with the ball as Araki was applying some pressure. However, Yusuke managed to circle his run around a little bit to find a teammate in Nana.
Martin Tyler: A little bit under pressure, but he finds Mishima...
Nana then advanced a few yards ahead with the ball before she spotted Kakeru attempting a run between 2 Arsenal centre-backs. Without asking, Nana launched the pass forward and slightly towards the left for Kakeru. The Old Trafford crowd stood on their feet.
Martin Tyler: She finds Aizawa, Sokratis is on him...
Instead of taking the shot away on his right foot, Kakeru let the ball roll onto his left foot, much to Sokratis' initial surprise. The Greek defender responded by following Kakeru, attempting to use the body as a shield against any shot. Then Kakeru slipped and scuffed the shot wide, much to the disappointment of the 71,000+ Manchester United supporters in the attendance.
Martin Tyler: ...and Aizawa put the shot wide. The expression on his face says that it was a good chance.
Kakeru grimaced in disappointment, knowing that he could have struck the shot better.
"Good run, Kakeru!" Nana tried cheering him up.
Kakeru replied with a thumbs-up sign.
Gary Neville: It was a poor shot at the end by Aizawa, but it was a good example of how dangerous United can be when they retrieve a loose ball. Watch this: Araki doesn't get the passing right, United recover the ball, Oda and Araki both try to apply some pressure, but Saeki was patient to wait until he found someone to pass the ball to. Mishima almost split the Arsenal defence with that pass for Aizawa. Sokratis did just enough to prevent a good shot from that position.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Unlucky Kakeru." Noriko said.
"I really wonder if he could have tried to push between Sokratis and Koscielny." Sarah said.
"I think Kakeru was trying to surprise Sokratis as well." Robert replied. "It was not that easy, but I get his idea."
"The ball came at an angle too. It would also have been difficult for him to run in a straight line." Harry added.
"OK, I see." Sarah said.
"We better stay sharp now." Noriko finished.
The worst thing that could happen after such a miss in such a high-intensity, high-pressure match was that the other side could come back to hurt even harder. Shortly after United missed their opportunity to open up the score, Arsenal earned their own opportunity to silence Old Trafford.
In the 7th minute:
Martin Tyler: A pass to Araki...
Araki received a pass from Oda inside the Manchester United half, but he was quickly confronted by Yusuke.
"It's you and me now." Yusuke said.
"Try stopping me then." Araki replied.
Araki tried to run to his left, forcing Yusuke to shift his body onto his own right. But then, Araki performed a roulette to the right to shake Yusuke off. In the following second, the former Enoshima High School midfield maestro started running forward with speed.
Martin Tyler: He skips past Saeki...
In his run, Araki spotted Patrick Jenpa on the run ahead. Knowing that the Cameroonian striker was running in line with the last defender, Araki launched the through pass between the 2 Manchester United centre-backs.
Martin Tyler: Through for Jenpa. No flag...
Patrick ran with the ball inside the Manchester United penalty area. However, Erik arrived just in time with a perfect sliding tackle to push the ball away from Patrick. A few Arsenal players shouted for a penalty kick, but the referee was having none of that.
Martin Tyler: Great tackle by Johansson! He may have saved Manchester United there.
The loose ball went to Matthias, who then made a short pass to Yusuke. United attempted to counterattack, but a pass went off an Arsenal player before it bounced back inside the Manchester United half a few seconds later.
Martin Tyler: It's retrieved by Kristiansen...
Looking for Marius in some distance ahead, Nikolaj attempted a long ball forward. However, his attempted pass went off Ryoma before it bounced deeper inside the Manchester United half. More bad news for the Red Devils was that Patrick was in a position to recover that loose ball.
Martin Tyler: It went off Oda... Now Jenpa...
Patrick advanced a couple of yards, but stood alone against Matthias. Nevertheless, the Cameroonian striker spotted his teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang making a curved run inside the penalty Manchester United area.
Martin Tyler: Aubameyang... runs away from Johansson here.
The Gabonese forward took advantage of a split second to run away from the Swedish defender in red. Arriving just outside of the 6-yard box, Aubameyang looked for an opening as Jan was rushing towards him. The Gabonese tried to take the shot at the near post, but the Slovakian goalkeeper deflected the shot out of play
Martin Tyler: Great save by Jan Farkas! Aubameyang tried to go at the near post, but he was denied by the big Slovak. It's a corner for Arsenal.
Angry by the recent sloppy play, Jan shouted his utter displeasure at his teammates with a mix of English and some Slovakian. Thankfully for United, the following corner kick came to nothing.
"Come on, lads! Stay sharp!" Kakeru tried to rally his teammates as they moved back to their positions.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"We almost got burned twice there." Sarah said.
"Aye, I didn't like what I just saw just now." Noriko replied. "We didn't have to force the play like we did."
"Yusuke was a little too aggressive when he pressed Araki. Then Johansson wandered a little too far ahead, forgetting about Aubameyang while Jenpa had the ball."
"We have to be very clever. This Arsenal team is almost playing like they used to play in the early 2000s."
"Thanks a lot, Grandpa." Noriko said with some sarcasm intended.
"Their 3 new signings have a lot to do with the shift in mentality. We cannot expect Arsenal to be easily intimidated this time." Robert remarked.
"They are definitely not what we used to see of them for the last decade or so, but I also expect United to be more prepared than ever for this." Noriko finished before she thought: 'I can only hope.'
Unfortunately, Arsenal were feeling the wind in their sails despite missing 2 golden opportunities to open up the score. For the following 5 minutes, the Gunners were enjoying a better spell, much to the displeasure of the Old Trafford faithful. The score remained goalless, but everything was about to change in a flash.
