Chapter 832: Premier League Chaos
At the very moment Bruno's penalty hit the net, the Manchester United fans in the main stand at the Millennium Stadium exploded in jubilation. Though barely two thousand in number, the roar they produced was deafening.
After scoring, Bruno fell to his knees inside the penalty box, tilting his head back to bask in the adoration of the crowd.
The feeling was intoxicating!
His teammates swarmed over, surrounding him completely. Every one of them shouted into his ear, but the noise was such a blur that he had no idea what anyone was actually saying.
The only thing Bruno knew for sure was that no one could keep calm anymore—everyone had gone mad with excitement.
By the moment that penalty found the net, the match was effectively over.
Though Manchester City tried pressing forward after kickoff, their players were clearly spent, their morale drained. They failed to produce any real threat.
Accounting for the penalty delay, the referee added four minutes of stoppage time, but it hardly mattered. As soon as time expired, he blew the final whistle.
Manchester United, courtesy of Bruno's earned and converted penalty, defeated Manchester City 1–0 at home, extending their league winning streak to ten games.
...
Due to the pandemic, the Premier League schedule this season was extremely packed. Round 12 had just finished over the weekend, yet by Tuesday afternoon, Round 13 had already begun.
In such a congested schedule, all kinds of unexpected results began appearing.
In the first fixture of Round 13 on December 15, Chelsea suffered another upset, losing 1–2 away to Wolverhampton Wanderers—their second straight league defeat.
On the table, Chelsea had just 6 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses with 21 points, sitting eighth—outside even the European qualification zone.
This was shocking, considering the Blues had spent over 200 million euros during the summer transfer window with the goal of challenging for the title. But with a third of the season gone, they weren't even in the top six. Unsurprisingly, the media and fans were furious.
While José Mourinho's Manchester United were soaring, winning ten straight matches, his former pupil Frank Lampard was enduring miserable days. Mentor and student, worlds apart.
As if the misfortunes were contagious, Manchester City followed Chelsea's stumble by dropping points again, drawing 1–1 at home with second-bottom West Bromwich Albion.
After 13 rounds, and with one match in hand, City had recorded 5 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses, collecting only 19 points—12th on the table—their worst start since Pep Guardiola took charge five years earlier.
Still, given the generally poor form among traditional giants this season, City were only five points off third-place Southampton and fourth-place Leicester City.
Nevertheless, two straight disappointing results left both Lampard and Guardiola under heavy pressure.
...
They were not alone. Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta was also struggling.
After spending heavily during the summer, the club's board had high expectations for the new season. But in Round 13, Arsenal were held 1–1 at home by Southampton—a ninth consecutive league match without victory.
Their last win in the Premier League came back in Round 4, with a 2–1 home triumph over Sheffield United.
Since then, their league results read like a nightmare:
0–1 loss to Manchester City (away),
0–1 loss to Leicester (home),
1–2 loss to Manchester United (away),
0–3 loss to Aston Villa (home),
0–0 draw with Leeds (away),
1–2 loss to Wolves (home),
0–2 defeat to Tottenham (away in the North London Derby),
0–1 home loss to Burnley,
and now a 1–1 draw with Southampton.
Looking at it purely from the league table, a draw against third-place Southampton could almost be considered a decent result. After all, Arsenal sat 16th—just two points above the relegation zone—looking every bit like a team fighting for survival rather than titles.
Historically, though, there was no comparison. Arsenal were a three-time Premier League champion and perennial contender, whereas Southampton had often bounced between divisions.
Unsurprisingly, calls for Arteta's dismissal dominated the media and fan discussions. His position looked increasingly unstable.
Guardiola and his former assistant Arteta—teacher and student—now seemed to share the same misfortune.
...
In contrast, Jürgen Klopp's situation looked far brighter.
After a shaky start to the season, Liverpool had rediscovered their rhythm.
Their 2–1 home victory over Tottenham in Round 13 brought them to 8 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss—28 points, second place in the table.
Though they trailed leaders Manchester United by five points, they could at least still see the Red Devils' taillights ahead.
United, however, still had a game in hand. If they defeated bottom club Sheffield United away from home, their lead would stretch to eight points.
Sheffield United, though brave last season, had completely collapsed this campaign.
After losing goalkeeper Dean Henderson—who returned from loan—and with key players badly out of form, they had become easy prey for everyone.
After 12 matches, Sheffield United had yet to win, recording 1 draw and 11 losses for just one point, with five goals scored and twenty-one conceded.
Under such circumstances, stopping Manchester United seemed an impossible task.
...
Yet when everyone assumed United would win easily, the match took an astonishing turn.
In the 5th minute, Sheffield United struck first!
United lost possession inside their own box—David De Gea's pass was intercepted by Oliver Burke, who, while falling, managed to lay it off for David McGoldrick to slot home with ease. Sheffield United led 1–0.
A dream start for the hosts.
It was United's twelfth goal conceded in the league—roughly one per match on average.
Though De Gea was usually reliable, his lapses in concentration had repeatedly led to costly mistakes.
But Sheffield United's luck ran out quickly. Just seven minutes after scoring, defender Sander Berge went down injured and couldn't continue. Former Everton veteran Phil Jagielka came on as a forced substitution.
...
Conceding early, United launched a furious counterattack under Bruno's command, relentlessly battering Sheffield's goal.
After squandering several chances, they finally broke through.
In the 26th minute, Bruno delivered a long pass from deep, splitting the defense. Marcus Rashford timed his run perfectly, controlled the ball near the box, adjusted, and fired sharply past the keeper—1–1.
With the equalizer, United's momentum surged, and just seven minutes later, they took the lead.
Bruno, again at the heart of it, placed a precise through ball to Kylian Mbappé, who coolly slotted home for 2–1.
Now in front, United's attack swelled like a storm, though their finishing still lacked a final touch for a third goal.
After the break, they continued pressing high.
In the 51st minute, Bruno fed a forward pass; Mbappé's heavy touch unexpectedly turned into an assist for Rashford, who pounced to score. Though Aaron Ramsdale got a hand to it, he couldn't stop the shot—3–1 United.
Bruno was substituted for Juan Mata in the 79th minute; soon after, Sheffield pulled one back.
In the 87th minute, John Fleck swung in a corner from the right, and McGoldrick headed in again at the far post—2–3.
That goal renewed Sheffield's hope, and they threw everything forward, bombarding United's defense.
United's goal came under siege, but they held firm until the end to secure the win.
...
With 13 rounds completed—one-third of the season gone—the Premier League table looked almost unrecognizable.
The top two positions were unsurprising:
Manchester United, with 12 wins and 1 loss, led with 36 points;
Liverpool followed with 8 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss, trailing by 8 points.
But from third place downward, the landscape had drastically changed.
Third place: Southampton, with 7 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses (24 points).
Fourth: Leicester City, 8 wins, 5 losses, also 24 points but behind on goal difference.
Fifth: Everton, with 7 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses (23 points).
Sixth: Aston Villa, 7 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses (22 points).
Seventh: Tottenham Hotspur, 6 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses (22 points, lower goal difference).
Eighth: Chelsea, with 6 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses (21 points).
At the bottom, Sheffield United sat rock-bottom—1 draw, 12 losses, and just 1 point from 13 games.
According to OPTA, this was the lowest point total after 13 matches by any team in the history of England's top division.
(END CHAPTER)
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