First Half
### Title: First Half
Arsenal's players are standing in the aisle, with a boiling fan stand above them. Listening to the tsunami-like cheers from the stands, the timid ones would have soft legs.
Captain Adams and Captain Steve Bruce of New Manchester United are at the front of the queue. Both have played in the Premier League for many years, so they are no strangers to each other. However, familiarity does not mean friendship. On the contrary, the grudge between the Red Devils and the Gunners is thoroughly reflected in the two of them.
Ljungberg, after Adams, has just joined Arsenal this season and has not had many opportunities to play. This game is just a substitute for Parlour as the starter, and the opponent's strength is not strong, so he should be able to get a chance to perform. Therefore, Ljungberg is in a good mood. Looking at New Manchester United next to him, standing next to him is Evra.
Evra had a stern expression. When he saw Ljungberg nod politely at him, he didn't feel the charm of the handsome Swedish man, gave him a cold glance, and then looked forward.
This very impolite behavior made Ljungberg feel embarrassed and angry. Isn't he just a tenth league amateur player? Put on such a big act!
When the head referee and assistant referee led the players out of the passage, there was a burst of warmer applause and cheers at the scene, but there were also boos, varying in intensity, and it was not clear who they were directed against.
Nearly 3,000 fans from Manchester came to support New Manchester United in this game. Although they believed that the victory of this game was not great and the journey was long, they still came.
"The players are here. Audience friends, we are now watching one of the third-round matches of the FA Cup of England in the 98-99 season: Arsenal vs. New Manchester United. This is a very special match. It's the first time New Manchester United has appeared in front of a TV audience since its establishment. Red Rebel fans believe that this will be a historic game!"
Sky TV also paid close attention to this game and specially arranged the famous Andy Gray for live commentary.
"Let's take a look at Arsenal's starting lineup first. Due to the rest of the main goalkeeper Seaman, Manninger will start, and third goalkeeper Lukic will serve as a substitute. The central defenders are Adams and Grimandi, with the latter's main position this season occupied by Keown, significantly reducing his playing opportunities."
"The two left and right fullbacks are Dixon and Winterburn. These are the two positions without suspense. The midfield is still a double-back tactic, with Petit and Vieira playing the starting lineup. We can see that Grimandi and Remi Garde are both sitting on the bench. The other two wingers are the Dutch star Overmars and the Swedish youngster Ljungberg."
"The forward partners are Bergkamp and Anelka, with Boa Morte also sitting on the bench!"
"From this lineup, we can see that Wenger also attaches great importance to this game and does not use substitute players on a large scale as previously predicted by the outside world. However, I believe this will not have any effect on the Red Rebels. After all, even if Arsenal play with a pure substitute team, they are extremely powerful opponents!"
Having said that, Andy Gray made a special joke.
"According to the data we have collected before, Bergkamp's one-year salary can buy all New Manchester United players, including former Manchester United captain Steve Bruce. Now many people are wondering what this team is. Can they attract Steve Bruce to coach? There is still a short time before the start of the game. We can look back at the establishment of the Red Rebels and their past and present life for more than half a year!"
After that, the TV broadcast screen suddenly shifted to a short film. The reasons for the establishment of New Manchester United in the short film, how Levi originally set up the club, and how Manchester United fans support New Manchester United are very detailed. It also covers New Manchester United's outstanding results in the Northwest Division B this season.
Perhaps from the perspective of the TV station, even if the Northwest Division B's performance is outstanding, for the audience in front of the TV, it is not as attractive as the origin of this Red Rebel.
After the short film ended, the referee had put the whistle to his mouth on the court, and the whistle for the start of the game blew instantly.
From the first minute of the game, New Manchester United's players put in a desperate fight, including the forwards, who retreated to the midfield.
In more than two years since coming to Arsenal, Vieira has become the core of this team's midfield. He is like a heavy tank on the court with excellent physical conditions. Compared to him, Smith is as thin as a piece of paper and flies away with a single swipe.
After Vieira intercepted the ball, he passed diagonally to Overmars on the left. The Dutchman was fast and tried to make a fake move in front of Kevin Evan. After shaking the opponent, he went directly to the bottom and sent out a low cross.
Steve Bruce grabbed the ball and cleared it out before Ice Prince Bergkamp could get to it.
"Kevin, don't rush too far ahead, pay attention to your position!" Bruce reminded him from behind.
