In the 67th minute, Pogba dribbled past Wijnaldum but was dispossessed by the covering Fabinho.
Frustrated, Pogba forcefully dragged Fabinho down.
Perhaps sensing the match was spiraling out of control, referee Atkinson changed his lenient officiating standards and issued a yellow card.
Naturally, the Manchester United players were displeased and surrounded the referee to protest.
Ling reached out to restrain his furious teammates, attempting to communicate with the referee in his capacity as captain.
But Atkinson remained unmoved.
"This is fucking frustrating!" Ling couldn't help but curse, then shouted to his teammates.
"Everyone, back to your positions!"
In the 73rd minute, Kovačić delivered a long pass from the right flank.
Ling forcefully collided with Lovren to contest the aerial ball, only to be cynically pulled down by Lovren grabbing his shoulder.
This time, Atkinson did not show bias and issued a yellow card to the Liverpool defender as well.
Peter Drury: "Before the free-kick can be taken, Liverpool make their adjustments. Trent Alexander-Arnold replaces Clyne, and Xherdan Shaqiri replaces Keïta. Has Klopp not given up on attacking? He's planning something big for the final stages!"
Jim Beglin: "Let's first look at Manchester United's free-kick. The distance is too close for a direct shot over the wall, and Liverpool will surely be prepared for the under-the-wall trick Jeremy used against Arsenal!"
Ling stood over the ball, faked the shot and ran over it.
Rashford stepped up and unleashed a vicious knuckleball!
Peter Drury: "Rashford strikes! Oh no, too much power! It's gone way over the bar!"
The mocking cheers at Anfield grew louder and louder. Liverpool fans could already see the dawn of victory!
Following the substitutions, Liverpool suddenly reverted to their earlier approach, launching a frenzied high press and not shying away from physical confrontations.
The sudden change in pace caught the Manchester United players off guard.
At a critical moment, Pogba held onto the ball for too long and was dispossessed by Wijnaldum, who immediately played a diagonal pass out to the wing.
Alexander-Arnold accelerated rapidly, sprinting down the touchline!
After nearly 80 minutes of play, Luke Shaw's stamina was already nearing its limit.
How could he keep up with the fresh legs of Arnold?
...
In the stands, Sir Alex Ferguson closed his eyes.
According to local legend, Arnold's grandmother was his first love, who later left him to marry someone in New York.
"Doreen, after all these years, I still can't escape your grasp," Ferguson muttered.
...
Amid the deafening cheers of the Liverpool fans, Arnold quickly closed in on the Manchester United penalty area.
He glanced up at the famous Liverpool attacking trident ahead and noticed they all seemed exhausted.
So, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He would become the hero of Anfield and score the decisive goal!
He accelerated again, cutting diagonally towards Maguire.
Clumsy and slow—these were the labels attached to this big-headed defender by the media.
Arnold intended to use his explosive speed to break through.
But he suddenly realized something. Maguire wasn't as weak as he'd imagined, especially in one-on-one defending.
He was rock-solid, almost impossibly steady. When Arnold tried to power past him on the outside, Maguire immediately applied brutal physical pressure.
Arnold felt as if he'd been rammed by an aircraft carrier, completely unable to maintain his balance.
He fell to the ground but managed to sweep a desperate shot toward the right side of the goal as he went down!
Peter Drury: "Arnold shoots! Brilliant from De Gea! A classic left-footed block from the Spaniard, sending the ball out for a corner! Liverpool's attack isn't over yet!"
Most of Liverpool's players flooded into the penalty area, but Van Dijk remained near the center circle, guarding against Manchester United's swift counterattack.
Arnold suddenly walked away from the corner arc toward the field, seemingly preparing to let someone else take the corner.
The exhausted Manchester United players momentarily relaxed their guard, but Ling immediately sensed something was off.
He remembered this trick.
Arnold had always been full of deception.
Ling shouted frantically toward the box, "Harry, TURN AROUND!!!"
Sure enough.
