"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the City of Manchester Stadium, and I'm your commentator, Scarlett.
"For this match, we've specially invited renowned football commentator Martin Tyler to join us in enjoying this thrilling League Two clash!"
"Hello, everyone!" Tyler greeted the audience with a smile.
"This match has generated huge attention in Manchester, and many supporters even believe it may shape the direction of the entire League Two season. Martin, what are your thoughts on that?" Scarlett's live hosting was becoming increasingly polished.
"I completely agree.
"Although the season is still long, Brighton are first among my favourites for the title, followed by Cardiff.
"I originally thought it would be Hartlepool or Hull City, but I didn't expect Blackpool to be third at the moment, while those two teams have been somewhat disappointing."
"What about New Manchester United? What do you think of this team?" Scarlett asked with a smile.
Tyler chuckled.
"They are a very young team, both in terms of club history and the average age of their players.
"They're full of energy, but youth can also be dangerous, especially in this match.
"We all know that Sylvain Distin has just transferred to Newcastle, while Steinsson has gone to Birmingham. That immediately left an already injury-hit New Manchester United short of options.
"They've had to promote academy youngster Curtis Davies into the starting lineup."
"He's regarded by New Manchester United supporters as a future star. Are you not optimistic about him?"
"To be honest, I haven't followed his matches, so I don't know his exact situation.
"But I must say that in such a crucial match, suddenly starting a young player is a huge risk. It could even damage a young player's confidence, and perhaps even his future."
Scarlett agreed with Tyler.
"But there is no other option.
"New Manchester United couldn't keep hold of their players, while Abidal, Hangeland, and Gareth Turner are all injured.
"All I can say is that when it rains, it pours!"
"So I think this match is less about attack and more about defence.
"Everyone knows New Manchester United's attacking strength frightens every team in League Two. Their front three are terrifying.
"But whether their defence can withstand Brighton's relentless pressure will be the key to this match."
"Brighton must have realized that too.
"I even believe Brighton will take the initiative in this match. Even away against New Manchester United, they will play attacking football, with their primary goal being to break through New Manchester United's goal first."
Scarlett smiled.
"But supporters also say that since its founding, New Manchester United have only lost three home matches. Since moving into the City of Manchester Stadium, they have remained unbeaten at home.
"They seem to have a natural psychological advantage on this pitch!"
"That's impressive. Truly impressive, especially when you look at the atmosphere at New Manchester United's home matches.
"The supporters have almost filled the City of Manchester Stadium, and they can put immense pressure on the away team.
"But I still stand by my view. The key to this match lies in defence!"
After their prematch commentary, the two watched as the starting lineups gradually walked onto the pitch.
New Manchester United's formation for this match was still 4-3-3, while Brighton used a typical English 4-4-2, with their two forwards forming a target-man-and-runner partnership.
...
As the referee blew the whistle to start the match, Brighton, who kicked off first, immediately launched a fierce attack against New Manchester United's defence.
"We can see that New Manchester United's defensive line has dropped quite deep, and the three midfielders are also focusing more on protecting the defence.
"Mourinho clearly anticipated Brighton's attacking approach, so he chose to defend first and avoid their sharpest pressure!"
Curtis stood in the middle of the defensive line, nervously watching Brighton's number 11 forward in front of him.
His mind recalled the information the coaching staff had given him in the dressing room.
Fast, very agile, right-footed, poor on his left foot, a bit selfish.
Be careful when defending him. Don't let him build up speed, otherwise he'll be very difficult to contain.
This was the report submitted by assistant coach Villas-Boas, and Curtis had etched it deeply into his mind.
He clearly understood the importance of this match, so he did not want to lose, and he could not lose.
After several passes from Brighton's midfield, they seemed to find a gap in New Manchester United's defence and immediately passed the ball to their number 11 forward.
Curtis immediately closed him down, holding his position and preventing him from turning.
The opponent clearly thought Curtis was young and not strong enough, so he tried to use his body to push him aside.
However, Curtis stood like a wall. He did not move an inch. Instead, he knocked the opponent slightly off balance, almost making him lose the ball.
Left with no choice, the opponent could only pass back to a teammate in midfield, glancing at Curtis with a hint of resentment.
He had initially thought Curtis would be easy to target, but it turned out not to be the case.
After several passes in midfield, the ball quickly returned to the number 11.
Brighton had clearly identified Curtis as a target in this match and intended to attack his area relentlessly.
After receiving the ball, the number 11 passed it to a teammate before Curtis could close him down, then turned and sprinted forward.
His teammate immediately played a diagonal pass into the space behind Curtis, creating a neat one-two.
But just as the number 11 thought he had the advantage, Curtis suddenly turned from behind, accelerated, and slid in.
