Only seven minutes had passed when Robben tore down the left, cut inside, and set up Drogba for the opening goal.
1-0.
The moment the ball hit the net, more than fifty thousand voices inside Old Trafford shouted in unison.
"One!"
It was impossible not to understand the meaning. Frank Arnesen had spent the build-up dismissing New Manchester United in the media, and the home crowd were now counting every goal directly at him.
PSV tried to respond, but the harder they pushed for an equaliser, the more space they left behind.
In the 21st minute, Essien won the ball in midfield and found Beckham. Without hesitation, Beckham sent one of his trademark diagonal passes towards the left. Robben timed his run perfectly, beat the offside trap, collected the ball in stride, drove into the penalty area, rounded the advancing goalkeeper, and rolled the ball into an empty net.
2-0.
Again, the crowd answered immediately.
"Two!"
Arnesen was sitting only a short distance from Ethan, Walsh, and Davey in the directors' box. His face had gone crimson, and when he noticed the three men struggling not to laugh, his expression became even worse. Before long, he simply got up and left his seat.
The match, of course, continued without him.
With two goals already scored, New Manchester United grew increasingly confident, and Robben was especially destructive on the left. PSV's right side could not contain him, which in turn created more space for Drogba through the middle.
In the 39th minute, Robben combined beautifully with Kaká on the left. Kaká carried the ball into the penalty area and squared it towards the far post, where Palacio arrived at exactly the right moment to tap home.
3-0.
The entire stadium roared again.
"Three!"
The scene was unforgettable. It felt as though the supporters were answering every word Arnesen had said before the tie.
You said we weren't good enough?
Three goals.
What now?
After half-time, PSV changed their approach completely. They tightened the midfield, committed more bodies behind the ball, and focused first on preventing the score from becoming embarrassing. The adjustment slowed New Manchester United's attack and dragged the second half into a stalemate.
The home crowd did not approve.
As the minutes passed and PSV continued to sit deep, frustration began spreading through the stands. In the supporters' eyes, if PSV had truly come to beat New Manchester United, then they should attack rather than spend the entire half defending their own penalty area.
Someone eventually shouted from the stands, "Come on, then! Weren't you going to beat us?"
Others immediately joined in. Within moments, the words had picked up a melody and turned into an improvised song sung by tens of thousands of people.
"Look at you hiding back there! Our goal's this way, come and have a go!"
The chant became loud enough that the television cameras repeatedly cut to the home supporters.
The match eventually finished 3-0. PSV's stubborn defending prevented a fourth, but the result had already left their morale badly damaged.
Mateja Kežman, the player Arnesen had spoken about so confidently before the match, had been almost anonymous. Afterwards, he admitted that the atmosphere had affected him and described the New Manchester United supporters as among the most intimidating he had encountered. More importantly, he acknowledged that PSV had been second best in both quality and confidence.
Kežman himself was deeply disappointed with his performance.
One reporter from the Manchester Evening News had intended to find Arnesen after the final whistle and ask for his reaction. Instead, the journalist searched the stadium without finding him. Word quickly spread that Arnesen had left early.
A week later, when New Manchester United travelled to Eindhoven for the second leg, several English reporters specifically requested an interview with him. PSV's response was simple: Arnesen would not be speaking to the media, and any football-related questions should be directed to the head coach.
The second leg was played in Eindhoven, but PSV's approach remained just as cautious as Arnesen's media strategy.
From the opening minute, they sat deep.
Kežman was left almost alone up front as an outlet, while Van Bommel and the midfield fought aggressively for every second ball. Mourinho, protecting a three-goal advantage and unwilling to risk injuries, instructed his own players to stay composed and avoid being dragged into an unnecessarily physical contest.
The result was a painfully dull match.
0-0.
PSV never looked as though they genuinely believed in a comeback, and they did not even seem particularly desperate to win the second leg. Kežman's performance was even more disappointing than in Manchester. Across both matches, he failed to register a single shot on target, a remarkable outcome for a striker who had come close to winning the European Golden Shoe only a year earlier.
Ethan was not surprised.
He had already discussed Kežman with Mourinho before the tie. The striker was excellent when given room to move and finish, but physically he was not especially strong. New Manchester United's plan had therefore been simple: raise the tempo, make the game more physical around him, and prevent him from settling.
It worked perfectly.
Robben, by contrast, had developed in the opposite direction over the previous year. With the help of The Lab, his physical condition had improved significantly. His pace remained devastating, but he was stronger in contact, more balanced when challenged, and far better at recognising when to release the ball or adjust his stride to avoid reckless tackles.
Those details mattered enormously in the Premier League.
Thinking about that particular skill reminded Ethan of Agüero.
The young Argentine was almost impossible to catch cleanly. He was short, quick, explosive, and technically gifted, but what stood out most was how naturally he avoided contact. His body seemed to slip around challenges before they could land.
That instinct had probably been shaped by his upbringing in Argentina. Making a senior debut at fifteen meant learning very quickly how to survive against older, stronger defenders. If a young attacker did not know how to protect himself, one ugly challenge could derail an entire career.
