The stand where the New Manchester United fans had gathered suddenly erupted into the loudest cheers of the entire match!
Lyons, Darren Lyons had equalized for New Manchester United in the 92nd minute!
"It's incredible, it's unbelievable, this is simply a miracle!" Andy Gray was clearly becoming very excited as well.
"Both teams have had a man sent off, and both are fielding makeshift lineups, yet Arsenal's performance in the last 20 minutes has been as poor as an amateur team's, while New Manchester United look like a completely different side, performing no worse than a Premier League powerhouse. They deserve this goal, they deserve this draw!"
"We can even foresee that a week from now, at New Manchester United's Butcher's Arms, the replay between the two teams is bound to be another fierce battle. We... wait... wait!"
Andy Gray suddenly stopped.
"What's going on? The referee has signalled that the goal is disallowed! My God, this was absolutely a brilliant goal, an indisputable goal. How could it be ruled out?"
The entire Highbury stadium was like boiling water, exploding into chaos. Arsenal fans were cheering, while New Manchester United fans were protesting indignantly.
"Slow-motion replays show that Lyons' long-range shot hit the crossbar and bounced into the goal. It clearly crossed the goal line by nearly a metre before spinning back out and being caught by Manninger. This was absolutely, without a doubt, a fantastic goal."
New Manchester United's players surrounded the referee to demand an explanation, believing they had just completed a brilliant attacking move. However, after consulting with the linesman, the referee firmly denied that it was a goal and signalled for the New Manchester United players to resume the game immediately, or else they would be shown yellow cards.
The New Manchester United fans in the stands immediately erupted with overwhelming boos.
Even commentator Andy Gray expressed confusion over the referee's decision.
"This is definitely a misjudgement. We can clearly see from the slow-motion replay that the ball had completely crossed the line, but the linesman couldn't keep up with the play, so he couldn't see the situation clearly, and the referee's view was also blocked."
After saying this, Andy Gray jokingly added, "If misjudgements are part of football, then I think New Manchester United can only blame their counterattack for being too fast, especially the young left-back Patrice Evra. It was precisely because of his speed that he left the match officials, who couldn't keep up, far behind, which caused this misjudgement."
However, regardless of the controversy surrounding the goal, since the referee had already ruled it out, there was no choice but to comply. Even if New Manchester United were dissatisfied, it was useless.
Because of this incident, the New Manchester United players' minds were no longer focused on the game. The remaining time felt like a mere formality. The referee also seemed eager to end the match early, so he blew the final whistle before stoppage time had even fully elapsed.
"The referee has finally blown the final whistle. The Arsenal players are clearly relieved. Yes, they managed to snatch a hard-fought victory from New Manchester United at Highbury, but if you look at the flow of the game, perhaps a draw would have been more appropriate. After all, New Manchester United's performance was also excellent, especially in the last 20 minutes."
"For the last 20 minutes of the second half, New Manchester United were almost pinning Arsenal back. If you judged solely by the situation on the pitch, I believe everyone would agree that in those last 20 minutes, New Manchester United looked more like a Premier League team, while Arsenal looked more like a tenth-tier side."
"This is a team full of fighting spirit. Although they are currently in the tenth tier of English football, and although they are still very young, no one can deny the eye-catching quality they displayed in this match."
"Perhaps, as New Manchester United themselves say, they are not the Red Devils, and they don't want to be the Red Devils. They are the Red Rebels, proud Red Rebels with their own independent character!"
It was clear that Andy Gray felt regret over New Manchester United's defeat.
"Come on, let's go thank the fans!" Ethan shouted to the players who were preparing to leave the pitch.
As the temporary captain, Darren Lyons led his teammates to the stand where the New Manchester United fans had gathered. They waved to the fans in the stands, thanking them for travelling all the way to London to cheer for and support the team.
"Red Rebels, well done!"
"Come on, Red Rebels!"
The fans in the stands responded with incredibly enthusiastic applause.
Standing in the distance, Ethan thought to himself, if the team had its own anthem at this moment, and these three thousand fans sang it in unison, what a stirring and moving scene that would be!
"Don't be sad, Ethan. In fact, we didn't lose!" Cassel consoled Ethan.
"Right, we didn't lose, so we should leave here with our heads held high. Otherwise, look, why wouldn't even the usually gentle Professor come over to shake our hands?" Ethan said, forcing a smile.
