After the second half resumed, New Manchester United completely overwhelmed Brighton in terms of momentum.
The presence shown by the players on the pitch, combined with the pressure created by the supporters in the stands, allowed New Manchester United to completely suppress Brighton.
However, after gaining the upper hand, New Manchester United's attacking play became somewhat chaotic. The players combined frequently on the pitch, but because Brighton had dropped so deep, New Manchester United had the advantage without being able to score.
Mourinho merely sneered when he saw this situation.
They already had a goal in hand. Even if the entire second half passed without another clear breakthrough, the final winner would still be New Manchester United.
Of course, he had no intention of settling for a 1-0 lead. He told Palacio and Wright-Phillips, who were sitting on the bench behind him, to warm up. He was waiting for the right moment to make his substitutions.
"We can see that after gaining control of the match, New Manchester United have lost the sharpness they showed in the first half. This is partly because of Brighton's compact defence, but also because New Manchester United lack ways to break down the situation on the pitch," Scarlett said, feeling that the match had become a little dull.
"That's right. Once they face a team defending this rigidly, New Manchester United clearly don't have many solutions.
"Kitson is a very good striker, but he is being tightly marked by the opposition. Brighton's strategy is obviously to first make sure they don't concede again, then look for chances to counterattack," Tyler added.
"Do you think this strategy is effective?" Scarlett asked.
Tyler smiled.
"So far, it is effective. You saw the momentum New Manchester United showed toward the end of the first half. If Brighton hadn't made adjustments immediately, this match might have turned into a heavy defeat.
"But after the halftime break, combined with Brighton deliberately dropping deeper, New Manchester United's attack immediately stalled."
"But even so, Brighton's counterattacks aren't working either.
"According to the data we have, after twenty minutes of the second half, New Manchester United's possession is seventy-nine percent, while Brighton have less than twenty-one percent.
"In terms of shots, New Manchester United have taken twelve, with three on target, while Brighton have not had a single shot. They have only entered New Manchester United's half once and failed to create any threat."
"That's right. The data truly reflects the situation on the pitch, but you should also see why New Manchester United's shooting efficiency has suddenly dropped so much.
"It's because Brighton's penalty area is packed with players, forcing New Manchester United to frequently rely on long-range shots to create danger. That naturally lowers shooting efficiency and leaves them dominating without scoring."
"So, will the match continue like this?"
Tyler shook his head with a smile.
"No. With a goal in hand, Brighton won't be content with losing. They will want to counterattack, while New Manchester United will want to extend their lead and secure the victory.
"Although both sides are playing rather cautiously, they both want to score. So there will definitely be a turning point in this match."
No sooner had he finished speaking than New Manchester United made their substitutions.
Mourinho replaced Kitson with Palacio and Malouda with Wright-Phillips, making two changes at once. This clearly showed Mourinho's intention to change the situation.
"But this is a little difficult to understand. Kitson is New Manchester United's center-forward and can still play a role in the penalty area.
"By bringing on Palacio, can he really compete with Brighton's tall defenders?" Tyler questioned Mourinho's substitutions.
In fact, most supporters were also puzzled by Kitson being taken off, because he had performed very well in this match.
Although he had not scored, he had still served as a focal point inside the opposition penalty area.
So what exactly were New Manchester United planning by taking him off?
The answer quickly appeared.
In the twenty-eighth minute of the second half, Hleb received the ball on the right wing, cleverly evaded an opposing defender, cut into the penalty area, and passed it back to Palacio, who had dropped off to receive.
Palacio immediately played a through ball, and Hleb appeared perfectly in that space.
However, Hleb's shot was blocked by an opposition center-back.
"Beautiful! That was a beautiful close combination.
"New Manchester United actually have players with such excellent technique in tight spaces," even the experienced Tyler could not help praising the link-up between Palacio and Hleb.
Soon after, Palacio moved to the left and played a one-two with Wright-Phillips, whose technique was also excellent.
Wright-Phillips drove toward the byline along the edge of the penalty area, then cut the ball back.
De Rossi, arriving late, struck before the opposition defender could close him down, but Brighton's goalkeeper saved it for a corner.
"We can see that after Palacio came on, New Manchester United began abandoning their previous direct attacking style and started looking for combinations in tight spaces.
"This must have greatly surprised Brighton, especially Palacio. His kind of technique is rarely seen in the English lower leagues.
"He reminds me of Juninho Paulista from Middlesbrough, who was also a player with particularly excellent close-control skills."
Most people believed that crosses from wide areas and long-range shots were effective tools for breaking down compact defences.
But in reality, individual dribbling and combinations in tight spaces could be even more effective, because the opponent did not dare to foul easily, especially when they were being pressed near the penalty area.
Of course, the prerequisite was having players with outstanding technique in tight spaces.
"He's from Argentina, Martin.
