After the game started, Zhang Kuang passed the ball to Hernández, Hernández passed it back to Carrick, and Carrick divided the ball to the wings.
Manchester United's ball control rhythm was neither urgent nor slow, while Bolton's players were as if being ejected by a spring. The two forwards immediately pressed forward. Mark Davis and Reo-Coker followed closely on both sides of the midfielder Carrick. Their intention to press high was quite obvious.
Martin: "Bolton pressed very high after the opening. Coyle's strategy was very clear: use high position pressing to disrupt Manchester United's passing rhythm and prevent them from controlling the ball comfortably."
Neville added, "But this strategy is very risky. Although Pogba of Manchester United is young, he has the ability to transfer long passes. Once he gets the ball, he can penetrate Bolton's high defense with one kick."
In the 4th minute, Bolton created the threat first.
Kevin Davis took the ball with his back at the top of the penalty area, used his back to withstand Evans's pressing, and passed the ball back to Petrov who was on the left.
Petrov took the ball, took a step inside, and shot low into the far corner with his right foot.
De Gea reacted very quickly, got down to the ground and dove sideways to block the ball from the baseline.
"De Gea! Saved Bolton's low shot!" Tyler raised his voice, "Petrov's shot was from a tricky angle, but De Gea touched the ball with his fingertips! Spain The goalkeeper is getting better and better at adapting to Premier League."
Neville nodded. "The difficulty of this save is that the line of sight is blocked. Kevin Davis' back-up shot was very sudden, and Petrov's shot almost didn't pause. De Gea relies on anticipation and reaction speed, which is one of his strengths."
Zhang Lu said in the CCTV live broadcast room, "De Gea performed well today. He also made several outstanding saves in the first three rounds and is in a very hot state. Manchester United fans don't have to worry about him not being able to adapt to Premier League's physical confrontation."
He Wei: "And today Manchester United's defensive line is also relatively advanced today. This is the characteristic of the four-three-three system: high pressure and offside. If Bolton's forward wants to use counterattacks to hit behind, he must be fast enough."
In the 9th minute, Carrick took the ball in the center circle, avoided the tackle of Mark Davis, and made a diagonal long pass directly to Zhang Kuang, who was running in at high speed on the left.
Zhang Kuang unloaded the ball on his chest near the left sideline. The ball stopped firmly, followed his feet and was already facing the goal.
Paul·Robinson rushed forward. Zhang Kuang did not hesitate. He pushed the ball inside with the outside instep of his left foot and moved his body laterally. Robinson's center of gravity was moved away by him.
That gap is enough.
He often inserts his body into that slit, and it feels great every time.
Zhang Kuang took off his foot 25 meters away from the goal, and took a violent long shot from the instep of his right foot.
The ball was like a cannonball, heading straight for the upper right corner of the goal with an inward arc.
Jääskeläinen flew to save the ball and his palm barely touched the surface of the ball, but the impact of force forced him to lift the ball over the crossbar.
"Zhang Kuang's long shot... GO..." Martin·Tyler's voice exploded, "Jääskeläinen jumped on it! He was able to save it. Zhang Kuang's expression was shocked. He couldn't believe it. He thought it was great, but it made him feel lonely."
Neville took a breath. "Ha, actually it's not that satisfying. At least the fans can see that he is still super tough, too unreasonable.
Zhang Kuang kicked off 25 meters away, and the adjustment time was less than a second. Robinson was obviously very close, but he shot after shot, and the whole action took less than half a second. How can you defend against such a shot?"
"Robinson cannot keep up with the speed and turns slowly. This is the biggest hidden danger of Bolton." Martin said, "If Zhang Kuang continues to use speed to impact this position, Robinson will have an accident sooner or later. Can he withstand such high-frequency and powerful repeated impacts from Zhang Kuang?"
In CCTV's live broadcast room, Zhang Lu laughed, "What am I talking about? Robinson can't guard it at all. Zhang Kuang's shot is powerful and has a wide angle. It's pretty good that Jääskeläinen can catch it. But the problem is, you have to throw it every time he shoots. What if you can't catch it?"
He Wei: "What Director Zhang means is that Zhang Kuang will still shoot from this position today?"
Zhang Lu: "He will definitely do it. You see Bolton's defense is very tight, and the penalty area is full of people. Although Hernández is flexible in his movement, Cahill and Knight are closely guarding him.
