After the pre-match warm-up, Ling returned to the locker room with his teammates.
After final preparations, they re-entered the players' tunnel.
"Henrikh!" Ling called out, extending his hand to Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the tunnel. "It's only been a few months, and you've already won two Player of the Month awards for Arsenal. Great to see you rediscover your Bundesliga form!"
"Congratulations on winning the Premier League and Champions League," Mkhitaryan replied, his expression seeming slightly unnatural.
"Haha, you played a big part in it too. Good luck in today's match!" Ling noticed Mkhitaryan's embarrassment and gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder.
Mkhitaryan had chosen to leave Manchester United during the winter transfer window to join Arsenal, a club far better suited to his technical style.
Mourinho's coaching philosophy required the team to prioritize defense—everyone, including the striker, needed strong defensive capabilities and attitude.
This posed significant challenges for the physically slight Mkhitaryan, hindering his offensive creativity.
Meanwhile, Arsenal emphasized attack over defense. As a key offensive weapon, Mkhitaryan's main role was orchestrating attacks with minimal defensive duties.
He'd undoubtedly enjoy his football much more in London.
There was nothing wrong with his decision—he simply wasn't suited for Manchester United, and forcing himself to stay would only harm both sides.
As for whether Mkhitaryan regretted leaving just before Man United won the Premier League and Champions League, Ling preferred not to speculate about his former teammate's feelings.
...
As the passionate Premier League anthem erupted, both teams emerged amid thunderous drumbeats.
The Old Trafford crowd instantly roared to life.
Peter Drury: "A very good evening to you from the Theatre of Dreams! It is Matchday 15 of the Premier League! The established might of Manchester United against the newly resilient Arsenal! Let's look at the starting lineups. Man United maintains their balanced 4-2-3-1 formation. Poor Romelu Lukaku sprained his ankle last match and is expected to miss one to two weeks."
Jim Beglin: "It's worth noting, Peter, that Ashley Young is no longer serving as the second captain. The official reason given by Man United is that Young voluntarily stepped down, so the captain's armband for this match is worn officially by young Jeremy Ling."
Peter Drury: "A changing of the guard! Actually, since Wayne Rooney's departure, whether it was Michael Carrick or Antonio Valencia, they both seemed more like transitional captains, waiting for the true inheritor of the Man United dressing room spirit. I believe Man United has now found the right candidate!"
Jim Beglin: "Now let's take a look at Arsenal's starting lineup. Emery goes with his most commonly used 3-4-2-1 formation. Granit Xhaka has accumulated too many yellow cards and is suspended. The 36-year-old Petr Čech has also been relegated to the bench; it's said he will retire at the end of this season."
Beeeeep!!!
The piercing whistle scattered the chaotic thoughts, and everyone's attention returned to the pitch.
Arsenal kicked off first, and Man United immediately pressed high!
Employing the same high press as they did against Man City, United looked to dominate.
Guardiola cleverly executed build-up play from the back against this press using a central defensive midfielder strategy.
But Emery couldn't achieve this.
The fundamental reason lay in the lack of quality among Arsenal's players.
The three center-backs struggled to circulate the ball effectively, even with the support of the goalkeeper and dropping wing-backs.
The attacking progression was also isolated, relying mostly on young Matteo Guendouzi.
Although the curly-haired midfielder turned quickly and evaded skillfully, most of his passing lanes were easily intercepted by Man United.
Man United, with their tall and physically imposing players, aggressively pressed and occupied space faster and more fiercely. But why did Emery still field this 3-4-2-1 lineup?
Because he aimed to mitigate the individual defensive weaknesses of Arsenal's backline by adding an extra body, preventing it from being shattered by Ling's powerful dribbling.
In reality, even with the three-center-back system, Arsenal's situation didn't improve much.
In the 6th minute of the match, Guendouzi's pass was slightly flawed and easily intercepted by Pogba's long legs.
"Here!" Ling shouted, suddenly stopping and changing direction, violently shaking off Shkodran Mustafi who was marking him.
Pogba didn't hesitate and decisively played a through pass!
Ling controlled the ball about half a meter to his left and, without a second thought, swung his left foot for a powerful strike.
The ball roared toward Arsenal's goal!
Peter Drury: "LING STRIKES IT! Oh, what a save from Leno! He tips it around the post!"
Leno's instinctive reaction saved Arsenal, barely tipping the ball away as it was about to cross the goal line.
Jim Beglin: "Did you notice the issues with Arsenal's defensive line there, Peter? Mustafi and Rob Holding's lateral movement and closing speed are far too slow. They simply can't keep up with Ling's pace."
