Chapter 830: Suppression
On the evening of December 9, 2020, the final matchday of the 2020–2021 UEFA Champions League group stage arrived.
That night, Manchester United traveled to Denmark to face Midtjylland. Having already secured top spot in their group and qualification for the knockout stage, United fielded a fully rotated lineup and ended the match in a 1–1 draw.
With that, the group stage concluded—and the four Premier League teams all performed brilliantly. Every one of them advanced as group winners. Among them, Manchester City had the most impressive record—five wins and one draw, finishing unbeaten and tied with Bayern Munich as the best of the last 32; Chelsea also went unbeaten with four wins and two draws; while Manchester United and Liverpool each finished with four wins, one draw, and one loss to top their groups.
The final group standings produced the following qualified teams:
Group A – Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid;
Group B – Manchester City and Borussia Mönchengladbach;
Group C – Manchester City and Porto;
Group D – Manchester United and Atalanta;
Group E – Chelsea and Sevilla;
Group F – Borussia Dortmund and Lazio;
Group G – Juventus and Barcelona;
Group H – Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Olympiacos, Krasnodar, Club Brugge, Dynamo Kyiv, Manchester United (a clerical repetition in naming order, referring to another group's Europa demotion), and RB Leipzig dropped into the Europa League, joining 24 clubs who had finished in the top two of their Europa League groups to contest the round of 32.
...
At the round of 16 draw held on December 14, several heavyweight clashes emerged. Manchester United weren't lucky, drawing French champions Paris Saint-Germain; Chelsea and Liverpool were equally unfortunate, facing Atlético Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Only Manchester City got a favorable draw, paired against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The remaining ties were: Bayern Munich vs. Lazio, Manchester City vs. Atalanta, Juventus vs. Porto, and Borussia Dortmund vs. Sevilla.
Of the eight group runners-up, the three strongest—Atlético, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain—all drew Premier League opponents. Many questioned whether there had been manipulation behind the scenes.
Very quickly, British media outlets and online fans began speculating that UEFA was deliberately trying to suppress English clubs.
Since the 2018–2019 season, when Premier League teams dominated both the Champions League and Europa League finals, England's top flight had surpassed La Liga on UEFA's coefficient rankings, becoming Europe's number one league.
Last season, United defeated Bayern Munich to claim their third consecutive Champions League title. English clubs continued to shine in Europe; by the start of the new campaign, the Premier League had opened up a near ten-point lead over second-placed La Liga in UEFA's coefficient table. It was racing ahead.
Given that dominance, many suspected UEFA might indeed be trying to curb English success.
The evidence began with the group-stage draws, where every English team faced strong opponents—that was already telling enough of UEFA's intentions. Yet the Premier League sides still thrived, topping all their groups.
As a result, England's coefficient lead extended even further. To stop that, UEFA's knockout draw seemed conveniently brutal: out of four English clubs, three were matched with elite opposition.
Had there been more "strong" runners-up to choose from, even Manchester City likely wouldn't have escaped so easily.
...
On the night of December 13, the 12th round of the Premier League featured a blockbuster clash at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium: the Manchester Derby—Manchester United versus Manchester City.
Because Cardiff was designated a Tier 2 region, 2,000 spectators were allowed inside. For United, this was their first true home game with fans back in attendance—since their last one with supporters had been an away match at West Ham with very few Reds present.
Even with only around 1,000 United fans in the stands, their excitement was palpable.
Another morale boost for the Reds: their captain, Bruno Fernández, had returned. Having been away for over ten days due to the birth of his son, Bruno rejoined the squad in time for the derby and was included in the matchday list.
However, due to his long travel and fatigue, José Mourinho decided not to start him, keeping him on the bench.
In Mourinho's plans, if the match went smoothly, Bruno wouldn't play at all—the club had granted him two weeks of paternity leave, and he had come back two days early.
...
