The game starts again.
Arsenal tried to recover from the goal, but Manchester United's pressing didn't give them any chance to breathe.
28th minute.
Manchester United stole the ball in midfield, Fletcher poked the ball away from Ramsey's feet and passed it across to Carrick.
Carrick took a look at Arsenal's defense line. The distance between Djourou and Koscielny was a bit large, and Berbatov was walking between the two.
Carrick didn't hesitate and hit the ball straight into the penalty area.
Berbatov caught the ball with his back, and Djourou came up from behind him.
The Bulgarian uses his body to protect the ball and at the same time senses the defensive pressure behind his body.
Then he made that move.
He stepped on the ball with his left foot, turned his body to the right, and Djourou's center of gravity moved over.
At that moment, Berbatov switched the ball from his left foot to his right foot, his body suddenly rotated in the opposite direction, and the whole movement was as smooth as a dance.
Djourou was thrown away half his body.
Berbatov didn't adjust after turning around and volleyed directly with his left foot!
The ball flew against the turf toward the far corner of the goal like a silver lightning bolt. Szczęsny's sight was blocked by Djourou's body. By the time he saw the ball, it was already too late!
The ball went in!
2:0!
Martin: "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Berbatov! An imaginative turn and volley! This ball reminds me of his performance at Tottenham Hotspur during his peak period!
He takes the ball with his back, turns around and shoots, all in one go, Djourou is like a statue in front of him!"
Neville: "Berbatov's handling method is too deceptive. He first leaned his body against Djourou, and then made a fake move to turn to the right. After Djourou's center of gravity moved, he turned in the opposite direction and completed the shot. This change of rhythm can only be accomplished by an extremely experienced forward."
The BBC's tactical analysis replayed Berbatov's turning action on the small screen. The slow motion clearly showed that the Bulgarian touched the ball with both feet twice in a row, and his body's center of gravity switched between left and right like Pendulum. Djourou's knees visibly stiffened at that moment.
Zhang Kuang ran over to the left and gave Berbatov a high-five.
The Bulgarian raised his hand expressionlessly, touched him, and then walked slowly towards the midfield, as if the goal just now was just part of the daily routine.
"Zhang Kuang contributed a lot to Berbatov's goal," He Wei analyzed in the live broadcast room. "Everyone, pay attention. Just before Carrick passed the ball, Zhang Kuang made an inward run on the left.
He drew the attention of Jenkinson and Koscielny in his own direction, creating space for Berbatov to take the ball with his back. Although Zhang Kuang was not directly involved in this goal, his movement without the ball played a key role."
Xu Yang: "Yes, this is the value of a top player. Even if he doesn't get the ball, he can change the defensive layout."
The scoreboard read 2:0.
Old Trafford's singing voice increased a few decibels again.
Arsenal's defense line began to show cracks.
Jenkinson's turnover rate is increasing, and Djourou is obviously impatient after conceding the ball.
Rosický kept looking back at Wenger in midfield, as if waiting for some instructions.
Wenger didn't give any instructions, he just stood there motionless.
32nd minute.
Manchester United steals the ball again.
This time, Giggs intercepted Ramsey's pass to Walcott in the midfield. Wales veteran intercepted the ball without pausing and passed a long diagonal pass to Rooney on the right.
Rooney received the ball on the right, and Gibbs was approaching him. England was not in a hurry to break through, but instead hit Carrick in the middle.
Carrick stopped the ball, raised his head, and then made a precise long pass to the left wing where Zhang Kuang was.
Zhang Kuang's movement is smarter this time.
He did not rush directly to the wing, but ran two steps inside first, luring Jenkinson to follow, and then suddenly changed direction and turned back, outside!
Jenkinson was staggered, and when he turned around to chase after him, Zhang Kuang had already opened the distance between them.
Carrick's pass drew an arc in the air and landed exactly on the path of Zhang Kuang.
Zhang Kuang caught the ball and pushed forward, while Jenkinson chased behind him, but the gap between two positions became four positions when Zhang Kuang sprinted at full speed.
Djourou rushed out of the penalty area to cover, and Koscielny chased back to the blocked position.