In the 12th minute:
Martin Tyler: Bernd Leno with the goal kick...
The Arsenal goalkeeper kicked the ball far away ahead of him. Yusuke arrived to head the ball in the opposite direction, across the halfway line. The header was intended to reach Kakeru, but Laurent Koscielny came in to head the ball back inside the Manchester United half. There Joel and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tried to reach the ball first.
Martin Tyler: Headed down by Aubameyang.
The ball went off Aubameyang before it reached Patrick Jenpa a little further ahead. Then the Cameroonian striker flicked the ball towards Araki.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa to Araki...
Araki attempted to dribble his way through the Manchester United back 4, but he was quickly closed down by the mad scramble of Manchester United defenders. Yusuke was also hustling to support his defenders. But for a split second, Patrick was available in some space while the left side of the Manchester United defensive line had eyes on Ainsley Maitland-Niles making a run on the flank.
"Araki!" Patrick called for a pass.
Then Araki immediately made the pass behind to Patrick. With all the space in the world, Patrick chose to shoot the ball even though there was more than 30 yards between him and the Manchester United goal.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa. Long way out...
Patrick struck the shot with the outside of his right foot. The shot had a lot of pace before it bent in a different direction from what was anticipated, so much that Jan Farkas was caught off guard. In a stunning flash, Arsenal took the lead!
Martin Tyler: WHAT A GOAL!!! Jenpa has scored a scorcher at Old Trafford! And in the summit meeting, Arsenal take the lead by 1 goal to nil.
Patrick Jenpa ran a few yards, wagging his finger in the celebration to taunt the Manchester United supporters. He was quickly joined by his equally happy teammates.
"Attaboy, Patty!" Ryoma exclaimed.
"Big goal!" Araki added.
"Yeah, baby! Great goal!" Granit Xhaka added.
"Thanks! I'm loving it!" Patrick replied.
"Now we're on the board first. Keep going, lads!" Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny reminded his teammates of the task at hand.
Barring the enclave of 3,000 Arsenal supporters in the Southeast corner, Old Trafford was stunned into silence. The Manchester United players stood speechless, looking in disgust at the aftermath. Nevertheless, Matthias was quick to pick his teammates back up with the rally cry.
"It's only one goal. This ain't over yet! Let's move!" Matthias shouted.
Then the Manchester United players walked their way back for the restart.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"There was not much Farkas could do on that." Noriko said.
"How not? I thought he could have stopped it." Sarah replied.
"I'm not totally sure, but I think he was screened by the defender. So Farkas couldn't see it well." Robert replied.
"Aye, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a strong bend to go with the pace at the end of that shot too." Noriko added.
Gary Neville: Well, you may wonder if Farkas could have reached this, but what a strike by Jenpa to open up the score! Jenpa gets the ball from Aubameyang, passes it to Araki on his left, but then Araki sees no way to go. Maitland-Niles makes a great run to put the Manchester United defenders off a little. Araki knows that Jenpa has time and space to shoot, and then... the shot was struck towards the middle. Farkas was moving to his right, but the shot was bending to his left at the last second. The slow-motion doesn't quite do justice to the sheer power and surprise of Jenpa's effort.
Martin Tyler: The man from Cameroon is a huge part in Arsenal's rise for this season. Now he has scored a vital goal in this title race so far.
The play resumed with the home side looking to retaliate with goals. However, the Mancunians met fierce resistance from the Gunners, who could rely on 2 solid midfielders in front of the 3-man defensive line. The first moment of controversy was about to happen in this match.
In the 16th minute:
Martin Tyler: It's a free kick for Manchester United... and Muamba has taken it quickly. It's towards Mishima...
Noticing that Nana was making a run behind Ryoma, Joel immediately made a long pass towards the Little Witch. However, Ryoma rushed quickly just behind Nana. As the ball was about to fall at Nana's feet, Ryoma put his arms forward and around Nana. The resulting play was that both Nana and Ryoma went down inside the penalty area while the ball bounced out of bounds, irking the 71,000+ Manchester United supporters in the stadium.
Martin Tyler: Was she pulled down by Oda? The referee gives a goal kick.
Arsenal got away with a goal kick in their favor rather than anything else with heavier consequences, much to the dismay of all Manchester United players and supporters alike.
Gary Neville: Well, I have to say that was clumsy by Oda. If that was outside of the box, a free kick would be given. Oda was all over Mishima, and he was lucky to get away with that.
"Going for a dive now?" Ryoma took the opportunity to taunt the young woman who was once Enoshima's club manager.
"You knew what you were doing, you clumsy fool." Nana replied angrily after she stood up glaring into Ryoma's eyes.
"Keep yapping! That won't get you anywhere." Ryoma snapped back.
After the ensuing goal kick, the action moved back into the Manchester United half where Arsenal started to pile up some pressure. The Gunners were looking to strike another blow against the Red Devils.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa... headed down towards Maitland-Niles...
At the end of a long aerial ball, Patrick headed the ball down towards his teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles. However, Shawzy got to the ball first and cleared it high towards the center circle. The ball was then headed back by Laurent Koscielny, and thus Arsenal was still on the attack.
Martin Tyler: Araki... great flick past Kristiansen.
Araki and Nikolaj rushed towards the same ball, but the Arsenal midfielder performed a perfect sombrero flick to eliminate Nikolaj from the equation. Then Araki came face to face against Yusuke.
"Come on, Araki!" Yusuke challenged his opponent.
Araki shifted his body to the left and then to the right to shake Yusuke off. When the situation became dangerous for United, Yusuke was forced to commit the foul by sticking the thigh out to take Araki down.