If Zhang Kuang cuts in from the left, there is actually not much space in the middle, but his long-range shooting ability is used to break the game in this situation."
In the 13th minute, the first conflict occurred on the field.
Kevin Davis was fighting for a high-altitude ball in the frontcourt. When he took off, he raised his elbow and hit Phil·Jones in the face.
Phil·Jones covered his face and fell to the ground. Referee Marriner blew the whistle and ran over.
Martin stared at the slow-motion replay. "Kevin Davis raised his elbow and did hit Jones's chin. Although it didn't have much force, this action was intentional. Marriner showed you a yellow card!"
Neville snorted, "Kevin Davis's normal operation is that he always raises his elbow when fighting for the top. If the referee sees it, it will be a yellow card. If not, it will be a normal confrontation. Phil·Jones is young, so he has to get used to this."
Bolton The fans booed dissatisfied with the yellow card, but Marriner did not change the penalty.
In the 15th minute, Rooney took the ball on the right and shook continuously to get rid of Eagles. He made a low pass and swept the ball towards the center of the penalty area.
Hernández went around from behind Knight to grab the point, and shot with one kick...
Boyata flew from the side and blocked the ball from the baseline in front of the goal line!
Martin: "Boyata goal line rescue! Hernández's shot almost passed through Jääskeläinen's defensive range, but Boyata's pursuit tackle was too critical! Manchester United missed an excellent scoring opportunity!"
Neville: "This is the intensity of Premier League football, Rooney long shots, Hernández grabbing points, Bolton Although there are loopholes in the defense, their defenders dare to use their bodies to block the holes of the bullet.
If Manchester United wants to score, just relying on these opportunities is not enough, you must continue to apply pressure and make Bolton's defense make constant mistakes."
Reebok Stadium's home team's fans sighed happily in the stands, while Manchester United's away fans let out a cry of regret.
In the 20th minute, cracks began to appear in Bolton's defense.
Mark Davis suddenly stopped and changed direction while chasing Zhang Kuang. He suddenly staggered and fell to the ground, clutching the back of his thigh.
Martin's voice was filled with uncertainty. "Mark Davis is injured? He made an emergency stop just now when chasing Zhang Kuang. It may be a thigh strain, and the team doctor has entered the scene."
Bolton After a quick inspection, the team doctor indicated to the sidelines that cold spray treatment was needed.
Mark Davis stood up gritted his teeth, asked the team doctor to spray painkiller spray on the sidelines, put on a bandage, and limped back to the court.
Neville: "He chose to persist, but this will affect his running ability. Bolton's midfielder can no longer guard Zhang Kuang, and now he is injured again, which makes the problem even bigger."
"Should he keep changing?" He Wei said in the CCTV live broadcast room, "A strain on the back of the thigh is not a trivial matter. If you run forcibly, it will only aggravate the injury and may even tear it."
Zhang Lu shook his head. "Premier League players are like that, they can't get out of the firing line even with minor injuries. Especially when facing Manchester United, they were forced to make substitutions just 20 minutes into the game, and the tactical arrangement was completely messed up."
Coyle It's very difficult now. If you change it, it's too early. If you don't change it, the risk will be high."
In the 21st minute, this hidden danger finally became a fatal injury.
Pogba received the ball from Carrick in the midfield, and Reo-Coker pressed up from behind.
The 18-year-old France didn't panic. He dunked the ball with his left foot and pulled the ball past Reo-Coker. He then rotated half a circle and blocked the opponent behind him.
At the moment of getting rid of it, Pogba's eyes were already fixed on the left wing.
Zhang Kuang is starting.
He made a diagonal pass from outside the left sideline to the inside line, and Robinson followed him closely, but Zhang Kuang's speed advantage was fully revealed at this moment. It only took him two steps to throw Robinson away by one position.
Pogba's through ball passed through the gap between Reo-Coker and Mark Davis. The ball drew a slightly outward-swinging arc on the ground and accurately rolled to Zhang Kuang's running route.
Zhang Kuang did not stop the ball.
When attacking, Zhang Kuang rarely stops and looks at plans. He usually calculates the offensive route while the ball is still flying, so there is no need to stop and prepare.
This is where he is difficult to guard, because the defensive players can't react as fast as him. If he doesn't stop the ball, it will be even more frustrating.
He gently pushed the ball forward with the toes of his left foot, and then cut diagonally towards the penalty area line with his body. This step directly blocked Robinson behind him.
