Arsenal's players stood in the tunnel, with the seething stands above their heads. Hearing the tsunami-like cheers coming from the crowd, anyone with even the slightest timidity would have felt their knees go weak.
Captain Adams and New Manchester United captain Steve Bruce stood at the front of the line. Both had played in the Premier League for many years, so they were no strangers to each other. However, familiarity did not mean friendship. On the contrary, the grudges between the Red Devils and the Gunners were fully reflected in the two of them.
Ljungberg, standing behind Adams, had only joined Arsenal this season and had not had many chances to play. This match happened to be his opportunity to start in place of Parlour. Moreover, since the opponents were not strong, he should have a chance to perform, so Ljungberg was in a good mood. He looked over at the New Manchester United side, and standing level with him was Evra.
Evra had a fierce expression on his face. When he saw Ljungberg nod and smile politely at him, he did not feel the charm of this handsome Swede at all. He only glared at him coldly, then looked forward again.
This very rude behaviour made Ljungberg feel embarrassed and angry. Wasn't he just an amateur player from a tenth-tier league? Acting so high and mighty!
As the referee and assistant referees led the players out of the tunnel, the stadium immediately erupted into even louder applause and cheers, mixed with boos. It was impossible to tell exactly who they were aimed at.
For this match, nearly three thousand fans had travelled all the way from Manchester to support New Manchester United. Although they believed the chances of winning were slim, and despite the long journey, they still came.
"The players are on the pitch, viewers. We are watching one of the matches from the third round of the 98-99 FA Cup in England, with Arsenal hosting New Manchester United. This is a very special match, and it is the first time New Manchester United have appeared on television since their founding. Red Rebels fans believe this will be a match for the history books!"
Sky TV also paid close attention to this match and specially arranged for the famous commentator Andy Gray to provide live commentary.
"Let's first take a look at Arsenal's starting lineup. Since first-choice goalkeeper Seaman is being rested for this match, Manninger starts, while third-choice goalkeeper Lukic is on the bench. The centre-back pairing is captain Adams and backup centre-back Bould, whose starting place this season has been taken by Keown, greatly reducing his playing opportunities."
"The left and right full-backs are Dixon and Winterburn respectively. There is no suspense about those two positions. The midfield still uses a double defensive midfielder setup, with Petit and Vieira starting. We can see Grimandi and Rémi Garde sitting on the bench. In addition, the left and right wingers are the famous Dutch player Overmars and the young Swedish player Ljungberg."
"The strike partnership is Bergkamp and Anelka, while Boa Morte is also sitting on the bench!"
"From this lineup, we can see that Wenger takes this match quite seriously and has not used a large number of substitutes as the outside world had speculated. However, I believe this will not have much impact on the Red Rebels. After all, even if Arsenal played with a full reserve lineup, they would still be an incomparably powerful opponent for them!"
Speaking of this, Andy Gray even made a special joke.
"According to the data we collected earlier, Bergkamp's annual salary alone could buy every player at New Manchester United, including former Manchester United captain Steve Bruce. Now many people are wondering, what kind of team is this? How could it attract Steve Bruce to coach it? We still have a little time before the match begins, so let us review the past and present of the Red Rebels since their establishment over half a year ago!"
After he spoke, the television broadcast immediately switched to a short film. The short film described in great detail the reasons for the establishment of New Manchester United, how Ethan had spent everything to found the club, and how Manchester United fans had supported New Manchester United, among other things. Instead, it only briefly touched on New Manchester United's excellent performances in the North West Counties League Division Two this season.
Perhaps in the eyes of the television station, no matter how excellent the results in the North West Counties League Division Two were, they were not as attractive to the audience in front of the television as the origins of this Red Rebels club.
After the short film finished playing, on the pitch, the referee had already put the whistle to his lips and, a moment later, blew for the start of the match.
From the very first minute, the New Manchester United players threw themselves into desperate challenges, with even the forwards dropping back into midfield.
In the two-plus years since arriving at Arsenal, Vieira had become the midfield core of the team. With his outstanding physical condition, he was like a heavy tank on the pitch. Compared with him, Smith's physique seemed as thin as paper. One nudge and he would be sent flying.
After Vieira won the ball, he played it diagonally to Overmars on the left flank. The Dutchman was extremely quick. He used a feint in front of Kevin Evans, shook off his marker, went straight to the byline, and delivered a low cross.
Steve Bruce cleared the ball before the Ice Prince Bergkamp could reach it. Throw-in!
"Kevin, don't push too far forward. Watch your position!" Bruce reminded him from behind.