Arsenal's two central defenders moved in the direction of Zhang Kuang at the same time, leaving a large gap in the back.
Zhang Kuang saw it.
He didn't cut inside, but pushed with his left foot and hit a low ball across the small penalty area and accurately sent it to the back point.
Rooney is there!
When England forward received the ball, there was no one around him. Gibbs was left behind. Koscielny had already pounced on Zhang Kuang. Djourou was also on the way to chase back. The entire backcourt seemed to have been cleared.
Rooney stopped the ball, adjusted one step, and shot low and near the corner with his right foot.
Szczęsny tried his best to move over from the far post, but his center of gravity was deflected by the cross ball. Rooney's shot went into the net from the opposite direction of his save!
3:0!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Rooney! Third! Manchester United is three goals ahead!" Martin·Tyler's voice is close to hoarse, "A textbook A quick counterattack! Carrick's long pass, Zhang Kuang's breakthrough, Rooney's outflank, Manchester United's offensive line drew a perfect triangle on Arsenal's defense line!"
Neville shook his head repeatedly. "It's over, Arsenal is completely over. Look at this ball: Zhang Kuang attracted two people Djourou and Koscielny on the left, and Rooney in the back was completely empty.
This kind of defensive attention distribution is a disaster for any team. But there is nothing you can do about it. When you face Zhang Kuang, if you don't double-team him, he can solve the problem alone.
You double-team him and he'll pass the ball to an open teammate. You don't have perfect options."
He Wei said excitedly in the live broadcast room, "3:0! Manchester United rewritten the score to 3:0 in 32 minutes! Rooney took the cross pass from Zhang Kuang and scored!
This is the second time Zhang Kuang has directly participated in a goal in this game! One goal and one assist! Theatre of Dreams is completely excited!"
Xu Yang answered, "Zhang Kuang's goal was so selfless! If he had shot it himself, he would have had a chance, but he saw Rooney who was in a better back-point position.
This choice itself shows that his current mentality is very mature. He is not the kind of player who only thinks about scoring goals. He knows when to pass and when to shoot."
After Rooney scored, he ran to Zhang Kuang, and the two of them had a solid hug near the sideline.
Rooney's loud laughter can be heard through the camera. "It's so beautiful! It's so beautiful!"
Zhang Kuang patted his back. "You shot well."
Standing near midfield, Van Persie watched all this with his hands on his hips, the expression on his face was hard to describe.
It wasn't anger, it wasn't frustration, it was more like a kind of calmness that had been anticipated.
Wenger finally moved.
He walked to the sidelines, called Rosický over, bent down and whispered a few words to him.
Rosický nodded after listening and returned to the field to speak.
Arsenal's formation began to adjust, Arshavin moved deeper, Chamakh moved more to the side, and Wenger tried a 4-5-1 defensive formation.
But the adjustment came too late.
In the 41st minute, Evra assisted from the left.
After Zhang Kuang received the cross pass from Evra, he did not try to break through Jenkinson, but returned the ball to the left back of France.
Evra dribbled the ball along the sideline, and Jenkinson had to move to the side to block it.
At this moment, Zhang Kuang cut in from the sideline, Evra made a cross pass, and the ball returned to Zhang Kuang's feet.
On the left side of the penalty area, Zhang Kuang faced Djourou when receiving the ball.
Belgium The central defender did not dare to rush forward rashly. He lowered his center of gravity and blocked the incoming route.
But Zhang Kuang did not cut inside. He made a realistic fake move of cutting inside. He raised his left foot and tilted his body to the right. Djourou's center of gravity moved accordingly.
Then Zhang Kuang's foot came down and turned into a ball on the outside of the foot, and the body flashed in the opposite direction: bottom!
Djourou was shaken half way, and Zhang Kuang broke into the penalty area along the baseline. Szczęsny blocked the near corner, and Koscielny chased back to cover. The two people approached Zhang Kuang at the same time.
Zhang Kuang didn't shoot. He made a cross pass with his left foot. The ball passed Szczęsny's outstretched palm and Koscielny's leg. It streaked across the small penalty area like a dark red light.
In the middle, Berbatov, who was outflanking, was blocked by Djourou.
But the ball passed between Djourou's legs, back point!