Martin Tyler: Saeki has given away a free kick. There could be some danger here.
"Saeki, come over here." the referee summoned Yusuke. "I'm warning you now, and I want to be very clear: if you keep fouling players like that, you will go in the book. Am I clear?"
"Yes." Yusuke replied.
"Off you go." the referee replied.
The real danger was the distance of the free kick as the point of infringement was only 28 yards from goal; it was a good range for a free kick specialist like Araki to get a good shot on goal. Nevertheless, most of the Manchester United players were lined up on the edge of their own penalty area hoping to provide enough protection for their goalkeeper. The referee then gave the signal to proceed.
PEEP!
Araki made his run before he struck the ball with his favorite left foot. The ball flew above the jumping Manchester United players, but then swirled towards the goalkeeper's left with a strong sidespin and topspin effect. Jan stretched his own jump as far as he could, but the ball went out of his reach, off the inside of the post, and into the top corner of the goal.
Martin Tyler: It is ARAKI!!! It was within his range! Manchester United 0-2 Arsenal! Just only over 17 minutes in, Ryuichi Araki has doubled Arsenal's lead, and Manchester United see their world collapsing here.
Gary Neville: Talk about composure, Ryuichi Araki. There was nothing that Jan Farkas could do. That was a brilliant free kick from Araki. The shot went right over the ball, but then the spin of the ball led it to fly downwards and towards the inside of the post.
"YEEEEAAAAHHH!!!" Araki screamed out loud.
"That's it! Great goal!" Patrick congratulated Araki.
"Thanks, Patty." Araki replied before he was soon mugged by the rest of his teammates.
"We're in business now." Ryoma said.
"Let's keep on rolling, guys! Keep rolling!" Laurent Koscielny added.
Araki switched to his thoughts as he watched the shock on Kakeru and Nana's faces from distance: 'How will you react now, Kakeru? Nana? We have full control of this one now.'
"Play hard! Keep playing hard, y'all! We're making it too easy for them." Matthias was trying to drag his teammates up for the second time inside 5 minutes.
"We're a shot away to be back in it! Let's go!" Yusuke added to the rally cry.
"He's right! Everything on the net! It doesn't matter from where!" Kakeru shouted.
Looking in the distance, Araki saw the unwavering determination in Yusuke's eyes. That same determination snapped Kakeru out of it as well.
"We're not finished, lads. Those guys won't give up just yet." Araki said to his teammates.
"Let's play simple." Ryoma finished.
Except for the 3,000 Arsenal supporters cheering and singing out loud, you could hear a pin drop inside Old Trafford. The game carried on with Arsenal mostly dominating ball possession. Manchester United were looking desperately to find energy from somewhere by attempting shots from all distances, but not quite to any effect. It was not until after over 20 minutes gone that a coming together, which would not be anything special at first glance, became a spark that would light a fire.
In the 22nd minute:
Martin Tyler: It's recovered by Saeki. Serrano... Mishima...
Following an interception, the Manchester United midfielders started the counterattack. When the ball came towards Nana, she quickly passed the ball to him. However, Nana's pass was partially slowed down when it went off Granit Xhaka's on the way towards Kakeru.
Martin Tyler: The pass went off Xhaka...
With a slow ball rolling towards him, Kakeru had to stop in order to try gaining control of the ball. Then Ryoma came in with a sliding tackle to push the ball towards Laurent Koscielny.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa... tackled by Oda. No foul...
However, the aftermath of that tackle saw Kakeru falling over Ryoma. At the moment when Kakeru tried to get up and carry on, he was held and grabbed by Ryoma, who was still on the grass. Both players were tangled up.
"Hey! Get off me!" Kakeru shouted.
Instead of complying, Ryoma kept on holding Kakeru's leg for 2 seconds or so. Angered by his former teammate's reaction, Kakeru pushed Ryoma down in an attempt to break the leglock. The Old Trafford crowd was getting rowdy as everyone saw the action unfold. Having seen enough, the referee decided to intervene.
"That's enough, you two!" the referee ordered, putting the body between Kakeru and Ryoma.
"What's wrong with you?" Kakeru asked Ryoma angrily.
"I'm doing my job. You're in my way." Ryoma replied.
Players from both sides cam to separate the belligerents, but tough words were also exchanged.
"Settle down, mad dog!" Laurent Koscielny said to Kakeru.
"You tell that to your teammate. He's the one with a problem." Kakeru replied with a fiery tone.
Ryoma only smirked in response.
"Oh, yeah? Really brave of you." Kakeru chirped at Ryoma.
"Piss off, Oda! You're going after one, you're after all of us." Matthias made sure to make his presence felt in front of the Arsenal midfielder.
"Come on, Oda. We don't need to fire them up." Patrick said as he pulled Ryoma away.
Then the referee came to have a word with Ryoma about the recent incident.
"Ryoma, come here. We need to talk." the referee said.
"Hey, come on. It's not like I did that much on him. He's just pissed off." Ryoma pleaded his case.
"I couldn't care less. I'm lenient this time because it was a coming together. This is my very last warning: the next foul will be a yellow card for you." the referee said as he waved his arms away to make clear that it was a final verbal warning. "No more warnings after this."
After he was done warning Ryoma, the referee moved towards Kakeru to give the latter a similar warning.
"Kakeru, listen to me. Oda didn't foul you when he tackled you; he got to the ball first." the referee said.
"What about the leglock? How did he not get a card? That's ridiculous!" Kakeru protested.
"He was just short of getting a card; it was a coming together for starters. I told him that the next foul would mean yellow. But I'll be very clear: next foul means yellow for you too. So, calm down. Are we clear?"