Arnold quickly dashed back to the corner arc and delivered a rapid, low cross toward the near post while the defense was sleeping!
Maguire turned around in alarm, hurriedly sticking tight to Firmino and heading the ball clear of the penalty area just in time!
Peter Drury: "Liverpool's sneak attack fails! But the pressing in the attacking third is intense! Matić wins it! He passes the ball just before being brought down by Fabinho! Kovačić!"
Jim Beglin: "Kovačić doesn't even control it—he switches play immediately!"
Peter Drury: "Beautiful vision! The ball lands perfectly at Jeremy Ling's feet!"
Without hesitation, Van Dijk immediately dropped back.
As Ling received the ball, he exploded forward with a terrifying burst of speed!
Peter Drury: "He flees, he pursues, he has no chance to escape! Under the gaze of the entire stadium, Ling drives forward! It is the unstoppable force against the immovable object!"
The distance between the two grew smaller and smaller.
Van Dijk kept his hands behind his back, his eyes locked dead on Ling's, applying immense pressure both physically and mentally!
No matter how dazzling your dribbling, how impeccable your passing, or how explosive your physicality, Van Dijk rarely engaged early.
He simply compressed the space for the opponent to advance with the ball, waiting for them to enter his exact interception range before making a precise tackle.
This was his unique defensive artistry!
Ling maintained precise footwork, constantly testing Van Dijk's balance.
He never underestimated any opponent, so before the match, he had studied Van Dijk meticulously, filling three whole pages of notes.
Van Dijk didn't maintain a constant distance from the ball carrier, instead, he retreated at a speed slightly slower than the carrier's advance, effectively compressing the space.
But if Ling could disrupt that equilibrium, throwing Van Dijk's retreating rhythm into disarray... then Van Dijk's defense would pose no threat.
However, it required absolutely perfect ball control combined with his explosive power to seize that fleeting microscopic opportunity!
So, Ling suddenly sprang into action!
His weight shifted dramatically from side to side, like an unstoppable pendulum, delivering an unprecedented visual impact.
Van Dijk couldn't discern Ling's exact intention to break through, but he adjusted his retreating speed to compress the space.
Left. Right. Left.
Simple movements paired with silky touches.
His running carried a unique, mesmerizing rhythm, perfectly blending speed and power reminiscent of the great Ronaldo Nazário.
Everyone in the stadium watched intently, holding their breath, afraid to miss what would happen next.
Van Dijk's rhythm grew increasingly disjointed, as if assimilated by Ling's hypnotic pendulum motion.
The next second, Ling exploded forward with a sudden burst of pure power, seizing the perfect moment!
Van Dijk's pupils contracted sharply as he swiftly extended his long right leg for the tackle.
His tackle was equally impeccable!
But a crisp sound echoed in his ears, instantly sending his mood plummeting to rock bottom.
He missed the ball.
'Could Ling really complete a second touch while sprinting at full speed?!'
Van Dijk suppressed the desperate urge to commit a foul.
Unlike Lovren's situation earlier, if he knocked Ling down here as the last man, he would undoubtedly receive a straight red card.
If he were sent off, Liverpool's defensive strength would be halved.
Who else could contain Ling then?
Van Dijk could only watch helplessly as Ling swept past him in a blur of red.
Huff—huff—huff!
Linggasped for breath like a bellows.
The explosive burst just now had placed an immense strain on his body, something even he found difficult to repeat consecutively.
But the effect was remarkable.
It had directly dismantled Liverpool's entire defensive system.
Now, only Alisson stood in his way—the opponent he had conquered in last season's Champions League Semi-final.
Alisson was panicking!
Back in his Roma days, he had nearly been turned into a sieve by Ling's shots. He had thought that moving to Liverpool, with stronger defenders in front of him, would make things better.
Who would have thought even the great Virgil van Dijk couldn't stop him?!
His Adam's apple bobbed incessantly as he stared intently at Ling's right foot.
Liverpool fans in the stands clasped their hands together, praying for Lady Luck to favor them once more.