Mark Davis came from the other side to try to intercept, but Zhang Kuang had already started!
He volleyed with his right foot from the instep, and the ball roared towards the upper right corner of the goal.
Jääskeläinen flew to save the ball, and his fingertips touched the surface of the ball, but the force was too great. Even though he slightly changed the direction of the ball, he still couldn't stop the ball from hitting the net.
The ball went in.
0:1!
Martin: "Zhang Kuang, kept advancing the ball, outside the penalty area, he kicked off and shot... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!"
Tyler's voice exploded during the broadcast. "Zhang Kuang! 21st minute! Manchester United leads 1-0 in the away game! Starting from the left, diagonal, catching the ball, getting rid of, and shooting, the whole action only took three seconds!
Pogba's through ball penetrated the entire midfield defense of Bolton! This is a perfect connection between two young players!"
Neville's voice was urgent. "Zhang Kuang again! Another violent long-range shot! Look at the angle of his shot, in the upper right corner of the goal, Jääskeläinen pounced but still scored!
This shot was so powerful that even if the goalkeeper judged the direction correctly, he couldn't save it! There was also Pogba's pass. This kid's vision was so good that he didn't even look up when he got rid of Reo-Coker, but he knew that Zhang Kuang was running that route!"
Zhang Kuang rushed to the corner flag area, jumped up, turned around in the air, moved his hands down, and roared!!!
Pogba ran over to celebrate together. Zhang Kuang grabbed Pogba's shoulders with both hands and shook it hard. "It was a beautiful pass!"
Pogba grinned widely, revealing two rows of white teeth.
Rooney and Hernández also rushed over. A group of people surrounded the two people and slapped them on the back.
Deafening singing erupted from the red area of the away stand.
He Wei: "This goal is a beautiful goal, a violent long shot, Director Zhang, you are right, Zhang Kuang really scored a goal here. I can't guard him, I can't guard him at all."
Zhang Lu: "What I like most about Zhang Kuang is that his passing and scoring are done in one go, without any sloppiness, and he is quite refreshing.
You see, he almost never stops the ball to observe, and never lets the ball stay at his feet for a while. While the ball is still in the air, he already knows how to advance and how to shoot.
This is why the opponent cannot guard against him at all. The opponent clearly knows that as soon as Zhang Kuang is activated, it will blast all the way to the left, then cut inside and shoot long distance near the penalty area line.
But even if the opponent knows his route, it's useless, because no one can guard him. In terms of speed, he can't outrun him, in terms of body, he can't hit him, and in terms of footwork, Zhang Kuang has a hundred ways to get rid of his opponent."
He Wei laughed, "Haha, this is no solution!"
Zhang Lu:"Yes, no solution."
Martin·Tyler looked at the replay and added, "Qidian scored this goal because Pogba got rid of it in the midfield. Reo-Coker pressed from behind, but he blocked the position with his body and then turned around and wiped it away.
The 18-year-old player can still remain calm under such pressure and pass penetrating through balls. There is no reason why Sir Ferguson dared to start him."
"Pogba's awareness is very good. He is not the kind of young man who can only control the ball and pass it back." Neville continued, "He will pass the ball when he sees an opening, and he is the kind of ball that can directly create murderous opportunities.
When Zhang Kuang started just now, Robinson was still trying to keep up, but Pogba's ball arrived before him, allowing Zhang Kuang to sprint to catch the ball at full speed without the need to slow down and adjust. This is the value of high-quality passing.
I heard from Manchester United's teammates that Zhang Kuang always taught Pogba. This guy had many shortcomings before. Zhang Kuang directly pointed out his five major shortcomings and then ordered him to change. That's why we have the Pogba we see now."
Martin: "Wow, is it true? Zhang Kuang also has the ability to train young players?"
Neville:"This is true."
This revelation by Neville directly excited the fans of the MyScore website and felt incredible.
"Am I crazy that he still has this ability? He can also train players? I thought he could only train women, but it turns out that he can also train men."
"Haha, what you said... I almost misunderstood something. However, it is probably because Pogba is young. If Pogba is older, he probably won't be interested in training him anymore."
"What do you mean, upstairs, that Zhang Kuang also likes young, powerful men?"
"Hey, why do you people have such dirty thoughts?"
"What is so dirty? Everyone is surprised that Zhang Kuang is training young players to play football in the wrong direction? Where are you thinking?"