Since arriving in Manchester, Agüero had been working on both sides of the problem. The Lab was helping him improve his strength, while the coaches encouraged him to preserve the evasive instincts that had always been part of his game.
Ethan had even joked with Robben and Messi that they should learn from Agüero's almost eel-like ability to slide away from tackles. Neither had quite the same natural cunning, but both had improved noticeably.
Robben's injury record that season was already evidence of it. He had suffered only two minor problems with the first team, neither keeping him out for more than a few days.
Messi, meanwhile, continued to move between the senior bench and the reserve side. Mourinho did not lack faith in him. Quite the opposite. His talent was obvious to everyone. The problem was simply that Messi was still only sixteen, and Mourinho had no intention of overloading him physically.
Palacio's form also made the decision easier. He had been outstanding, stayed fit, and fully deserved his place. With Robben, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ribéry all capable of playing wide as well, Mourinho could afford to introduce Messi gradually.
Even so, Messi was regularly included on the bench. Whenever matches became safe enough, Mourinho gave him minutes to experience the level and atmosphere of Premier League football.
That alone showed how highly the manager regarded him.
Messi continued to justify the faith. Almost every appearance contained something that reminded everyone of his potential, and the staff were increasingly curious about just how far the academy's most gifted player might eventually go.
...
"The draw's out!"
Walsh burst into Ethan's office without knocking.
Ethan was in the middle of a meeting with Mourinho, Davey, and several staff members about the new stadium. Most of the structural work was complete, and attention had shifted towards interior finishing, seating, dressing-room details, and the pitch itself.
One of the subjects under discussion was pitch size.
That was not merely an architectural detail. The dimensions of a home pitch could influence the way a team played, so Mourinho had been consulted before anything was finalised.
After several discussions with the coaching staff, they settled on 106 metres by 70 metres, the same dimensions they had grown accustomed to at Old Trafford and among the largest playing surfaces in the Premier League.
Mourinho did not believe a larger pitch was automatically better. His reasoning was tactical. New Manchester United attacked frequently through the centre, but the system also relied heavily on width, overlapping full-backs, and one-on-one situations near the touchlines. The extra space suited the qualities of Robben, Cristiano Ronaldo, Palacio, Maicon, and Evra.
More importantly, the team had spent two seasons adapting to that size while sharing Old Trafford.
There was no reason to change something that already worked.
Once the dimensions were agreed, Ethan had the plans forwarded to the stadium management team.
Only then did he turn towards Walsh.
"The UEFA Cup draw?"
Walsh waited until the remaining staff had left, then closed the office door.
"Exactly. Guess who we've got."
Davey reached over and pulled him towards an empty chair.
"Stop playing games and tell us."
Walsh grinned.
"AC Milan."
He watched Ethan and Mourinho closely, clearly expecting a reaction.
Instead, the two men exchanged a glance and laughed.
Walsh stared at them.
"That's it? You don't think that's a ridiculous draw?"
He had not forgotten the UEFA Super Cup earlier in the season. AC Milan had beaten New Manchester United 3-2, but the score had flattered Mourinho's side. For long stretches, Milan had controlled the match completely.
Ethan smiled.
"You sound worried, Andy."
Walsh shrugged and looked at Mourinho, who seemed equally relaxed.
Mourinho leaned back in his chair.
"This is about as good a draw as we could have asked for."
Walsh frowned.
Mourinho's smile widened.
"I've been hoping we'd get another chance at them."
That changed the atmosphere immediately.
The defeat in Monaco had stayed with him.
At the beginning of the season, New Manchester United were still learning how to operate at the highest level. Beckham had only just arrived, several tactical relationships were still developing, and Milan's experience had exposed every weakness.
Now things were different.
The team had spent months playing together. Beckham had fully adapted to his deeper role. The structure was clearer, the movement more natural, and the entire side had matured.
Mourinho wanted the rematch.
"AC Milan are still very strong," Ethan said. "Ancelotti has done an excellent job there. Pirlo, Rui Costa, Rivaldo, Seedorf, he has found ways to use all of them. Then there's Shevchenko and Inzaghi up front, with Gattuso doing the dirty work behind them."
Milan's squad remained formidable. They had won the Champions League the previous season and were again performing superbly in Italy. Kaká was no longer part of their midfield in this timeline, but Rivaldo had flourished in his place. Shevchenko was in outstanding form, while the defence still featured names such as Maldini, Nesta, and Cafu.
There were very few obvious weaknesses.
Davey smiled.
"We're not exactly bad ourselves."
Everyone laughed.
Mourinho's expression then became serious.
"Don't worry. If we face Milan again, we won't make the same mistakes we made in Monaco."
Ethan reached over and patted him on the shoulder.
That confidence did not surprise him.
Mourinho and Ferguson had something important in common: both learned quickly from defeat. They were capable of analysing themselves without sentiment, identifying what had gone wrong, and turning an opponent's strengths into lessons.
Ferguson had done exactly that after losing the first Red Devil Derby, creating far greater problems for New Manchester United in the return fixture.
Ethan had no reason to believe Mourinho would do anything less.
AC Milan had taught New Manchester United a lesson at the beginning of the season.
Now Ethan wanted to see what Mourinho had learned from it.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)