"Yeah, clear." Kakeru replied to the referee.
Then Kakeru walked away before he clapped his hands with a "listen up!" gesture, and tried to rally his teammates: "COME ON! WE NEED TO PLAY HARDER!"
Looking from a distance away from the area where Kakeru and Ryoma clashed, Yusuke saw the fire in Kakeru's eyes. The former Kamakura High School midfielder felt that his long-time friend, who was kept silent for most of the first 23 minutes, was like the sleeping giant that just got awakened.
"I guess we have entered Kakeru's head so deeply that he's losing it." Araki said to Yusuke.
"No. He was actually waiting for this, just like any of us." Yusuke replied.
"Huh?"
"He's been feeding with the hatred of Arsenal for an entire week, and he saw plenty of old videos showing encounters like this. Oda made a huge mistake by poking the bear." Yusuke said.
"Whatever." Araki replied.
"Watch him go. That's my only friendly advice for today." Yusuke finished.
The play restarted with Manchester United controlling the ball inside the Arsenal half. For the first time in a while, the Red Devils were in a position to lay a siege against the Gunners' goal. A little bit of patience was needed to find a window of opportunity, but it was nothing that the Manchester United players couldn't do.
In the 24th minute:
Martin Tyler: Here's Mishima. On the edge of the box...
Moving the attack forward, Nana received the ball on the edge of outside corner of the Arsenal penalty area, to Bernd Leno's left. In that position, Nana was confronted by both Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolašinac. Seeing no way forward, Nana passed the ball backwards to Nikolaj in some distance from the front of the penalty area. Nikolaj also had to deal with a crowd of Arsenal midfielders defending the area.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen... finds Muamba...
The Danish midfielder passed the ball towards his English teammate on the right wing, but Joel chose to pass the ball backwards to Francisco since Kolašinac was blocking the path forward on the wing.
Martin Tyler: A back pass to Serrano... Kristiansen...
Francisco passed the ball on the left to Nikolaj. Then the Danish midfielder played a quick give-and-go with Nana, who stood on the edge of the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: …to Mishima, back to Kristiansen again...
Upon receiving the ball, Nikolaj waited for a gap to open as Nacho Monreal and Granit Xhaka were closing down on him from opposite directions. At the very same time, Nana was slipping her way forward. Having found the perfect moment, Nikolaj lobbed the pass forward to Nana.
Martin Tyler: Scoops it in...
Nikolaj's pass was destined to land a little short of the intended destination Nana's run. For a split second, the Little Witch let her instinct dictate the next step.
'Screw this! I have to try this.' Nana thought.
Out of instinct, Nana flicked the ball with a hit on the heel of her right foot, sending the ball floating across the penalty area. The ball was too far ahead of Marius, who was man-marked by Ryoma. It appeared that Ainsley Maitland-Niles would easily clear the ball from his position, but Kakeru arrived in from nowhere and free from any marker nearby.
Martin Tyler: Sent across... Here comes AIZAWAAA!!!
Arriving just in front of Maitland-Niles, Kakeru propelled himself in the air with a boost from his left leg, and then struck the ball first-time in mid-air with his right foot through flying scissors-kick volley. The ball flew like an Exocet missile into the top corner to Bernd Leno's left, leaving the goalkeeper stranded and powerless as Old Trafford finally erupted.
Gary Neville: OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!
Martin Tyler: OOOOHHHHH!!! GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME!!! And Manchester United are back in this!
In the immediate aftermath following the goal that halved the deficit, Kakeru picked the ball up, and gave it to a teammate to run with it towards the center circle. Kakeru's teammates briefly congratulated him as they moved back quickly for the restart.
"Big goal, Knight!" Marius said.
"Well done, Kakeru! Let's go for more now!" Nana said.
"That's how to do it! We're back in it!" Matthias congratulated as well.
"It's all good. Let's restart! Go!" Kakeru replied.
On the way towards restarting positions, Kakeru gave a look into Ryoma's eyes in the distance, and then threw his arms and fists up as a gesture of defiance towards his former high school teammate.
"How could you let him run away?" Ryoma turned to his teammates at the back.
"I don't know, but we messed up there." Laurent Koscielny replied.
"You must keep eyes on him AT ALL TIMES! Get tight on him!" Ryoma, being one of the few Arsenal players who knew Kakeru better than anybody else, made sure that the message was well heard.
Gary Neville: Well, we have a proper game of football now. That's a fabulous strike by Aizawa, but it was also a great piece of teamwork by Manchester United. They keep passing the ball around until the ball arrives to Kristiansen. Kristiansen plays the 1-2 with Mishima, but then he waits until Mishima runs forward. The dinked pass was slightly behind Mishima, but she was clever enough to bat it out with the backheel. Maitland-Niles should have gotten to the ball; he should have done better. But all credit to Aizawa, who comes in to strike a perfect volley. Leno had no chance on that. It has to go down as one of the best goals of the season.
Martin Tyler: What a goal! It's still Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal, but Old Trafford is very much alive.
Meanwhile in the stands, hope was rekindled:
"CRACKING SHOT, KAKERU! WELL DONE, NANA!" Noriko shouted.
"GOOD STRIKE THAT, BOY!" Harry added his voice as well.
"C'MON UNITED!!!" Robert shouted.
"Kakeru's anger is driving him. I thought he would be messed up mentally after that incident, but he looks even better." Sarah remarked.
"That's how he will survive a battle like this, Sarah. We can still come back and win this." Noriko finished.
From that point forward, United and the Old Trafford crowd were re-energized by that spectacular goal. There was a general feeling that Arsenal were somewhat rattled. As a result, the Red Devils were looking to take full advantage of the momentum and thus find an equalizing goal at any time before halftime.
