Although his head was bandaged, Curtis did not think about his injury at all. Once he was back on the pitch, he still headed the ball when he had to and still fought for possession when he had to. His momentum was even fiercer than before, and he played with more determination.
The explosive and passionate Curtis clearly infected his teammates around him. The New Manchester United players united, breaking up Brighton's attacks outside the penalty area time and again, forcing Brighton to return empty-handed.
With only two minutes of stoppage time, the first half quickly ended.
As they left the pitch, the "Curtis Song" still echoed in the stands, a song specially made for Curtis by the supporters, lingering around Withdean Stadium.
...
"Well done, lads!"
In the dressing room, Mourinho was unstinting in his praise for his players, especially for Curtis, who was still receiving treatment from the team doctor. Mourinho suddenly realized what a wise decision it had been to appoint Curtis as captain.
"We completed our task very well in the first half. 0-1, we're leading, and we're at the top of the league table. Now, it's Brighton's turn to challenge us!" Mourinho smiled slyly.
This sent a shiver down the players' spines in the dressing room. Being an enemy of Mourinho was truly a dangerous thing.
"In the second half, we need to first solidify our defence and play on the counterattack!" Mourinho drew his second-half tactical arrangements on the tactics board.
"We're leading now, but there are still forty-five minutes left in the match. We can't be careless. In the next forty-five minutes, every single one of you needs to be fully focused. You need to forget who you are, forget everything about yourselves, and concentrate all your attention on the pitch. Can you do it?"
The players shouted in unison, "Yes!"
"Very good. In the second half, Peter needs to drop back deeper, and our defensive line needs to fall back. This will make the match very difficult, but Brighton will find it even harder than us. Our counterattacks will mainly rely on Wright-Phillips, Hleb, and Palacio. All three lines will advance together. As long as there is a chance to counterattack, you charge forward. Don't be afraid of losing the ball. If we lose it, we can win it back, but if we seize just one opportunity, Brighton are finished!"
Mourinho analyzed through gritted teeth, and the players listened intently.
Then, Mourinho arranged the team's defensive system for the second half, especially differentiating the positioning and controlled areas for each player, detailing how they should cooperate and assist in defence. It was so meticulous that the fifteen minutes quickly passed.
"All right, lads, you must always remember, we don't want 0-1, we want 0-2 or even 0-3. Don't be impatient. Occasionally look at the scoreboard, and you'll realize, ah, we're the ones leading, Brighton should be anxious. We must control the tempo and make them more anxious than us!"
After speaking, Mourinho looked at Curtis, whose head was thickly bandaged, and could not help but smile. "Captain, are you still good to go?"
The players heard this and immediately burst into laughter.
If anyone had previously objected to Mourinho appointing Curtis as captain, then after this first half, they had completely changed their minds. This was a player who could inspire his teammates, and he was also a product of the club's youth academy, a true Red Rebel.
He absolutely deserved to be captain!
"No problem, sir. I won't let Brighton score!" Curtis replied with high spirits.
Mourinho smiled and nodded, then called the players over to form a circle, put their hands together, and shout in unison, "One, two, three, Red Rebels!"
...
"We can see that after the half-time break, New Manchester United made no adjustments, but Brighton brought on a striker, replacing a winger. It looks like they're going to play 4-3-3. Clearly, being a goal down, they will play attacking football in the second half!" Scarlett explained as she saw both teams' players emerge.
"This is normal. New Manchester United are leading, and Brighton are eager to equalize. If I were Mourinho, I would have my team play defensive counterattacking football right now," Martin Tyler said with a chuckle.
And in fact, New Manchester United did have that intention.
When Brighton kicked off and launched wave after wave of attacks against New Manchester United's defence, New Manchester United appeared orderly. After their defensive line dropped back, the three lines became very compact, especially with the players working hard on the pitch.
Although Crouch was a striker, he frequently dropped back and actively participated in defence up front. While the effect was not especially obvious, it at least slowed down Brighton's attack. Palacio, Wright-Phillips, and Hleb, moreover, held their positions firmly and stubbornly joined in the defensive work.
Mourinho's defensive system placed more emphasis on occupying space, so he did not demand how deep players should drop back. As long as the players could hold their positions and firmly control the space in their own half, compressing Brighton's attacking space, this would effectively stifle Brighton's offence.
It was likely that at this point, Brighton's manager and players on the pitch would find that once they entered New Manchester United's half, they had only one impression. No matter which direction they moved the ball, they hit a wall everywhere, as if New Manchester United had built an impenetrable fortress in their own half, leaving Brighton no attacking gap.
