Peter Drury: "The final whistle blows! Four months of fierce battles, and today, three points worth their weight in pure gold! Congratulations to Manchester United for a hard-fought, spectacular victory, narrowly taking all three points from the Etihad. They've successfully clawed back the points deficit from Ling's earlier suspension!"
Jim Beglin: "Looking back at tonight's match, Peter, Manchester City surprised them tactically early on to score first, followed by solid defense and organized attacks. Man City indeed played well in this match. But their only weak link was left-back Benjamin Mendy, whose technical attributes still need refinement, especially in defensive positioning. He was like a ticking time bomb in his own half, and United never knew when it might explode. If the left-back hadn't been Mendy, Man United would have struggled to secure a win, at best managing a draw."
Peter Drury: "Manchester United broke through from that right flank, with Ling seizing the chance to score the equalizer, leading to the final counterattack and comeback. In a total of 95 minutes of play, Ling switched between seven different running patterns. He was like a phantom!"
Jim Beglin: "The post-match stats are out. Ling covered a staggering 13.76km—the highest among all players on the pitch. In football matches, it's generally expected that midfielders cover more distance than forwards. However, judging from Ling's heat map, he actually covered most areas of the front line. This represents his involvement in most phases of the attack."
Peter Drury: "To borrow lyrics from The Ordinary Road: He once destroyed everything he had, just wanting to leave forever. He once fell into endless darkness, struggling but unable to break free. But look at him now! Hopefully, Man United and Ling can keep up the momentum and aim to overtake Man City before Christmas, climbing to the top of the table! The Sky Over Manchester is Red!"
Jim Beglin: "Let's look at the broader picture. Sky Sports just released data from the first 12 rounds of Premier League matches. Manchester United recorded 1,920 sprints in total—over 200 more than second-place Chelsea and Liverpool. Their total distance covered ranks second in the Premier League, accumulating 1,252.7km. Overall, Manchester United rarely relies on possession to drive their attacking play. Most of their goals come from open play. Mourinho's counter-attacking tactics, combined with a striker-centric system, are gradually revealing their formidable power."
Peter Drury: "As for Manchester United, there are also areas where they haven't performed well. For example, the central defensive partnership of Maguire and Bailly still shows moments of reckless pressing."
Jim Beglin: "As for the other Premier League 'Big 6' teams, Tottenham defeated Crystal Palace 1-0, Arsenal drew 1-1 with Wolves, and Chelsea drew 0-0 with Everton. Given the poor form of both Arsenal and Chelsea, they are essentially out of contention for the Premier League title and are now even further behind the top three. Liverpool beat Fulham 2-0, with Salah and Shaqiri on the scoresheet, keeping close behind Manchester United. However, looking at the schedule, Liverpool's league opponents are not particularly strong, but their Champions League qualification situation is extremely precarious. Klopp can only maintain player fitness through rotation."
...
On the pitch, the torrential rain hadn't let up.
Man United fans were still celebrating wildly, while Man City fans had left the stadium early.
Ling took off his jersey, which was soaked with rain and sweat, revealing his chiseled upper body muscles and waved in gratitude toward the away team's spectator stands.
Not far away, the Manchester City players looked dejected.
Losing another crucial Manchester derby, even while maintaining their top position in the table, remained a significant blow.
David Silva firmly patted his teammates' shoulders to console them.
He could clearly feel his own aging, his competitive form was far worse than five years ago.
However, Manchester City's overall strength continued to improve, and he hoped to lift the Premier League trophy once more before leaving the club.
John Stones racked his brains but couldn't find an answer as to how they had lost, ultimately attributing it to Jeremy Ling's rapid improvement.
'How is it that Ling can't be contained?'
Ederson removed his gloves, shaking off the rainwater, occasionally glancing toward Ling among the Man United players, who now had his jersey draped over his shoulder.
Ederson had never kept a clean sheet against Ling—just thinking about it was frustrating!
Because he recalled that terrifying Pendulum Dribble—such a striker is every goalkeeper's nightmare!
He inexplicably sighed.
Passing by Manchester City's coaching area, Ling walked toward Pep Guardiola and proactively extended his right hand.
Guardiola pushed aside his disappointment and shook it.
"Your performance today was truly excellent," the manager said, "but there's still plenty of room for improvement. Come to my house for dinner tomorrow night—I'll explain it to you in detail."
Mourinho quickly approached upon seeing this, aggressively pushing Guardiola's hand away.
"Pep, you're overstepping!"
Seeing the two managers about to argue again, Ling offered Guardiola an apologetic smile before pulling Mourinho into the players' tunnel.
Some people are simply obsessed with football.
Last season, after Manchester City secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Southampton, Guardiola had pulled aside Southampton player Nathan Redmond, using intense gestures and tactical analysis to guide him.
It's well-known that Guardiola is a football fanatic, having once called Arjen Robben at two in the morning.
In this regard, Guardiola and Rafa Benítez are quite similar. There was no need to doubt whether Benítez had other thoughts in life.
Even if you locked Benítez and a Kardashian in a room overnight, the next day the Kardashian would only be able to discuss the pros and cons of the 4-4-2 formation.
...
Among the 20 Premier League clubs, Manchester City boasts the most luxurious dressing room facilities, complete with massage baths, wave pools, and ice baths—everything one could ask for.
In the away locker room, Lingard and Pogba danced while Ling and others enjoyed hot showers.
The Manchester United players chatted intermittently.
"Old Trafford really needs a renovation," De Gea mentioned casually. "Some of the stands are leaking, and I have no idea where the club spends its money every year. I heard they're expanding the budget during this offseason break, with 20 million pounds prepared."
"Aren't you guys tired?" Maguire groaned, rubbing his lower back. "I feel like I'm about to fall apart. You have no idea about that Agüero. He runs around like a flea—otherwise, I could have run 1km less."
"Cut the crap," Ling laughed, throwing a towel at him. "You ran less than 8.5km—how tired could you possibly be?"
"I'm already 25 years old, and my career is stable now. It's time to move on to the next stage of life," Maguire replied softly, defending himself.
"I heard you're planning to have children soon? Didn't you just get engaged last month?" Ling asked.
De Gea stylishly tossed his hair back, joking, "You know you're only 19 years old, Ling, why carry so much pressure every day?"
"Me? I won't turn 20 until December 14th. I still have plenty of time to enjoy life," Ling shrugged.
"Besides, training is so exhausting every day—when would I have time to take care of a child?"
Currently in the rapid ascent of his career, Ling had to devote all his energy to improving his personal abilities.
Right now, he just wanted to work hard to change the future.
And then there was the Big Ears Cup, symbolizing the pinnacle of European football.
Ashley Young couldn't resist complaining. He was considered a model of hard training within the Man United squad. Even so, he couldn't handle Ling's training regimen.
If it were just a week or two, it might be manageable, but the key was that Ling had persisted with it for an entire year.