In the 29th minute:
Martin Tyler: Headed back in by Shaw.
With the ball cleared across the halfway line by an Arsenal player, Shawzy headed the ball back halfway inside the Arsenal half. Kakeru chested the ball down before he was pressed by Sokratis.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa... to Kristiansen...
Kakeru passed the ball to Nikolaj, who also found himself under pressure from Arsenal players. Having noticed that Sokratis walked a few yards back to defend a high line and thus left Kakeru on his own, the Dane passed the back towards Kakeru.
Martin Tyler: Back to Aizawa again...
When Kakeru received the ball, he was adjusting his body to initiate a run forward. But at that precise moment, Ryoma arrived from behind to tackle the ball away. However, Kakeru was caught as well, much to the displeasure of several Manchester United supporters. The referee immediately called the foul.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Caught by Oda.
"NO! I had the ball!" Ryoma pleaded his case to the referee.
Angry by the sight of their ace forward getting caught by a nasty tackle, a number of Manchester United players surrounded the referee. Some of the Red Devils wanted a piece of Ryoma, but they were held back by their German captain. A few Arsenal players arrived to protect their own midfielder as well.
"Oda, you dirty creep!" Nana shouted.
"You stinking piece of trash!" Nikolaj added to the accusations.
"Mind your own business! I did nothing wrong." Ryoma retorted
"Calm down! Calm down!" Matthias ordered his teammates before he turned towards the referee to plead as the captain. "He has to get a card, ref!"
"Please stay back. I'll take care of it." the referee replied to Matthias before he turned towards Ryoma. "Come here, Ryoma. I thought I was clear earlier."
"Come on, ref. I got the ball." Ryoma said.
"I'm not having it. You showed your studs with the tackle, and it was reckless. You're in the book."
The referee produced a yellow card against Ryoma, which was followed by jeers from the vast majority in the crowd.
Martin Tyler: And Ryoma Oda has been given the first yellow card of the match.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Take that card, you filthy animal!" Noriko shouted.
"About time he got something!" Sarah said.
"Aye. There are still 60 minutes left to play, and he can't afford doing anything reckless now." Noriko replied.
"We need to take full advantage of that now." Robert finished.
On the ensuing free kick, Nana was designated to take the shot. However, the location and the distance didn't allow for a direct shot. Nevertheless, the Red Devils already had a strategy.
Martin Tyler: Mishima will take the free kick.
PEEP!
All of the Arsenal players expected a long ball to be whipped inside the penalty area, but Nana proceeded by rolling the pass inside the penalty area and towards Nikolaj.
Martin Tyler: Played short for Kristiansen...
Showing his back to the goal as he received the pass, Nikolaj tried to escape from his marker by running inside the Arsenal penalty area.
"Nicky!" Nana shouted for a pass.
In response, Nikolaj made a back pass towards Nana while luring 2 Arsenal players at the same time. Nana arrived in a position to receive the pass just outside the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Back to Mishima...
Nana immediately struck the ball first time. Her shot appeared to be about to miss the target, but it was a shot-pass that went purposefully away from everyone inside the penalty area except for Yusuke. Left unmarked for a moment, Yusuke took the shot immediately.
Martin Tyler: It comes to Saeki!
Unfortunately, Yusuke's strike rolled just wide to the post. The majority inside Old Trafford thought that Yusuke would score, but it did not happen.
Martin Tyler: The shot goes wide! It will be a goal kick.
"Damn it!" Yusuke cursed.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Should have scored. Come on!" Noriko said out loud, hands on her face.
"Did Nana miss her shot or did she do that on purpose?" Sarah asked.
"I think it was on purpose. She would have blasted that ahead if she wanted to, but she definitely saw Yusuke on the side." Robert replied.
"In any case, we were unlucky." Harry finished.
Following Yusuke's miss, Arsenal attempted to tighten their defensive game. The Gunners were looking to absorb the Manchester United attacks as much as possible, but they were also looking to strike on the counterattack. Unlike previous seasons, the visitors had the right tools to strike back at an opponent on the counterattack, even if the action was going back and forth.
In the 34th minute:
Martin Tyler: Monreal... Kolašinac...
Attempting to get away from their own half, the Arsenal players were under strong pressure from the Manchester United players. Just as Kolašinac received the ball, he was taken down legally by a tackle from Francisco.
Martin Tyler: Kolašinac has lost the ball to Serrano. Now it's Oda...
Fortunately for Arsenal, the loose ball was recovered in midfield by Ryoma. The Arsenal midfielder passed the ball ahead and towards Araki. Inside the center circle, Araki started dashing forward with the ball to lead the counterattack.
Martin Tyler: Araki leads the counterattack...
Araki ran forward in full pace despite Yusuke's attempt to catch up with him. Then the former Enoshima High School maestro launched a through pass intended for Patrick.
Martin Tyler: He has support ahead of him. Jenpa...
When Patrick received the pass, he was already inside the Manchester United area and onside. Jan rushed forward to stop any direct shooting attempt while Matthias was almost catching up Patrick. And suddenly, Patrick made a 90-degree turn to his left to eliminate both Jan and Matthias out of the equation. However, Patrick went down on the grass when he appeared to be touched by the Manchester goalkeeper.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: He goes down...
The referee blew his whistle. Anxiety had gripped the vast majority inside Old Trafford for a second; everyone thought a penalty kick would be given. However, the referee pointed towards the Arsenal half instead of the penalty spot, much to relief of the home crowd. In the end, a dive was called against Patrick.
Martin Tyler: It's a foul called against Jenpa...
"WHAT? NO!" Patrick shouted. He couldn't believe the decision.