Kevin Evans turned back and nodded in agreement, but his whole body remained nervously focused on Overmars. This Dutchman's pace was truly too fast. As long as he relaxed even slightly and allowed him to dribble past, he would not be able to catch up even if he rode after him on horseback.
"Don't worry, Kevin, we're here!" Winger Darren Lyons also dropped back to help Kevin Evans provide defensive cover.
Winterburn threw the ball to Petit in midfield, and the French international sent a long pass to Ljungberg on the right.
Evra immediately stepped up. Ljungberg wanted to use his pace to beat Evra one-on-one, but just as he tried to accelerate, Evra had already launched into a fierce sliding tackle, sending both him and the ball out over the touchline.
In terms of pace, Evra was not inferior to Ljungberg at all.
That was a brilliant piece of defending!
"The match has only just begun, and the atmosphere is already very heated. Arsenal youngster Ljungberg gets up from the ground, staring indignantly at the opposing left-back and seemingly muttering something to the referee, probably complaining that the challenge was too rough. But the referee simply signals for play to continue!"
The fans in the stadium immediately responded to the referee's decision with dissatisfied boos.
"Well done, Patrice!" Ethan stood in front of the coaching bench and shouted encouragement to Evra, who was approaching.
Usually, when Bruce was playing, Walsh or Cassel sat here, but today's match was different. Ethan wanted to stand with the players, so he sat here too.
The match entered a fast-paced battle of attack and defence almost from the beginning. The current Arsenal did not yet have the beautiful possession-based style they would later develop. Wenger's transformation of Arsenal had only just begun, so the contest immediately became very heated.
Although New Manchester United's overall strength was far inferior to Arsenal's, in the first ten minutes of the match, they managed to fight Arsenal to a standstill with their tenacious spirit and fierce tackling, though the situation was still firmly controlled by Arsenal.
When the match reached the 18th minute, Adams sent a long pass from Arsenal's back line, finding Anelka directly. The latter controlled the ball and laid it off, and after Bergkamp received it, he played a through ball.
Gary Turner's slow turning speed was magnified to the limit in that instant. He did not even have time to pull Anelka back and could only watch helplessly as the 19-year-old French genius sent the ball into New Manchester United's goal.
1-0, Arsenal had their first goal!
"Damn it!" Ethan waved his fist. He almost wished he could tear down the shelter of the coaching bench at Highbury.
"It's okay, lads!" Bruce called all the players over on the pitch. "We're doing great. Remember, keep playing according to our plan, understood?"
The players agreed and spread out again.
The match continued!
After Arsenal scored first, the situation on the pitch became even more one-sided. New Manchester United were almost pinned in their own half and unable to get out, only able to keep clearing the ball and making interceptions.
In order to cope with Arsenal's bombardment, Bruce even pulled striker Jonathan Matten back into the defensive third, and the four midfielders also retreated to the edge of their own penalty area. Only Rhodri Giggs remained roaming near the halfway line, making New Manchester United's shape on the pitch look like a 9-1-0.
Seeing New Manchester United take this stance, Arsenal also began to play with more patience, especially head coach Wenger, who sat calmly on the coaching bench, looking as if the match was already in the bag.
However, the facts also proved that Arsenal indeed had the strength to win the match.
By the 32nd minute of the first half, Bergkamp received the ball with his back to goal. In an almost impossible situation, he chipped the ball over both himself and Bruce, sending it into the penalty area. Anelka controlled it with his chest, turned, and shot, all in one smooth motion, clean and sharp.
2-0. This was a goal that almost handed New Manchester United an early death sentence, because wanting to equalize at Highbury was something even Manchester United might not be able to do, let alone New Manchester United.
The fans in the stands suddenly cheered again, loudly shouting the names of Bergkamp and Anelka.
It was precisely because of his performances at Arsenal this season that the eccentric French genius transferred to Real Madrid, but after that, he completely sank.
Of course, the current Ethan did not remember at all what would happen to Anelka later. He only clearly saw Anelka celebrating the goal right under his nose, which was like a show of defiance against him, and it made him feel very angry.
Perhaps because they were two goals ahead, Arsenal began to conserve energy. After all, they still had a crucial league title battle to play at the weekend, so they began to consciously slow down the tempo of the match.
Just like that, the 2-0 scoreline remained until the end of the first half.
During half-time, when Bruce and Cassel led the players back to the dressing room one after another, Ethan was still sitting on the coaching bench, staring blankly at the pitch. He suddenly understood the frustration and helplessness Bruce felt. He really, truly hated the weakness of his own team, and he longed to become strong.
But sometimes, strength had to be forged through the pain of constant failure.
(To be continued.)