"Damn it, this is definitely a fix, definitely! Definitely!"
Even after returning to the Newton Heath training base, Ethan was still shouting in an almost roaring tone.
Walsh, Mark David, Mourinho, Cassell, and the others who followed Ethan inside all looked helpless. They were clearly also unable to understand the result of that match far away in southern England. A world-class goal scored in the very last moment of stoppage time?
If that was luck, then Brighton really should go and buy a lottery ticket, because their luck was simply too good!
"Ethan, there were FA supervisors at the match!" Walsh cautiously reminded his boss.
Although they were in their own place, it was better to say less about such things.
"So what? Just because there were supervisors doesn't mean it wasn't a fix, does it?" Ethan was still a little upset and retorted.
Walsh was speechless. He shrugged and shook his head helplessly.
He was also in a bad mood. He had just thought that New Manchester United would climb to the top of the league, but who knew that, in the end, it was all for nothing. That feeling was truly frustrating!
"It's all right. Brighton beat Cardiff, and we beat Blackpool. This way, our points gap with Cardiff has widened to three points, and Blackpool are also five points behind us. So, as long as we defeat Cardiff at home, the match against Brighton will become the League Two title decider this season!" Mourinho analyzed, clearly very confident.
He was increasingly satisfied with the team's performance, especially with how the team's understanding and execution of his tactics were constantly improving. This allowed the players not only to play fast-paced, exhilarating football, but also to consistently overwhelm their opponents in terms of momentum.
This kind of double blow was often very tormenting. If you did not believe it, just look at the Blackpool players. When they left City Ground, they all looked dispirited and exhausted, precisely because they had endured ninety minutes of torment.
Mourinho's demands on the team were simple. Whether in attack or defence, they had to control both the ball and space, and the team had to be able to switch reasonably between these two levels.
At present, the team still had some way to go before meeting his demands, but they were already doing very well.
"From what I see, in the next match, Blackpool against Brighton, Blackpool will probably have a hard time stopping Brighton," Cassell said with some concern.
Blackpool had been holding on by a thread before, but after this crushing defeat at City Ground, it would probably be difficult for them to continue. Moreover, in the next league round, their main left-back would be suspended, which was like a generous gift from New Manchester United to Brighton.
"Instead of relying on others, it's better to rely on ourselves. As long as we defeat every opponent in the upcoming fixtures, no matter how strong Brighton are, the title will still be ours!" Ethan gritted his teeth.
"The boss is right. We have to rely on ourselves. I am confident that we will not lose the upcoming matches!" Mourinho said fiercely.
...
In fact, Mourinho and his team did exactly that.
After dealing with Blackpool, New Manchester United won consecutive league matches, first defeating visiting Macclesfield 3-0 at home on February 20, then narrowly defeating Leyton Orient 3-2 away on February 24, as they were aiming for a play-off place, and then winning 2-1 away against Lincoln on February 27.
With a perfect record of five wins in February, New Manchester United maintained good pressure on Brighton.
However, Brighton were also very resilient. They also won their subsequent league matches. No matter how tough their opponents were or how great the difficulties they encountered, they were able to overcome them and secure three points, including against Blackpool, who fell at their hands.
Clearly, Brighton were also waiting for New Manchester United to make a mistake.
Because both teams were very tenacious and unwilling to make mistakes easily, the League Two title race this season became increasingly fierce. The suspense of who would win the final title attracted the attention of countless supporters, and Granada TV even decided to broadcast New Manchester United's upcoming matches live to show their interest.
And according to New Manchester United's ticket sales, tickets for the upcoming home matches were basically sold out, showing that supporters were very interested in these matches.
Not only was the title race heating up, but the competition for automatic promotion places was equally intense.
As outsiders said, after suffering heavy defeats at the hands of New Manchester United and Brighton, Blackpool had already lost their chance to contend for the league title. Currently, their best hope was the automatic promotion place for finishing third in the league. The match on March 24, the thirty-ninth round of the league, with Blackpool hosting Cardiff, was seen as crucial for Blackpool to secure third place.
And the schedule was undoubtedly favourable for Blackpool, because on March 17, Cardiff would visit City Ground to challenge New Manchester United. For New Manchester United, who aimed to win the title, Cardiff were undoubtedly an opponent they had to defeat, because only by defeating Cardiff could they continue to maintain pressure on Brighton.
Unlike Cardiff, who had to face New Manchester United, Blackpool's opponent was Barnet, who were already destined for relegation. This match posed almost no risk for them. They could completely sit at home, rest, and wait for Cardiff's arrival.