After quickly adjusting his shooting stride, Ling made a simple change of rhythm, tricking Alisson into shifting his weight to the right, before opening his body and curling a shot with his left foot toward the far left side of the goal.
Thwack!
The ball flew and dropped with the crisp sound of contact, soaring beautifully into Liverpool's net.
Peter Drury: "LING!!! HE'S LEFT VAN DIJK FOR DEAD! HE OPENS HIS BODY... AND HE SCORES!!! A STROKE OF ABSOLUTE GENIUS!"
Jim Beglin: "In the 78th minute, Manchester United equalize! Jeremy Ling elegantly dribbled past Virgil van Dijk in a straight one-on-one and slotted the ball past Alisson with terrifying composure!"
Peter Drury: "He has kept Manchester United's hopes of victory alive! So what if Liverpool led for 65 minutes? Heaven and hell are often separated by just a moment! Manchester United needed only one counterattack to dismantle Liverpool's impregnable defensive system! I don't know if you're the best defender in the world, Van Dijk, but I know you cannot stop Manchester United's Number 7!"
...
TWITTER REACTIONS
@SkySportsPL: LING HAS DONE IT! He has just sat Virgil van Dijk down! Unbelievable goal at Anfield! 🤯
@UtdFaithful: THE PENDULUM! R9 VIBES! MY CAPTAIN!!!
@LFC_Thoughts: How has Trent's quick corner turned into us conceding?! Van Dijk got cooked. I'm sick.
...
In the Sky Sports studio, Gary Neville stood on the desk, roaring until his face flushed red.
At that moment, he felt as if he were back on the pitch—just like in those days when they never gave up, no matter how dire the situation, as long as the final whistle hadn't blown!
Where do all the miracles in the world come from? Aren't they all fought for by people?!
"Come on, United lads!!!" Neville screamed. "Beat the damn Liverpool!"
Neville dramatically tore off his jacket and waved it fiercely toward the pitch monitor.
Jamie Carragher hadn't yet recovered.
He sat frozen, his gaze vacant and dazed, his mind filled with the overwhelmingly impactful breakthrough he had just witnessed.
"Damn, this kid is just too damn good," Wayne Rooney muttered to himself in awe. "If only I'd stayed a few more years, maybe I could've won another championship playing with him!"
Beside him, Steven Gerrard remained utterly silent, his lips pressed in a thin line.
...
Amid the frenzied, triumphant roars of the traveling Manchester United fans, Ling sprinted into the freezing cold wind, leaping high and punching the air!
It was as if he wanted to shatter every obstacle in his path!
Only after becoming captain did he truly understand what that armband represented.
(The captain is still valencia and vice captain is ashley young, Ling is a third choice but since valencia and young barely play Ling is the captain)
It wasn't just about leading the team onto the pitch or exchanging pennants with the opposition before kickoff.
Nor was it merely a glamorous honorary title, or a sign that you were simply the team's most talented player.
A captain must represent the core of the team's spirit and will—when things aren't going well, you must be the first to step up and drag your team back from the abyss.
Ling kept waving his fists, venting the immense pressure in his heart!
He wanted to tell Zlatan Ibrahimović that he was a worthy captain!
The rest of the Manchester United players rushed over and piled around him.
"Jeremy, well done!"
"It had to be you, skip!"
Ling's black hair was instantly tousled in the celebration, yet the smile on his face was radiant and defiant.
"The match isn't over yet! Since we managed to equalize, we can take the lead!"
"That's right, we can take the lead!" Harry Maguire declared confidently, slapping Ling on the back.
The Liverpool players nearby fell into a stunned silence.
Van Dijk stood with his hands on his hips, seemingly still pondering the exact reason he had been successfully dribbled past, while Arnold covered his head with his shirt in deep regret.
If he hadn't tried to be clever with that quick corner, perhaps Manchester United's counterattack would never have materialized.
---
What Arnold trynna do is taking a quick corner like in the barcelona match lmao