"You ****ing cheater! You're pathetic!" Jan came straight into Patrick's face to give his 2 cents. It was almost a clash of heads as both players were barely separated by a few inches.
"Calm down, Wolf. Calm down." Matthias said as he stood in to separate both Patrick and Jan.
The referee intervened as well to calm things down.
"Calm it down, Jan." the referee said.
"I saw it all. Disgraceful dive all day long." Jan told the referee.
When the referee was done pushing Jan further away from the point of infringement, he immediately turned his attention back towards Patrick.
"He touched me, ref. That's a penalty." Patrick pleaded.
"I saw what Farkas did, and he never made enough contact to warrant a penalty. You went into him, and then you went down too easily on the slightest touch. That's why you're booked." the referee said before he produced a yellow card, much to the relief and joy of the 71,000+ Manchester United fans inside the stadium.
Martin Tyler: The referee gives Jenpa a yellow card for diving.
Gary Neville: Everything went really fast from our position here. I first thought there could have been a penalty, but I think the referee got it right in the end. That's a great pass from Araki to Jenpa. Then Jenpa changes direction to try moving away from Farkas and Köhler together. There was a very slight touch between Farkas' left foot and Jenpa's right leg, but Jenpa throws himself down too easily. It's a good decision by the referee.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal already have 2 yellow cards. Incidentally, they belong to 2 of the players who have been greatly responsible for this spectacular turnaround since September. With still an hour left to play, you have to wonder if there is going to be another twist in the summit meeting.
"C'est de la foutaise! (That's bullshit!)" Patrick uttered out loud for himself.
"Good lesson for you. I hate cheats." Yusuke chirped.
"Look at the scoreboard. That's all you need to know, Saeki." Patrick chirped back.
"We're not done yet. Plenty of time to go." Yusuke finished.
Unlike what Arsenal expected, momentum still remained with Manchester United after that close call. The Red Devils continued to apply a take-no-prisoners approach United against their rivals. The purpose of playing so aggressively was to wear down the opposition. However, no one expected that a random and yet tough 1v1 contest would bear a great incidence upon the history of the match.
In the 38th minute:
Martin Tyler: Shaw... Mishima... Saeki...
Maintaining a presence inside the Arsenal half, United were cycling the ball around. Shawzy passed the ball to Nana, who was cycling from an advanced position to a deeper position. Then Nana continued her circle-like run for a few yards before she passed the ball towards Yusuke. The former Kamakura High School midfielder quickly found himself face-to-face with Araki.
"Come on, Saeki." Araki said.
Yusuke feinted going on one side and then on the other before he surprised Araki with a nutmeg of a pass towards Nana's run.
Martin Tyler: Back to Mishima again. She's got a chance to shoot here...
Nana ran with the ball until she was within 25 yards from goal to take the shot. Unfortunately for her, her shot was blocked by Ryoma. Then the rebound bounced back off Nana before Laurent Koscielny regained control of the ball.
Martin Tyler: It's blocked by Oda… Now Koscielny... to Oda...
Laurent Koscielny made a short pass forward to Ryoma, who then ran a few yards before he chose to pass the ball to Araki.
Martin Tyler: Araki... Saeki in the way...
Instead of stopping before attempting a sophisticated feint against Yusuke, Araki chose to move forward quickly with a ball chop feint. Araki appeared to have gone past Yusuke, but the latter was still following him very closely on the run. Araki and Yusuke ran after the same ball for a few seconds, shoulder to shoulder in this 1v1. For a split second, Araki appeared to gain the position ahead of Yusuke on the run. However, both players suddenly got their legs tangled up with each other before they both spun around and fell onto the ground.
PEEEP!
Martin Tyler: Both players go down. Saeki will get the foul because he hauled Araki down from behind, and...
Yusuke had no problem getting up after the recent challenge, but Araki was down on the grass holding his left knee. Araki was clearly injured. Everyone on the pitch was concerned about Araki's situation as he didn't move at all after he got tangled up.
Martin Tyler: Ryuichi Araki is hurt! It doesn't look good for him.
Araki didn't move his legs, but he tapped on the ground to indicate a very painful injury. Meanwhile, the referee came to address Yusuke's involvement in that incident.
"Getting tangled up with a player from behind is dangerous even though accidental. You're in the book, Yusuke." the referee said before he produced a yellow card against Yusuke, who was as concerned as everybody else.
The Arsenal team doctor and the Arsenal physio assessed Araki's injury. It was serious enough that the Arsenal doctor indicated to the bench that a substitution was required to replace the injured player.
Martin Tyler: Saeki gets the first yellow card against Manchester United, but it looks like this is the end for Ryuichi Araki.
Gary Neville: Saeki made the foul, but there was no malice in that. It is one a coming together that went horribly wrong. Both players want after the same ball. Both players get tangled up...
Martin Tyler: Ohh, he twisted his left leg... around the knee.
Gary Neville: You can see that his left leg gets tangled up underneath Saeki after both players went down. It looks really bad indeed.
Yusuke and Kakeru then walked towards Araki to attend him.
"I'm sorry that it went wrong for you." Yusuke said.
"We fought for the same ball. It happens." Araki replied.
"Stay strong, Araki." Kakeru said.
After a moment, Araki managed to stand up and move forward under a respectful applause from the crowd. He was limping noticeably to avoid putting too much weight on the left leg, but he managed to get on his way towards the players' tunnel without assistance.
Martin Tyler: Well, the good news for Arsenal is that Araki is able to move on his own towards the tunnel. After you see a leg bending like that, you're worried that it could be a lot worse. We don't know the severity of the injury yet, but it's a good sign that he was able to get up and leave the pitch on his own.