On the contrary, New Manchester United's few counterattacks were quite effective, especially with Wright-Phillips, Hleb, and Palacio. They were all players with excellent speed and good technique. Once they seized a counterattacking opportunity, the three of them would shoot toward Brighton's defence like arrows. Several times they broke through, but they just could not convert the chances.
As time passed minute by minute, Brighton's attacks were contained by New Manchester United and failed to create any real threats. The players on the pitch also became increasingly anxious, and Brighton's manager made another substitution.
This time, he replaced a defensive midfielder with a technically skilled attacking midfielder, then pulled a defensively strong winger into midfield.
Mourinho, watching from the sidelines, also made a change. He brought on Poulsen for Crouch. The tall Englishman's performance in this match was satisfactory. Although he had not scored, he had played the role Mourinho wanted him to play, so he received unanimous cheers from the supporters when he came off.
After Poulsen came on, New Manchester United's tactics reverted to the team's usual 4-3-3, with Palacio pushed furthest forward.
And it was this substitution that completely sealed Brighton's fate!
In the seventy-ninth minute, Poulsen, who had only been on the pitch for a few minutes, made a beautiful tackle in his own half, passing to De Rossi, who immediately sent the ball to Hleb on the left wing.
Hleb dribbled down the left wing, combined beautifully with Palacio, and after breaking through the opponent's entire back line, cut into the penalty area from the corner.
At this moment, Brighton's manager must have been full of regret, because he had taken off a defensive midfielder. Otherwise, the gaps on the wings would not have been so large.
After Hleb cut into the penalty area, Wright-Phillips also quickly surged forward. Hleb crossed, and Wright-Phillips reached the ball before the opposing center-back. Just as he was about to shoot, he was tripped hard.
Penalty!
The referee unhesitatingly pointed to the penalty spot, then pulled out a yellow card for the opposing center-back.
"Penalty! This is an unquestionable penalty. Wright-Phillips, who won the penalty, is being put forward by his teammates to take it!"
"Goal! Wright-Phillips sends the ball into the bottom left corner, fooling the opposing goalkeeper. 0-2!" Scarlett sounded very excited, just as excited as the New Manchester United supporters in the stadium.
Martin Tyler, beside her, repeatedly praised it. "This is a crucial goal that will decide the outcome of this match. New Manchester United have undoubtedly secured victory early. Brighton have been completely outplayed by New Manchester United, both in terms of player performance on the pitch and team tactics!"
"However, we can still see that New Manchester United's manager, the young Portuguese Mourinho, is still on the sidelines, constantly signaling his players to stay calm and track back quickly. And we can see Alou Diarra warming up. He should be coming on for someone, but who will it be?"
"It's Wright-Phillips! Mourinho is replacing Wright-Phillips with Alou Diarra, using four defensive midfielders to strengthen control of the midfield. Clearly, he still doesn't feel secure with a 0-2 lead!"
Martin Tyler chuckled after hearing this. "He's an interesting character. He dared to make significant tactical changes in this match to gain the upper hand, but after taking the lead, he became conservative. Should we call him conservative or adventurous?"
Scarlett also smiled. "I think perhaps cunning could describe him."
"But seeing him with his hands in his pockets on the sidelines, I think he's already confident of victory in this match. Only those who are sure of victory are as relaxed as he is! This is Mourinho's season, New Manchester United's season. They have crushed all doubts, overcome the early-season slump, and ultimately walked toward glory. Their victory is well deserved!"
It was clear that Martin Tyler was becoming increasingly optimistic about New Manchester United and Mourinho, especially after seeing the team's strength and tactical level in the second half of the season, which were far superior to other teams in League Two. He became even more convinced that this team would also make an impact in League One next year.
"According to our pre-match statistics, after winning this game, New Manchester United's record against the top six teams in the league is eleven wins and one defeat in twelve matches. The loss to Hartlepool was early in the season, but after that, they have been almost unbeatable, even achieving home-and-away wins over Brighton, Cardiff, and Blackpool. Such a giant slayer winning the title is absolutely well deserved!" Scarlett said admiringly.
At this point, she felt that no amount of praise for New Manchester United was too much, because the team's performance was simply outstanding.
Winning promotion for three consecutive years was indeed not something unheard of in the lower leagues, but what was remarkable was that this team had only been founded three years ago.
"A hundred years ago, Liverpool were founded by Everton supporters, and they won their first top-flight league title nineteen years after their establishment. Today, the English league has evolved from two divisions to eleven levels, but New Manchester United have taken only three years to win a professional league title. We have reason to expect them to reach the Premier League and even win a Premier League title in the coming years," Scarlett said with anticipation.
"Perhaps this will set a new record, because compared with Liverpool, New Manchester United still have sixteen years. I'm very optimistic about them!" Martin Tyler said with a smile.
(To be continued.)
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