Ethan respected Wenger. In fact, any football fan should have a good impression of him. However, the truth was that Wenger's flaws as a head coach were quite obvious. This was the reason why the Arsenal side he managed was long held in check by Manchester United, and later, after Manchester United fell into a slump, they still found it difficult to resist Mourinho's Chelsea.
Someone once said that the role most suitable for Wenger was actually not head coach, but technical advisor or scout.
Ethan left the players on the pitch and walked into the tunnel alone. This defeat left him feeling very unwilling to accept it.
Steve Bruce was standing at the entrance of the team's dressing room, leaning against the wall with his face turned, watching Ethan walk over.
Ethan did not speak. He arrived beside him and also leaned against the wall.
The two stood in silence, listening to the sounds coming from outside the stadium. The feeling was very unreal, yet dreamlike.
"We almost drew with Arsenal at Highbury, mate!" Ethan said, putting his arm around Bruce's shoulder to comfort him.
Bruce nodded. He had heard it all in the tunnel.
"Compared to the players, I feel ashamed, Ethan!" After a while, Bruce said, "I didn't fulfil the responsibilities of a head coach or even a captain. I feel like I was fucking too hot-headed. I even doubt whether I'm suited to be a head coach!"
"Don't be like that, Steve!" Ethan patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Are you willing to hear my perspective on this matter from the eyes of a club owner?"
Bruce was taken aback and looked up at Ethan. All along, their relationship had been that of friends. Even within the club, their words and actions had never carried the distance between boss and employee. Instead, they were like two good friends who had known each other for years.
But now, Ethan was taking on the identity of a boss. Why?
Although he found it strange, Bruce still nodded.
"I really think you should have punched him back then, hard, right in the temple, or the nose would do too. Just punch him!" Ethan pointed to his own head exaggeratedly to demonstrate.
How could Bruce not know that Ethan was comforting him? But he still chuckled. "But that would have left me facing a serious suspension!"
"What does that matter? You're planning to retire anyway, aren't you? What difference does a few more matches of suspension make? Can The FA possibly ban you from being a head coach?" Ethan said with an indifferent expression.
Bruce laughed for a while, feeling much better, and hugged Ethan. "Thank you, Ethan!"
"Really, Steve, in this match, I truly believe those last 20 minutes were ignited by your grit, so you didn't do anything wrong!" Ethan put on a serious face.
"Yeah, I've figured it out!" Bruce let out a deep sigh, as if he wanted to release all the gloom in his heart.
"That's good," Ethan said with a smile. Just then, footsteps sounded at the tunnel entrance. "The players are coming in. Don't let them see you looking so dejected. We are the winners of this match. We should be proud. We should hold our heads high, you know?"
"Don't worry, boss!" Bruce smiled and pushed open the dressing room door.
After watching Bruce go in, the smile on Ethan's face quickly faded, leaving no trace at all. He then slowly turned around and headed toward the stadium exit.
For him, a defeat was not unacceptable, but what he could not accept was losing in this way. He did not even know how to process his current feelings.
Was it pathetic?
Obviously not. The players' performance on the pitch was nothing short of desperate. They fought from the first minute of the match until the very last.
Frustrated?
Not that either, because New Manchester United losing to Arsenal was normal. Ethan had already mentally prepared himself for a heavy defeat, and now that they had managed a 1-2 scoreline and even nearly equalized, he was already satisfied.
In any case, Ethan did not know what was going on. He just felt terrible right now and wanted to find a place to stay quietly by himself, not thinking about anything.
Perhaps, when he woke up the next morning, he would start to forget about this incident.
This was London, and Ethan was not familiar with the place, so the only shelter he could find was the team bus.
Obviously, the bus driver had also gone to watch the game and had not come out yet, making it impossible for Ethan to get in.
He kicked the tyre in frustration, which made the nearby stadium security guard look cautious, clearly suspecting that Ethan was a thief or a fan who had come over to cause trouble.
Walking out of the car park, there was a small alley. Following the alley to the main entrance of Highbury, one could see fans pouring out of the stadium like a tide, flowing down the steps.
Such a spectacular scene made Ethan's heart surge. At this moment, he desperately longed to own his own stadium. He believed that if one day he stood at the very top of his own stadium, looking down and seeing so many fans pouring out of it, that feeling would be absolutely wonderful.
Of course, the prerequisite was that his own team had to keep winning. Otherwise, if they lost, it would be strange if he felt good!
Ethan watched the crowd in a daze, not even noticing when someone came up behind him.
"It seems your mood isn't very good, my fellow fan!" the person said with a smile.
(To be continued.)