After Araki walked off the pitch, the Arsenal manager ordered his German midfielder, Mesut Özil, to replace the injured playmaker.
Alan Keegan: Substitution for Arsenal: Replacing number 22, Ryuichi Araki... Number 10, Mesut Özil.
Despite the fact that Özil didn't exactly have the same kind of impact Araki has on the Arsenal team, the tactical setup remained the same. Nevertheless, United kept pushing hard with hopes of scoring a 2nd goal before halftime. But in the process, another moment of controversy was about to cast a shadow upon the match.
In the 40th minute:
Martin Tyler: Saeki comes in. Now Kristiansen... has to shake Maitland-Niles off.
Controlling the ball inside the Arsenal half, Yusuke easily shook Mesut Özil off before he passed the ball to Nikolaj. The Danish midfield was quickly confronted by Ainsley Maitland-Niles. With no direct path ahead, the Dane chose to make a 90-degree turn to his right before he moved with the ball. Then Nikolaj passed the ball forward to Nana, who then completed the give-and-go with Nikolaj.
Martin Tyler: A give-and-go with Mishima.
When Nikolaj received Nana's return pass, the Dane immediately launched a long ball ahead. It was destined to go into Kakeru's run on the left wing.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa's onside...
Kakeru was running on the outside of Sokratis when he received the ball, and it appeared that he didn't have much space left to do anything. However, Kakeru suddenly surprised Sokratis with a burst of speed while he was also curving his run to his right and towards the inside of the Arsenal penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Taking on Sokratis, he's in...
Sokratis desperately tried to catch Kakeru up by reaching him with an arm before the Greek defender lost his balance. But on the second attempt to impede, Sokratis, then off balance, had his right hand on Kakeru's hip. In the following split second, Kakeru also lost his balance inside the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa goes down...
Everyone inside Old Trafford shouted in expectation of a penalty kick, but the referee pointed a goal kick instead.
"HEEEEYY!!! PENO!! THAT'S A PENO!!!" Kakeru shouted out loud before he threw a fist forward in dejection when he saw the referee's decision. "BOLLOCKS!!!"
Martin Tyler: The referee gives a goal kick. Aizawa is furious, and so are Manchester United!
The Arsenal players only waved their hands to claim innocence and nothing more. However, it didn't take long for several Manchester United players to hound the referee, who kept on shaking his head negatively. The players in red expressed their utter displeasure, which was echoed by thousands of groans inside Old Trafford. Once again, we have to remember that the VAR is not available yet in the Premier League at that time.
"There's no foul. Goal kick." the referee repeated his decision.
"How is that not a foul?!" Nana asked, pointing at the point of infringement
"Are you kidding all of us?" Marius also asked. "He took him down!"
"What? What? That's penalty all day. You know it!" Nikolaj added.
"Sokratis took him down! Ridiculous!" Yusuke angrily made the case.
Matthias quickly intervene to push his teammates away in order to inquire about the referee's reasons.
"Go away! Go away!" Matthias ordered his teammates before he asked the referee. "Why would Kakeru go down like this if he wasn't touched? Come on!"
"I didn't see enough to give a penalty there, and Aizawa didn't dive at all. I say it's accidental." the referee replied to Matthias' inquiry.
"That is a huge mistake. You will think the same when you see that again, I promise."
Gary Neville: My first reaction was "penalty", and Kakeru Aizawa is not the kind of player who goes diving for the sake of drawing a foul. The play starts with some passes in midfield. Then Kristiansen was the one who made that pass towards Aizawa. Sokratis was in a good position, but Aizawa went around him with speed to enter the penalty area and...
The TV replay then showed in super slow-motion that Sokratis grabbed Kakeru on the hip when the former fell down on the grass, which also resulted on Kakeru falling down.
Gary Neville: Oooohhh... Dear, oh dear. Aizawa may well have a point. He was going to beat Sokratis for pace, and he had a chance to get his head up and cross the ball. There's the grab by Sokratis. I think Arsenal are very lucky to get away with that.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal will feel that the referee gave them a favour with the decision. Manchester United must be feeling undone by the referee.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"THAT SHOULD BE A PENO! WAKE UP, REF!!" Noriko shouted.
"EVEN A BLIND MAN COULD HAVE SEEN THAT, REF! THAT'S RIDICULOUS!!" Robert added to the shouts.
"That was absolutely bobbins (rubbish)!" Harry remarked in good Mancunian English.
"How could he miss that?" Sarah asked. "It was blatant even from here."
"And knowing Kakeru, he would not have gone down so easily unless he was genuinely impeded. We have seen him fight his way through to earn a penalty against Liverpool in the Cup." Noriko replied.
"Typical Arsenal getting away with it." Robert finished.
It wasn't very long that the home supporters' anger triggered a chant that was often used to mock Arsenal at the highest point of the old rivalry. Noriko and her relatives joined their own voices to the thousands inside Old Trafford.
"SAME OLD ARSENAL, ALWAYS CHEATING! SAME OLD ARSENAL, ALWAYS CHEATING!"
The 3,000 Arsenal fans responded with some vocal banter of their own, but their voices were buried by the noise coming from the Old Trafford faithful. At the same time, Manchester United supporters, players, and coaches alike continued expressing their displeasure towards the referees, but the officials stood by their decision. Nevertheless, the Manchester United players came back shortly later with a corner kick.
In the 43rd minute:
Martin Tyler: Shaw will take this corner kick.
Following the referee's signal, Shawzy unleashed the ball towards the pack of attacking red shirts, but the long aerial ball was deflected away by Patrick.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa heads it away. Saeki misses his kick...