Kevin Evan nodded and promised him, but the whole man stared nervously at Overmars. The Dutchman was too fast. As long as he relaxed a little, he would be shaken off and unable to catch up.
"Don't worry, Kevin, we've got your back!" The winger Darren Lyons also retreated and helped Kevin Evan defend.
Winterburn tossed the ball to midfielder Petit, and the French international made a big pass to right-wing Ljungberg.
Evra stepped forward immediately. Ljungberg wanted to use his speed to beat Evra. However, just as he tried to accelerate, Evra made a fierce tackle and sent him to the sideline.
Regarding speed, Evra did not lose to Ljungberg at all!
It was a wonderful defense!
"At the beginning of the game, the scene seemed very heated. Arsenal youngster Ljungberg got up from the ground and stared angrily at the opponent's left back. His mouth seemed to be muttering something to the referee. He should be complaining about the opponent's aggressive action, but the referee just motioned for the game to continue!"
The fans at the scene were suddenly dissatisfied by the referee's decision!
"Good job, Patrice!" Levi stood in front of the coach's seat, encouraging Evra as he walked by.
When playing under Bruce on regular days, it was Walsh or Cassell who sat there, but today's game was different. Levi wanted to stand with the players, so he was there.
The game entered a fast-paced offense and defense almost from the beginning. Now, Arsenal had not yet adopted the beautiful control-flow play they would be known for later. Wenger's transformation of Arsenal had just begun, so the scene suddenly became very heated.
Although the overall strength of New Manchester United was significantly lower than Arsenal's, they held their ground for the first ten minutes, relying on their tenacious fighting spirit and fierce competition. However, the situation was still firmly under Arsenal's control.
When the game reached the 18th minute, Arsenal's backline, Adams, made a long pass, directly finding Anelka. He stopped the ball and swung it to Bergkamp, who responded with a straight pass.
Gareth Turner's slow reaction was magnified at this moment. He even had no time to pull Anelka and could only watch as the 19-year-old French genius sent the ball into New Manchester United's goal.
1-0, Arsenal celebrated their first goal!
"TMD!" Levi shook his fist, wishing he could tear down the shed on Highbury's coaching bench.
"It doesn't matter, guys!" Bruce called all the players over the pitch. "We did a great job. Remember, keep playing as we planned, you know?"
The players promised and dispersed.
The game continued!
After Arsenal led by one goal, the situation on the field became even more one-sided. New Manchester United was almost entirely suppressed in the first half, only making clearances and steals.
In order to cope with Arsenal's constant pressure, Bruce even pulled forward Jonathan Methen to the backline, and the defense of the four midfielders also retracted to the front of the penalty area. They formed a 9-1-0 formation.
Seeing New Manchester United's posture, Arsenal became very patient, especially head coach Wenger, who sat on the bench with a look of confidence.
However, it turns out that Arsenal does have the strength to win the game.
In the 32nd minute of the first half, Bergkamp held the ball with his back to the goal. In almost impossible circumstances, he lifted the ball over himself and Bruce, picking the pass. Anelka stopped the ball with his chest, turned, and shot in one smooth motion, very cleanly.
2-0, this was almost a goal that could sentence New Manchester United to early defeat. Pulling back the score at Highbury seemed impossible, even for Manchester United, let alone New Manchester United.
The fans in the stands cheered again, shouting the names of Bergkamp and Anelka.
The eccentric French genius would later be transferred to Real Madrid based on his performance at Arsenal this season, but after that, he was completely lost.
Of course, Levi now doesn't even remember what will happen to Anelka in the end. He just saw clearly that Anelka was celebrating the goal right in front of him, seemingly demonstrating to him, which made him very angry.
It may be that after leading by two goals, Arsenal began to conserve their energy. After all, they had a key match at the weekend, so they consciously slowed down the pace of the game.
Thus, the score of 2: 0 was maintained until the end of the first half.
During the intermission, when Bruce and Cassell returned to the locker room with the players, Levi was still sitting on the coach's seat, staring at the stadium. Suddenly, he understood Bruce's frustration. He really, really hated the weakness of his team and longed for them to be strong!
But sometimes, strength must be forged through the pain of constant failure!
In the locker room, Bruce and Cassell were motivating the players, reminding them to stick to the plan and not lose hope. The players listened intently, knowing the importance of the second half.
As the second half began, New Manchester United tried to play more aggressively. They knew they had to make up the deficit and tried to press higher up the pitch. However, Arsenal's quality and experience were evident.
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