This Manchester Derby was the round's final fixture, and before kickoff, a series of shocking results unfolded. Chelsea lost 0–1 to Everton at Goodison Park—Carlo Ancelotti exacted revenge on his old club. Tottenham were held 1–1 away at Crystal Palace, Liverpool also drew 1–1 with Fulham, and Arsenal suffered the shock of the week—losing 0–1 at home to second-bottom Burnley, dropping to 15th place, just three points above the relegation zone.
The derby itself was intense but not particularly thrilling. The first half ended 0–0. Both teams created chances but failed to convert. Overall, United held a slight edge—although they trailed 45% to 55% in possession, they led in shots, corners, and entries into the penalty box.
Thus, Mourinho refrained from making halftime changes. Bruno remained seated on the bench as the second half began.
Shortly after the restart, United earned a golden chance.
In the 48th minute, João Cancelo curled in a cross from the right. Rashford controlled it skillfully in the box but was tripped by Kyle Walker. The referee hesitated, then pointed to the spot.
With Bruno absent, Rashford confidently claimed the ball to take the penalty. But as he stood ready, the VAR officials advised the referee to review the play on the touchline screen.
That almost guaranteed the penalty would be overturned.
Indeed, after reviewing the replay, the referee ruled that Rashford had been offside in the buildup—the penalty was canceled.
Mourinho was furious—but having already been fined earlier in the season for protesting referees, he restrained himself this time and didn't challenge the officials, despite his anger.
...
After the penalty was overturned, Mourinho immediately signaled for Bruno to warm up.
The message was clear: United's captain would soon enter the game.
While Bruno stretched on the sideline, United produced another good chance.
In the 54th minute, Mata slipped a clever through pass into the left channel. Rashford made the run and struck low toward goal—but the ball curled narrowly wide.
Finally, in the 60th minute, Bruno came on, replacing veteran Juan Mata.
During Bruno's two-match absence, Mata had deputized in the attacking midfield role. His performances were steady if unspectacular, doing the job required.
He received generous applause from the crowd when substituted—a mark of respect.
Bruno took up a deeper position rather than his usual advanced role, joining İlkay Gündoğan and N'Golo Kanté in a midfield trio.
At that stage, Manchester City's attacks were relentless. Mourinho's instruction for Bruno was to first stabilize United's defense, then look for counterattacking opportunities.
In the 66th minute, Pep Guardiola made his first substitution—Paul Pogba replaced veteran Fernandinho. Three minutes later, Ferran Torres came on for the exhausted Sergio Agüero. Both changes signaled clear attacking intent.
United responded with their own adjustment—Mason Greenwood replaced Harry Kane.
...
Manchester City's growing pressure forced United to sit deep. The team dropped back compactly into their own third, forming tight defensive lines to withstand wave after wave of City's attack.
As the match entered its final stretch, even Kyle Walker was pushing forward frequently, leaving only two center-backs behind. City threw nearly everyone into attack, forcing United to retreat further.
The tension on the field was unbearable. One slip could undo an entire game's worth of effort. Neither side dared to make a mistake.
Though Bruno was listed as an attacking midfielder, he had dropped almost alongside the defensive line to help shield the box.
There was no choice—City's pressure was immense, and the penalty area needed reinforcement. Kanté and Gündoğan had been running nonstop all game. Bruno, fresh from the bench, had to take on extra defensive work.
Near the end, Kevin De Bruyne could no longer run, walking slowly across the final third. Gabriel Jesus was also spent, barely able to move, lingering around the box to conserve energy for one last sprint.
Both teams were running on empty. United's players were as exhausted as City's, except for the substitutes who were still chasing tirelessly.
Bruno, subbed on at the 60th minute, had been working nonstop since entering—pressing, sprinting back, and engaging in countless short bursts of acceleration. The energy cost was immense.
As the final minutes approached, he felt his legs growing heavy, yet he kept running. He refused to stop.
(END CHAPTER)
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