Yusuke was in position to hit the ball from just outside of the penalty area, but he missed the ball. He then turned to run after it.
"I have it!" Nana shouted.
"OK!" Yusuke replied. He understood what was going to happen, thus he moved out of the way for Nana to unleash another long-range shot.
Martin Tyler: MISHIMAAA!
Instead of using finesse, Nana went for full power by striking her shot hard and low. Despite the presence of several Arsenal players, the ball flew by and between a few pairs of legs. At the very last second, Bernd Leno jumped to his right. The Arsenal goalkeeper prevented the shot from hitting the low bottom corner of the goal by reaching just enough of the ball, much to the disbelief of the 71,000+ United supporters in the stadium. The play was stopped as the ball bounced out of play through the sideline.
Martin Tyler: Fantastic save by Leno!
'Damn! I was sure that was the one.' Nana thought.
"Good shot, Witch!" Nikolaj cheered Nana up.
"We will get them next time." Matthias added.
Meanwhile, Kakeru and Yusuke also raised thumbs-up signs to praise the last effort.
That last attempt proved to be the last scoring chance for either side in the first half. When the halftime whistle was blown, it was still: Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal. Although Arsenal players and supporters were quite happy with the result so far, they knew that the mission was far from being accomplished. As for the Manchester United players and supporters, they knew that the last 20 or 25 minutes of the first half were something that could be used as a building block for the second half.
In the Manchester United dressing room:
"Everyone, stick with it! Let's be relentless." Matthias spoke first as the captain, reminding his teammates of the task at hand.
Then Kakeru and Nana took a moment to speak to Yusuke.
"You OK, Yusuke?" Kakeru asked.
"It was the first time that I have injured another player because of my actions. On top of that, it was on someone I know well." Yusuke replied.
"I know how you feel right now; I have been there before. But still, I'm sure Araki expects you to keep playing hard as a proud athlete regardless of the accident."
"Yeah, you're right, Kakeru."
"Just make sure that you keep that high level of intensity in your game for the next 45 minutes. We will need you at your very best." Nana added.
"I will. I just needed a little time out to get over it." Yusuke replied before Kakeru gave him a tap on the shoulder.
"It's unfortunate that Araki has been injured, but we can now focus everything on Oda." Nana said to Kakeru.
"Yeah. He's the one we should get now." Kakeru replied.
Then Andrew Butler stepped in the dressing room, which got his players seating down on their respective seats. It was time for the so-needed halftime speech.
"Listen, everyone. We are one goal away of tying this one up. Don't get too pissed off. Just keep going like in the last 20 minutes. Second half... stay aggressive on the player with the ball, keep pressing them hard, hit them quick and fast. We trail by one goal, but it's not the end of the world. Adversity reveals character. We play the second half as if it is still 0-0. Let's play for the ****ing next goal, and then we'll think about the one after. One goal at the time, and that's how we win matches. Show them just that. All right, let's go!" Andrew said.
The Manchester United players responded with a good hand of applause and some cheers.
Meanwhile in the Arsenal dressing room:
"Just keep working here. We have the lead, but we took the foot off the pedal for the last 20 minutes. We need to keep playing, but we also need to stay disciplined. Let's go get the next goal; that is going to be your mindset! Do not ****ing sit back! Be clever and intense! Let's go!" the Arsenal manager said.
The Arsenal players responded with the same enthusiasm as their opponents did for their own manager's speech. The Gunners were also determined to get out of Old Trafford with all 3 points.
"Let's do this, lads!" Laurent Koscielny shouted.
"Let's waste them!" Ryoma added.
Back in the Manchester United dressing room:
After the manager's speech, A few players started talking among themselves to discuss about what will have to be done in the second half.
"The Arsenal players will definitely try to push hard against us. We better be ready." Nana said.
"Let them try. I'll rip the first scumbag who comes in my way into shreds." Nikolaj replied.
"Don't waste your time." Kakeru replied. "Araki is out, so Oda is the guy to put pressure on."
"Everything starts with Oda. He's the leader at the heart of their setup, but he's also on a yellow. Özil is a lazy coward while Xhaka is not the type to lead a midfield. Mess with Oda, and their midfield will collapse." Nana added.
"Got it. I'll have a run at him and then stick with him when I can." Nikolaj added.
"Alright, Nicky. Let's go beat those suckers." Marius said.
Soon after, Matthias stood up to galvanize his teammates one last time before they would walk back out: "It's just one goal between them and us. We keep pushing them hard in the second half right from the start. If we keep playing like we can, we will get the result. YEAH? LET'S DO THIS!"
"YEEEAAH!!!" the other Manchester United players replied in unison. A few seconds later, the bell rang to signal time for players to get back on the pitch.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"I hope that the halftime break won't kill too much of the momentum we have had since Kakeru scored. We looked like getting somewhere." Noriko said.
"I know. The most important thing for our boys is to come out with all guns blazing before Arsenal can settle down defensively." Robert replied.
"It's a matter of who wants to win it the most now." Sarah said. "Knock on wood."
Then the Manchester United players arrived on the pitch first under the cheers of their supporters, who shouted "UNITED! UNITED! UNITED!" in full voice. A short moment later, the Arsenal players came on at a slower pace in an attempt to take some focus away from the home side, which got the home supporters booing at them.
Martin Tyler: Here we go with the second half with Arsenal still in front, but Manchester United looked to be on the front foot since Kakeru Aizawa has cut the deficit in half. Is there another twist to the summit meeting for the next 45 minutes? We are about to find out.
When both teams got set into restarting positions, the referee blew his whistle ordering the Manchester United players to kick the second half off.
PEEEEP!
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