The last click was Rooney! But Rooney was stuck by Gibbs.
The ball continued to roll backwards, and just when everyone thought the ball would slide out of the door, a red figure inserted into the penalty area from the left rib like a ghost!
Berbatov!
He didn't stop at all after passing the ball! He continued running toward the goal along the baseline, bypassing Koscielny's defense, and appeared in the center of the small penalty area!
His foot touched the ball before Berbatov. The Bulgarian poked with his toe. Szczęsny blocked it with his leg and the ball bounced into the air.
Zhang Kuang jumped high at the landing point.
His jumping power was released like a spring at this moment, and he pressed the ball on his forehead!
"Bang!"
The ball was smashed into the empty goal!
Szczęsny fell to the ground, Koscielny was still sliding on the ground, Djourou was blocked behind by Berbatov.
Gibbs was taken away by Rooney. Only Zhang Kuang was left in the penalty area with his feet on the ground and the rolling ball in front of him.
He scored twice!
4:0!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Zhang Kuang! The second goal! A follow-up header!" Martin·Tyler's voice was completely out of control, "The movement of this ball is so crazy! He did not stop after passing the ball, but continued to penetrate into the penalty area.
Waiting until the moment when Berbatov's shot was saved! This sense of scoring opportunities is like a beast!"
Nevi said in an unbelievable tone, "Did you see it? He was already running the moment he passed the ball! He didn't wait for his teammates' reaction at all, but preset the situation that 'the ball will be saved'! This ability to predict and read the trend of the game can really only be explained by talent."
He Wei: "4:0! Zhang Kuang scored twice! The first half is not over yet, Manchester United is already leading by four goals! This is a continuous ravage on Arsenal's defense!
Zhang Kuang's form today is simply unstoppable, with a single goal, a header, and an assist Rooney! He was directly involved in three of the three goals!"
Xu Yang sighed next to him, "I don't lament Zhang Kuang's goal. What I lament is, this is Arsenal. When will Arsenal be scored four goals by Manchester United in the half?"
Arsenal scored four goals in half, can you believe this? This is the key, this is not Porto, this is the world-famous Gunners Arsenal. You can imagine how sad the Arsenal fans must be at this moment."
Zhang Kuang knelt down and celebrated passionately. He didn't expect that he would score two goals and one assist in the first half.
Rooney, Berbatov and other players came over to celebrate. They didn't expect that Arsenal would beat Arsenal 4:0 at halftime, which was a bit magical.
In another corner, Van Persie squatted on the ground and tied his shoelaces, very slowly.
His expression was clearly visible in the close-up of the broadcast camera: his jaw was slightly drawn back, his lips were pursed tightly, but there was no anger in his eyes, only a kind of extremely restrained patience.
Wenger stood on the sidelines, with his back to the field and facing the bench.
No one knows what he is thinking.
In the 44th minute, Arsenal finally launched a decent counterattack.
Rosický got rid of Fletcher's marking in the midfield and sent a penetrating through ball.
Walcott started on the right, and his speed was fully demonstrated at this moment. Evra was thrown away by him. Rafael defended from the inside, but Walcott's change of direction made him miss.
Small angle! Walcott broke into the penalty area and faced De Gea. He didn't pass the ball and shot hard!
De Gea pounced towards the near corner, but Walcott shot at the far corner.
The ball passed through De Gea's armpit, hit the inside of the far post, and bounced into the net.
4:1!
"Walcott! Arsenal got a goal back!" Martin·Tyler said with a hint of surprise in his voice, "A quick counterattack! Rosický's through ball was accurate to centimeters, and Walcott's speed completely overwhelmed Evra! This goal may give Arsenal some hope."
Neville: "Indeed, this was Arsenal's most quality attack in the first half. Rosický's passing timing was very good, and Walcott's running was determined enough.
Although the score of 4:1 still puts Gunners in the abyss, at least this goal allows them to walk into the locker room with a little confidence."
Martin: "I can't believe that 5 goals in the half will appear in the match between Manchester United and Arsenal. For those who didn't know, they thought it was the half-time data of the Premier League players playing against the EFL League Two team."