"Ah? No, look at your words. What do you mean?"
"What does that mean?"
"Yes, yes, yes... Oh, you bad guys..."
Reebok Stadium's home team's stand was quiet for a moment, and then there were sparse boos.
Most of them are aimed at the team's defensive line.
The reality of being behind 0-1 made Bolton fans begin to feel uneasy.
In the 28th minute, Eagles made a pass from the right. Kevin Davis jumped up to fight for the top under the close guard of Ferdinand, and his header missed the crossbar.
Ferdinand didn't give him any room to jump easily, and kept pushing his elbow on his waist during the fight for the top.
"Ferdinand's experience," Neville said, "He knows how powerful Kevin Davis is, so he doesn't confront the opponent head-on, but uses his position to block the opponent's space to take off. This header was crooked because he couldn't fully exert his strength."
Martin: "Bolton's offensive method is too simple. Cross the ball to find the high point, and Kevin Davis competes for the top. But Manchester United's defense has been prepared for a long time. Ferdinand is here, and Evans is also there. It is not difficult for two central defenders to deal with one center."
In the 33rd minute, Mark Davis finally couldn't hold on any longer.
He made an emergency stop again while chasing back for defense, and the injury to the back of his right thigh recurred, causing him to kneel directly on the turf.
The team doctor did not hesitate this time and made a substitution gesture directly to the sidelines.
Martin: "Mark Davis persisted for nearly ten minutes, but finally couldn't continue. Bolton was forced to make a substitution: No. 21 Pratley came on as a substitute.
This is a heavy blow to Bolton. Their midfield defense is already tight, and now they have to adjust on the spot."
Neville answered, "What's even more terrible is that Pratley is not a defensive midfielder, he is an offensive player.
The substitution choice of Coyle shows that he does not intend to defend and he wants to replace the offensive players to give it a try. But now behind 0 to 1, the midfield defense is weaker, and Manchester United has more room to counterattack."
In the 36th minute, Zhang Kuang got the ball from the left, and Robinson came up.
This time Zhang Kuang did not cut inside, but went all the way down the sideline. Robinson was led by him, but he couldn't keep up with the speed at all.
Zhang Kuang suddenly stopped and changed direction near the baseline. Robinson was shaken by him and lost his center of gravity and slipped to the ground.
Zhang Kuang calmly looked up at the penalty area. Hernández was outflanking him in the middle. Cahill and Knight were following him closely.
But Mexico forward's running route was very smart. He circled from in front of Cahill to the back point, opening a channel between the two central defenders.
Zhang Kuang knocked back in an inverted triangle, and the ball rolled along the line of the penalty area and accurately landed on the running route of Hernández.
Hernández pushed the ball forward, and the ball flew into the lower left corner of the goal.
Jääskeläinen failed to make the save and could only watch the ball go into the net.
The ball went in!
0:2!
Martin: "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL, 2 to 0! Hernández! Zhang Kuang's assist! Continuous dribbling from the left to the bottom line, knocking down Robinson and then sending an inverted triangle knockback, Hernández's push shot was clean!"
Neville: "This assist was more exciting than the goal. Zhang Kuang's sudden stop and change of direction at the bottom line made Robinson fall directly. He completely got rid of the defense, and then only the choice of timing to pass the ball was left.
He did not rush to take the ball, but waited for Hernández to reach the best position before taking the shot. This is the vision and patience of a top winger."
He Wei lamented in the CCTV live broadcast room. "Zhang Kuang played too smart today. He has speed but does not rely solely on speed. He has long shots but does not shoot indiscriminately."
That ball just now, he could obviously hit the goal himself, but he chose to pass the ball because he saw Hernández who was in a better position."
Zhang Lu chuckled and added, "This is why he is a superstar. Some players can score a lot of goals but can't assist, and some players can assist but can't score."
Zhang Kuang can do both, and he is willing to make choices at the right time without greed for merit. This is the pattern of a top player."
Zhang Kuang ran towards Hernández, and the two high-fived and hugged.
The singing in the away stands became even louder.
Ferguson gently clapped twice on the sidelines, very satisfied.
But Berbatov's eyes were incomprehensible. I don't know what he was thinking. Maybe he felt that if he was on the court, such a goal would be his, right?
Or maybe, he felt uncomfortable when he saw that Zhang Kuang and Hernández cooperated so well?