Arsenal's three-center-back system lacked a dominant presence, resulting in a lack of structure in the backline.
Simply put, it was like a spring that had lost its elasticity. Thus, Man United could attack relentlessly.
As long as they intensified their counter-pressing after losing possession, they had little to fear from Arsenal's quick counterattacks—unless Arsenal got lucky enough to hoof the ball from their own half, bypassing the midfield to find Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front.
But Arsenal's luck is notoriously bad.
Amid the cheers of the Man United fans, the Man United players grew increasingly dominant, practically pinning Arsenal down in their own penalty area.
In the 13th minute of the first half, the 'Winter Limited Edition' Mahrez weaved and dribbled on the right flank, shook off Sead Kolašinac, and burst into the box.
Holding quickly stepped up to cover. Ling waited near the penalty spot for a pass.
Arsenal showed him plenty of respect, with two defenders marking him closely.
Mahrez cut inside onto his left foot and delivered a pass into the center.
Mustafi, aware of Ling's delicate skills—especially his ability to turn and shoot in one touch—deliberately kept some distance from him to avoid being rolled. But it was precisely this brief gap that gave Ling enough time to turn.
Under the expectant gaze of the Man United fans, Ling turn on the spot and unleashed a low, sweeping shot toward the right side of the goal!
Thump!
Peter Drury: "LING SPINS... AND HE SCORES! He threads the needle! Leno couldn't save Arsenal this time! The ball brushes past his fingertips, strikes the inside of the post, and bounces into the net!"
Jim Beglin: "Man United's fierce start has paid off! Looking back at the goal, Arsenal's defense was entirely at fault. Logically, Mustafi should have been covering deeper, while Sokratis should have stepped up. But Sokratis was distracted by Pogba's run, allowing Ling to turn and shoot with ease! And he even used his weaker foot!"
1-0!
Old Trafford erupted instantly.
Back on the pitch, Ling had just finished celebrating with his teammates and was heading back to his own half.
To be honest, facing Arsenal today felt very easy for Ling.
It wasn't a matter of looking down on Arsenal—it was simply that Arsenal's tactics were being completely countered by Man United.
On the touchline, Emery rubbed his temples and called Aaron Ramsey to the sideline.
"Stick to the plan. Increase the intensity of our attacks down the wings!"
Since Emery took over at Arsenal, the fluid, intricate passing of the Wenger era had disappeared, replaced by rapid advances down the flanks.
This is Emery's philosophy of wing play.
Most of Arsenal's goals this season had come from driving to the byline, cutting the ball back across the box, and having Lacazette and Aubameyang arriving to finish.
How could Mourinho not prepare for that? He simply pulled Rashford and Mahrez back into midfield, forming a solid and tight defensive line on the wings.
Matić and Herrera also played their roles, cutting off most of the crossing opportunities.
Arsenal's attacks were stifled in the midfield before they could even develop.
In the 23rd minute of the match, Héctor Bellerín used his pace to burst past Rashford on the wing.
But the experienced Ashley Young timed his tackle perfectly, intercepted the ball, and charged down the touchline!
With Arsenal committing so many players to the wings, their flanks were left dangerously exposed on the counter.
Peter Drury: "Arsenal's gaps on the wings are as empty as the roads at 4 a.m.! Ashley Young plays a through pass... Ling makes a diagonal run to receive it! The same old problem persists, Arsenal's defensive line shifts too slowly!"
Jim Beglin: "Ling delivers a cutback pass to the edge of the penalty area... Pogba follows up and takes a shot—ah! Lucas Torreira pushes Pogba down just outside the box!"
Old Trafford erupted in a chorus of boos.
Pogba, taking advantage of the distraction, inched a few centimeters forward into the penalty area while on the ground and raised his hand to signal the referee for a penalty.
The match's head referee, Andre Marriner, was affectionately dubbed "Blind" by Premier League fans due to an infamous incident in Wenger's 1,000th game in charge, where Arsenal lost 6-0 to Chelsea.
It was clearly Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who handled the ball, but Marriner sent off Kieran Gibbs instead!
Aside from that outrageous call, Marriner had no other major controversial decisions and was known for his calm and polite demeanor on the pitch.
Marriner jogged over to the grounded Pogba. "Sir, if you don't get up now, I'll have to show you a yellow card for simulation. It's a free-kick outside the box."
Pogba smiled sheepishly and quickly scrambled to his feet from the turf.
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