He cleanly won the ball and immediately passed it to Bosingwa on the right flank, who carried it forward and launched a counterattack.
"Not bad, kid!" the number 11 forward muttered unhappily as he passed Curtis.
Curtis ignored him and focused only on the attacking situation ahead.
New Manchester United's attack came suddenly, but Brighton's defence was solid, and they quickly dealt with the danger.
They then launched a long ball from the back, trying to find their number 9 target man.
Curtis looked at Terry, who immediately dropped deeper. Curtis then accelerated forward and anticipated the ball's landing point.
Before the opposing number 9 could reach it, Curtis jumped high and headed the long pass to Essien in front of him.
The supporters in the stadium immediately applauded Curtis for his two consecutive excellent defensive actions.
"Very composed, this young player.
"Pace, agility, jumping ability, heading, he is excellent in every aspect. What stands out most is his calm judgment.
"He doesn't look like a teenager under sixteen at all!" Tyler praised with a laugh.
"And I can see that his coordination with Terry is also very good.
"When Curtis stepped up to head the ball, Terry clearly dropped back. He was obviously prepared for the possibility that Curtis might miss it," Scarlett also said with a smile.
When New Manchester United performed well, she was happy too, though she had not even realized it herself.
"That should be part of the coach's prematch arrangement.
"Terry is calmer, while Curtis is younger and lacks experience.
"But judging from the first ten minutes, I have to admit that Curtis Davies' performance has been very eye-catching."
Mourinho stood on the touchline.
He could not hear Tyler's commentary, but he knew in his heart that Curtis was indeed playing at his best.
The question was how long he could maintain this form.
Young players were easily affected by emotion, which led to major fluctuations in performance.
However, New Manchester United currently had no veteran players in the defensive line.
When Schmeichel was there, he could remind Terry, but now that he was not on the pitch, they could only rely on themselves to perform carefully.
Juninho Pernambucano was the team captain, but he was in midfield and also New Manchester United's attacking focal point, so it was difficult for him to help organize the defence.
Tyler was right. The key to this match was defence.
Come on, you little rascal. You had better not disappoint us! Mourinho shouted in his heart.
...
"The match has been going on for twenty-five minutes, and the score is still 0-0.
"But we can see that the most eye-catching performer on the pitch is not New Manchester United's front three, nor Brighton's target-man-and-runner combination, but a teenager under sixteen.
"In just twenty-five minutes, he has repeatedly broken up Brighton's attacks and completely neutralized their two forwards.
"Let's remember his name together: Curtis Davies!"
No sooner had Scarlett finished speaking than another burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted, clearly audible even to viewers watching on television.
The cheers were obviously for Curtis, who had just made a brilliant tackle.
This teenager, who was not yet sixteen, had been almost perfect in this match.
Brighton's two forwards could not gain even the slightest advantage against him, and he had given Almunia, who was guarding the goal behind him, no chance to show off.
"Let's see. Curtis accelerates early and intercepts Brighton's pass to their number 11 forward.
"He looks up at his teammates. It seems he wants to pass!"
"Oh, not a pass!
"My goodness, he's actually dribbling forward himself!
"He's carrying the ball quickly into Brighton's half. This sudden move has completely disrupted Brighton's defensive shape.
"They never would have believed Curtis would dare to drive into their half by himself."
"Curtis passes the ball to Hleb, who has dropped back to receive it. Hleb then lays it off centrally to Juninho.
"Juninho controls the ball and immediately threads a pass in behind the opposition right-back!"
"Malouda! Malouda suddenly accelerates, receives the ball, and crosses!"
"Goal!" Scarlett shouted loudly.
"In the thirty-first minute of the first half, New Manchester United score the opening goal of the match!
"It's Kitson, the target man, who opens the scoring for New Manchester United. His close-range header leaves Brighton's goalkeeper with no chance!"
"That was a fantastic attack!" Tyler also sounded excited.
"We can see that from Curtis's sudden surge forward, to Hleb dropping back to receive the ball, then Juninho receiving it and playing the through pass in behind, everything looked planned.
"New Manchester United have clearly rehearsed this move!"
The supporters in the stadium did not care about anything else. They only knew that their team was leading.
So they sang and cheered, using their songs, shouts, applause, and voices to support the players fighting on the pitch.
They even began calling out names and praising the players one by one, especially the young talent Curtis, whose performance so far had been absolutely perfect.
Meanwhile, Brighton's manager angrily threw his arms up after Kitson's goal, looking as though he wanted to swallow someone whole.
By contrast, Mourinho, who stood nearby, smiled with a sly expression, clearly pleased that his sudden plan had succeeded.
As Martin Tyler had said, this was a planned move.
But it had also been a gamble, a gamble on whether Curtis could withstand the pressure.
Fortunately, he had done it.
(To be continued.)