Neville: "Haha, Martin, don't rub salt into the wound, it's unfair to Arsenal fans!"
Walcott didn't celebrate, he rushed into the goal, picked up the ball and ran back to the center circle.
Arsenal's other players also quickly returned to position, and no one wasted any time on this goal.
Van Persie walked up to Walcott and whispered something, and Walcott nodded.
In the last two minutes of the first half, Manchester United did not continue to attack. They controlled the rhythm and moved the ball back and forth in the backcourt until Webb blew the half-time whistle.
"Beep--beep--beep--"
The first half is over.
The score is 4:1.
Manchester United In the locker room, the atmosphere was as relaxed as after a training session.
Ferguson stood in front of the tactical board, but there was not a single word drawn on his tactical board.
He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the players sitting in a circle, with a satisfied smile on his lips.
"The first half was very good," Ferguson said. His voice was not loud, but it was very clear in the quiet locker room. "The offensive end was very efficient, Carrick..."
He looked at the England midfielder and said, "Your long pass schedule is very good, keep up the good work."
Carrick leaned on the locker to drink water and nodded to the head coach.
"Giggs," Ferguson turned to veteran Wales, "You caught the opportunity to move forward in the midfield very well, but pay attention to Rosický in the second half. He moves behind you more often. Press him before he releases the ball. Don't let him release the ball too comfortably."
Giggs was wiping sweat with a towel and grinned. "I got it, BOSS."
Ferguson's eyes finally fell on Zhang Kuang.
Sir Alex: "Zhang, you scored two goals and assisted one in the first half."
Zhang Kuang was unscrewing the cap of the water bottle and raised his head when he heard this sentence: "The statistics are correct."
A few low laughs came from the locker room.
Ferguson didn't smile. He looked at Zhang Kuang expressionlessly. "Do you know what adjustments Wenger will make in the midfield?"
"I know how to change people." Zhang Kuang said.
"That's right," Ferguson nodded, "Djourou's performance in the first half was not good, so he is likely to be replaced. Traoré comes up to play left back, Gibbs moves to the right, or directly changes to a central defender.
But no matter how he adjusts, in the first fifteen minutes of the second half, Arsenal will definitely press out and grab. They don't care about conceding a few more goals, they just want to prove that they are still in the game. Do you understand what I mean?"
Zhang Kuang looked into Ferguson's eyes, and then he smiled.
"Understood." He said, "If they press it out, there will be more space behind it."
Ferguson nodded without saying anything more. He turned around and stood in front of the tactical board and began to deploy the substitution plan for the second half.
On the other side, in Arsenal's locker room, the atmosphere was as heavy as a pool of stagnant water.
Wenger stood in the center of the locker room, in front of him were more than 20 players with their heads hanging down.
Ramsey rested his elbows on his knees and stared at the floor.
Walcott leaned against the corner with his arms folded across his chest.
Van Persie is sitting in the innermost position, wrapping a new bandage on his ankle, his movements are almost deliberate.
Wenger was silent for a long time.
Then he spoke, his voice was not loud, but every word fell clearly in the locker room. "I know this score is ugly. I know you are frustrated. But..."
He paused, "We still have forty-five minutes. Anything can happen in forty-five minutes. The beauty of football is that it never guarantees a result to anyone."
No one looked up.
Wenger continued, "In the second half, we have to press out. We have no other choice. We have to force their midfield and cut off the communication between Carrick and Giggs."
Walcott, you continue to play on the right, and push forward resolutely whenever you have the opportunity. Van Persie, you need to increase the frequency of your dropbacks, we need your fulcrum role in the frontcourt.
Rosický, your position is slightly forward, don't be afraid of the gap behind you, we have nothing to lose now."
Van Persie finally raised his head and glanced at Wenger.
Netherlands There is something flashing in people's eyes, it is the eyes of a soldier who is ignited in a desperate situation.
Wenger looked at all the players and finally said, "I know what many of you are thinking right now: We are already 4:1 behind and this game is over.
But what I want to tell you is that if you give in now, the game is indeed over. If you are still fighting, the game will never be over."
He paused and his voice lowered a bit.
"Go and prove it to yourselves."
Everyone remained silent and just nodded silently.