However, New Manchester United's schedule was also not easy. A home match against Cardiff on the 17th, and an away challenge against Brighton on the 24th. These were also two matches that would determine New Manchester United's league position.
Entering March, New Manchester United's form remained very stable. With a complete starting lineup, their performance was getting better and better. Especially on the pitch, their coordination became smoother, and the players' performances increasingly satisfied the supporters. This also attracted more and more supporters to flock into City Ground.
On March 3, after two narrow away victories, New Manchester United, playing at City Ground, thrashed visiting Hartlepool 5-0, avenging their early-season away defeat. This crushing loss also put Hartlepool in a disadvantageous position in the race for a play-off place, so after the match, the supporters who had followed Hartlepool threw countless objects from the away end and booed the home team for nearly ten minutes.
On March 10, New Manchester United travelled north to Carlisle, to Brunton Park, where they cleanly defeated Carlisle 2-0. This match, however, saw Carlisle, who had just climbed to twenty-first in the league, fall back into the relegation zone, now ranked twenty-third.
At Brunton Park, Carlisle supporters heavily booed New Manchester United, who were thanking their travelling supporters after the victory. But the visiting New Manchester United supporters were equally unwilling to back down and retaliated.
It was believed that if the police had not maintained order at the scene, there might have been another clash between the supporters, which was not what Ethan and the club wanted to see.
After returning home, Mourinho gave the team a day off to rest well, then began preparing for the upcoming thirty-eighth round of the league, which would be a crucial battle to determine New Manchester United's league position this season.
In the first meeting of this season, New Manchester United defeated Cardiff 3-2 away, but that match was not easy to win at all. At the same time, Cardiff's attacking ability made New Manchester United suffer throughout the match. It should be noted that their goal tally this season was second only to New Manchester United, and their main striker was currently the league's top scorer, having netted twenty-six goals in thirty-seven league matches.
Currently, New Manchester United's top scorer was Hleb, with fifteen goals. The other goals were distributed among the other players. Main striker Kitson had only scored fourteen goals, but he had seventeen assists.
However, unlike New Manchester United, who had conceded the fewest goals in the league, Cardiff's defence this season was not solid. Their goals conceded were the highest among the top six teams in the league, having let in a total of fifty-six goals in thirty-seven league matches.
It was precisely because he saw the opponent's defensive flaws, coupled with New Manchester United playing at home, that Mourinho fielded his strongest attacking lineup for this match.
Kitson played as the striker, Malouda and Hleb were on the left and right wings respectively, the midfield consisted of Alou Diarra, Juninho, and Poulsen, the defence from left to right was Evra, Terry, Curtis, and Bosingwa, and the goalkeeper was Almunia.
In this match, Mourinho demanded that both full-backs participate more in the attacking third, asking Alou Diarra and Poulsen to help cover and assist in defence, while also pushing the defensive line higher. The goal was to overwhelm Cardiff from the very beginning.
This was also New Manchester United's most favoured tactic.
As Martin Tyler said, under Mourinho's leadership, New Manchester United were very adept at attacking and suppressing opponents. Whether in terms of momentum or tactics, once New Manchester United took the initiative, they would not give the opponent a chance to turn things around.
Cardiff had also prepared thoroughly before the match. They knew that defending alone would not work, so they also adopted an attacking strategy for this game. From the very first minute of the match, they did not think about defending, but rather how to break through New Manchester United's goal in the shortest possible time.
Preferably, the kind that could pour three or four goals into the opponent's net in one go.
The two most offensively capable teams in League Two put on what Martin Tyler hailed as the best attacking battle of the season at City Ground. The entire ninety-minute match was played at an incredibly fast pace, so much so that supporters in attendance might only realize after the game, "Oh, ninety minutes have already passed."
Yet in their minds, they were still deeply immersed in the thrilling and exciting attacking battle they had just witnessed.
In this no-holds-barred attacking battle, the overall ability and balance of the team were tested most. In this regard, New Manchester United undoubtedly performed better than Cardiff. The central defence, composed of Terry and Curtis, played well in this match. Although the team conceded three goals, they did not make any major mistakes. Curtis even scored his fifth goal of the season.
The final result of the match was New Manchester United defeating visiting Cardiff 5-3.
However, after the match, New Manchester United received unfortunate news: Juninho would miss the match against Brighton due to accumulated yellow cards!
(To be continued.)