"It's said that he previously played for an amateur club in Argentina, has Spanish nationality, and was brought to England by New Manchester United.
"However, his physique is quite slight, so this season he has mostly appeared as a substitute. He has only started two matches so far but has come off the bench eight times, scoring two goals and providing three assists," Scarlett introduced Palacio.
Tyler nodded.
"His physique does make it difficult for him to adapt to English football, but his combination play with teammates is very good, especially in short passing and receiving.
"It's quick and precise. Brighton simply can't defend against it!"
Juninho Pernambucano walked to the corner flag and placed the ball.
After Terry also came up from the back, Juninho immediately took the corner.
Terry did win the first header, but he headed the ball over the bar.
Just then, the referee suddenly blew his whistle.
"Oh, let's see. Just now, during the corner, there seems to have been a clash between players from New Manchester United and Brighton outside the penalty area.
"The camera has switched, and we can see Curtis arguing with the opposition's tall center-forward. Oh dear, what exactly happened?" Tyler sounded a little surprised.
Soon, another replay appeared.
"It turns out that just as Terry headed the ball out of play, Curtis and the opposing center-forward had a bit of an argument, and the opponent spat on his chest!" Tyler said in surprise.
The broadcast then cut back to the pitch, where Curtis, being held back by his teammates and the referee, was still trying furiously to rush over and give the opponent a beating.
New Manchester United's players surrounded the referee, demanding justice.
The referee stopped the opposing tall center-forward, showed him a yellow card, and gave him another stern warning.
But from a distance, Curtis suddenly broke free from his teammates and rushed forward, ready to punch him.
Fortunately, Juninho saw it and immediately dragged him to the ground.
Even then, Curtis was still like an enraged lion, struggling to get up.
The opposing center-forward seemed a little frightened and retreated as he stepped backward.
Curtis stood up and pointed at Brighton's tall center-forward, his angry expression seeming to say, "Watch yourself. I've got my eye on you!"
The television camera focused on the Brighton striker's face.
There was fear in his expression. Clearly, after calming down, he remembered the terrible state of his teammate earlier and began to regret his actions.
On the touchline, Mourinho groaned inwardly when he saw Curtis lose control.
The boy had indeed played exceptionally well in this match, even beyond expectations, but he already had a yellow card.
If he received another yellow card because he could not keep his composure, he would be sent off, and the match would become difficult.
Villas-Boas, who was behind him, walked over at that moment, came to Mourinho's side, and whispered in his ear, "The stands!"
Mourinho immediately looked up toward the stands, somewhat puzzled, but then a flash of understanding crossed his mind. He immediately shouted toward the pitch.
"Hey, Curtis! Do you remember who's in the stands?"
Mourinho's sudden shout left the players on both teams somewhat confused, except for Curtis.
He immediately remembered his parents, who had rushed overnight from London just to watch his match.
If he failed to calm down and was sent off, they would definitely be very disappointed.
At that moment, Mourinho slapped his own forehead hard, then pointed toward Brighton's goal.
The meaning was obvious. Score. Answer their insult with a goal.
Curtis nodded heavily, slowly walked back, and came to Terry's side.
"John, if we get another corner later, you have to let me go up!"
Terry, who was older than Curtis, smiled and nodded.
He would not fight him for such an opportunity.
In fact, Curtis quickly got a chance to enter the opposition penalty area.
Coincidentally, the player marking him this time was the opposing center-forward.
Curtis stared at the tall Brighton striker with clear hostility and smiled, making the opponent's heart pound.
The striker kept feeling that Curtis might punch him at any moment, and his attention became slightly distracted.
Just then, Juninho's corner landed perfectly on Curtis's head.
Curtis leaped high, while Brighton's tall center-forward did not even jump.
He merely looked up and watched Curtis powerfully head the ball into Brighton's goal.
2-0!
Seeing Curtis score, Mourinho was slightly surprised.
After a moment, he shook his head and laughed.
"That unbelievably lucky little rascal!"
He felt both affection and frustration.
He looked toward Villas-Boas inquiringly, and Villas-Boas shrugged before pointing to the stands.
This time, Mourinho quickly understood what he meant.
Villas-Boas was saying that it was Ethan, sitting in the stands, who had reminded him. He had also known that Curtis's parents had come to the stadium and were sitting beside Ethan.
Mourinho looked up toward the stands and smiled.
He felt that his boss truly understood his players.
After taking a two-goal lead, New Manchester United once again launched fierce attacks against Brighton's defence.
Curtis, in particular, became even more active in the final ten minutes, frequently pushing forward and creating a significant threat to Brighton's back line.
Finally, in the eighty-ninth minute, New Manchester United's De Rossi scored with a long-range shot from outside the penalty area, driving the ball into Brighton's goal.
3-0!
New Manchester United had defeated their toughest opponent of the season.
(To be continued.)