Chapter 836: Crushing the Old Rival
Bielsa's joy didn't last long—just four minutes later, Manchester United scored again.
Bruno controlled the ball up front, feinting as if to pass to McTominay, drawing the Leeds defense toward him. But suddenly, he slipped a perfectly disguised through ball straight down the middle.
It was a moment of brilliance—imaginative, unexpected, and deadly precise.
Rashford sprang forward from behind two defenders, timing his run perfectly to stay onside.
"No offside!"
"He's through on goal!"
Facing the onrushing Illan Meslier, Rashford fired low. The ball skimmed across the grass, past the goalkeeper's glove, and nestled neatly inside the far post.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!"
"Manchester United have gone absolutely wild! Leeds United's goal moments ago hasn't slowed their pace at all—they're three goals down once again!" shouted Andy Gray. "Look at the faces of the Leeds players—they look lost, as if asking themselves: 'What just happened?' My God…"
"Marcus Rashford! 4–1! 4–1! If you've just turned on your TV, believe your eyes—the scoreline is real!" exclaimed Martin Tyler. "4–1 to Manchester United after just twenty-five minutes! Unbelievable football, incredible scoreline—what a game!"
Even Martin Tyler, usually composed and confident in United's dominance under Mourinho, could only shake his head in amazement.
Twenty-five minutes played, four goals past a strong Leeds United side—who could have imagined it?
"United have gone berserk," said Gray bluntly.
...
"After twenty-five minutes, United have displayed astonishing efficiency—six shots, five on target, four goals."
"The Red Devils are showing the world just how relentless their attack can be," said Tyler with admiration. "Last season they won their fourth consecutive Premier League title with 99 points—one more than Liverpool's 98—achieving even greater success than Ferguson's era ever did. Early this season, they hit a brief slump, and many believed United's dominance was fading. But Mourinho and his team have proved everyone wrong. Fourteen games into the season, they already lead the league by eight points!"
"Just a day ago, Liverpool demolished Crystal Palace 7–0, sending a clear message to their rivals. But now, a day later, United have answered loudly with a masterclass of their own. This is a message to Klopp—United aren't slowing down. They will not give Liverpool a chance to catch up!"
...
Leeds, trailing 1–4, looked dejected, and bad luck continued to haunt them.
In the 36th minute, midfielder Kalvin Phillips stopped the ball, then suddenly kicked it out of play.
Team doctors hurried onto the pitch—it looked serious.
Both Mourinho and Bielsa watched closely as medical staff knelt over Phillips. Moments later, the doctor raised a hand—substitution signal.
"It looks like Phillips can't continue."
"Let's look at the replay—no contact, no tackle, he just stopped and felt something. Looks like a muscle pull or strain."
"F**k…"
Bielsa waved in frustration. It was one of those nights—disaster upon disaster.
He had no choice but to replace Phillips with young Pascal Struijk. Mourinho shook his head slightly, almost pitying Bielsa—then smiled.
This was an opportunity.
He called Bruno over to the sideline to update tactical instructions: Rashford and Luke Shaw were to target Struijk's side mercilessly.
Most coaches handled young players cautiously, especially in crisis moments like this. Bielsa, forced into the change, probably hoped Struijk's technical qualities might help or offer attacking options.
But Mourinho's plan was to unleash relentless pressure on him, to utterly destroy his rhythm and confidence.
When a young player is thrown into chaos mid-game, he either survives and shines—or he sinks completely. Mourinho intended to make the latter happen.
...
Even Mourinho hadn't expected United's luck and efficiency to be this extraordinary.
Five minutes later, they ripped Leeds open again down the left flank. Luke Shaw intercepted Struijk's pass, sprinted to the byline, and cut the ball back to the top of the arc. Rashford laid it off; McTominay slid in but missed contact by inches.
At the back post, Gündoğan arrived perfectly to strike—his shot cannoned off the right post.
Before Leeds fans could even exhale in relief, a flash of red darted into the frame—Bruno had smashed home the rebound before Alioski could react.
"Bruno scores! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!"
"After two assists, Bruno finally gets his own goal!"
"5–1! Absolute domination! United have completely dismantled Leeds! Nobody could've predicted this—Bielsa's energetic side has been humbled, shipping five goals in just forty-one minutes!"
"I can't believe my eyes," groaned a stunned Leeds commentator. "We're down 1–5 already… What's happened? Where's Bamford? Raphinha? Rodrigo? Klich? Harrison? Where's our defense? What are they doing?"
He could barely contain his anger and despair—it was simply incomprehensible. Their beloved Leeds hadn't even reached halftime and were already destroyed.
...
Bielsa couldn't understand it either. The confusion spread like poison through his players, draining their spirit.
At that moment, United looked like a monster to them—bloodthirsty and unstoppable.
Bruno ran toward the camera, escaping his teammates' embrace, and raised his hand to his mouth in a pacifier gesture.
"He dedicates the goal to his newborn son," said Martin Tyler softly. "Earlier this month, Bruno's wife, who was in China, gave birth to their child. The United captain dedicates this goal to his baby boy—no doubt watching with her on TV. He may be too young to understand football, but surely he can feel his father's love."
His teammates crowded around, celebrating with their captain.
The stands erupted into thunderous applause—every fan in the Millennium Stadium stood, clapping for Bruno and his son.
...
That goal would be the last of the first half. United led 5–1 at halftime.
For Leeds, it was a historic humiliation. It was their 482nd match in the Premier League, yet the first time they had ever conceded five goals in the first half.
In their previous 481 games, they had never even allowed four before halftime—let alone five.
This was also the first match of the season to feature six first-half goals. The only previous examples of five-goal halves were Liverpool vs. Leeds, Aston Villa vs. Liverpool, and United vs. Tottenham—never more.
In the entire 2019–2020 season, only three matches had even produced five first-half goals.
...
When the second half began, Stuart Dallas brought a glimmer of joy to the visitors. Controlling the ball off a header on his chest, he smashed a stunning volley past De Gea—5–2.
Leeds fans roared—they dared to dream. If United could score five in one half, why couldn't they?
But ten minutes later, their hopes died.
In the 60th minute, Bruno cut inside and fired from distance, blasting the ball past Meslier again. Two goals for the captain—6–2!
Nineteen minutes later, United struck once more. Bruno, McTominay, and Mason Greenwood combined beautifully, and the substitute—on for Mbappé—fired a fierce shot from the edge of the box into the bottom-left corner.
The stadium erupted.
Greenwood, United born and bred since the age of seven, had scored in a legendary rivalry match. It was a proud moment for supporters—and for United's future.
Above all, it pushed the scoreline to 7–2—pure, joyous domination.
(END CHAPTER)
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