Inside the penalty area, Newcastle United's forward Joelinton frantically demanded the ball from Miguel Almirón.
However, the Paraguayan showed no intention of passing.
Having broken into the box, Almirón executed a mesmerizing series of feints.
His footwork was exquisite.
Two consecutive shot fakes forced the Villa defenders to dive in desperately for blocks, clearing the space he needed.
Boom!
Almirón unleashed his shot.
The ball flew into the net, grazing the inside of the right post!
The strike was blistering.
Although Tom Heaton stretched to his absolute limit, the Aston Villa goalkeeper couldn't lay a finger on it.
3-2!
The visiting Newcastle United scored again, narrowing the gap to just one goal.
"A moment of pure individual brilliance from Miguel Almirón!" Ian Darke exclaimed over the broadcast.
"He dances his way into the Aston Villa penalty area, and the defenders simply have no answer for him."
"It's 3-2 right on the stroke of halftime," Stewart Robson added. "Newcastle United have dragged themselves right back into this contest."
The referee blew the whistle for halftime shortly after the restart.
...
Inside the dressing room, Dean Smith made immediate tactical adjustments.
He turned to Theodore.
"Theodore, when we go back out there, drop into the midfield. We are shifting from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2. Wesley and Jack will operate up front."
Observing the first forty-five minutes, Smith realized that Aston Villa's midfield desperately needed Theodore Bjorn.
Even though the teenager had recorded two goals and an assist from the right wing and tracked back constantly, the center of the pitch lacked its usual soul.
Whether it was John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, or Conor Hourihane, they struggled to dictate the tempo.
Conceding two goals in the first half was stark proof of that vulnerability.
To stabilize the match, Smith brought Theodore back to his natural habitat to regain control.
Fifteen minutes later, the second half kicked off.
"It looks like Theodore Bjorn has dropped back into the midfield," Ian Darke observed. "Aston Villa have shifted into a 4-4-2. Dean Smith has clearly recognized the weakness in the center of the park."
Stewart Robson nodded in agreement. "It is the right decision, Ian. Theodore secured two goals and an assist out wide, but Aston Villa lacked that crucial link between defense and attack without him operating centrally. He can play on the wing, but his true calling is in the engine room."
Shortly after the restart, Newcastle United applied pressure on the Aston Villa goal once again.
Miguel Almirón was the danger man. Having scored late in the first half, the Paraguayan had found his rhythm.
When Jonjo Shelvey's raking long pass found Almirón on the right flank, the winger shifted the ball, glanced at the net, and fired a shot. Clean and decisive.
The ball traced a vicious arc through the air, heading straight for the top corner.
Clang!
The shot slammed against the goalpost, inches away from a spectacular equalizer.
The near-miss sent a cold shiver down the spines of the Aston Villa players.
The rebounding ball fell kindly to Theodore Bjorn.
With no Newcastle players pressing him in that exact moment, he had the time and space to orchestrate a response.
Boom!
Theodore acted decisively, launching a clinical, piercing pass forward to Wesley right into the heart of the Newcastle defense.
Up front, the Brazilian striker brought the ball under control but didn't force a solo run against the retreating center-backs. Instead, he laid it off cleverly to Jack Grealish on the left flank.
It was the smart choice; trying to beat the defensive line alone would have likely ended in failure.
"Grealish takes control on the left!" Ian Darke called the action.
"He drives at the defense! A sudden change of direction leaves the Newcastle defenders trailing in his wake!"
Grealish used his agility to burst into the penalty area. Nearing the byline on the left side of the box, he assessed his options.
With three Newcastle center-backs blocking his path to goal, he ignored a conventional cross and played a smart, disguised cutback.
The ball rolled perfectly into the path of the onrushing Theodore.
Theodore didn't take a touch, he met the cutback with a fierce, first-time shot that rocketed into the net like an arrow.
A clean, devastating finish.
"Theodore Bjorn!"
"He shoots!"
"GOAL!"
"4-2! Theodore Bjorn pierces the Newcastle net with another phenomenal strike from distance!"
"The goalkeeper had absolutely no chance!" Ian Darke shouted.
The name "Theodore Bjorn" echoed around Villa Park as the home crowd erupted.
Following the goal, Theodore sprinted over to Grealish, and the two Aston Villa academy graduates embraced tightly to celebrate the connection.
On social media, global fans celebrated the impending victory.
@Villan82: "Another hat-trick! Theodore's goal-scoring efficiency is ridiculous!"
@EPL_Scout: "Finally, a Grealish assist for a Theodore goal! Beautiful link-up play."
@ToonArmy_99: "We played well tonight, but nobody can stop that kid from scoring. He is a monster."
@FootballNerd: "Why was nobody marking him outside the box? Newcastle deserve to concede leaving him that much space."
@HolteEnder: "The one true king of Villa Park! Theodore Bjorn!"
With the score at 4-2, Aston Villa's morale soared.
Despite holding a two-goal cushion, they didn't ease up on their attacking pressure.
Following the restart, Villa continued to probe for openings.
However, for the final twenty minutes, Newcastle United adopted an all-out defensive approach, essentially limiting the damage and accepting the result.
The final score remained 4-2, with Aston Villa extending their miraculous winning streak in the Premier League.
...
Afterthe match against Newcastle, Aston Villa welcomed Beşiktaş to Villa Park.
In the previous encounter, Aston Villa had faced an incredibly hostile atmosphere in Turkey, and on the pitch, the Beşiktaş players resorted to rough, cynical fouls that injured several Villa players.
An eye for an eye.
This time, when Beşiktaş arrived in Birmingham, the Villa fans chose to return the favor.
From 10:00 p.m. onwards, the hotel where the Turkish squad was staying was plagued by constant noise and the sudden crack of fireworks, ensuring the Beşiktaş players had a miserable night's sleep.
On the pitch, Aston Villa delivered an even heavier blow.
Despite facing a brutal stretch in the Premier League—after Beşiktaş, Villa traveled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, followed instantly by a clash with Chelsea—Dean Smith refused to rotate.
Aston Villa fielded their strongest possible lineup.
Since Villa had already secured early qualification from their Europa League group, resting players seemed logical. But Smith wanted a statement.
His decision proved devastatingly correct.
Within five minutes of kickoff, Theodore Bjorn fired a long-range shot from outside the penalty area, ripping through the opponent's net.
Six minutes later, Theodore delivered a sweeping cross from the wing, assisting striker Wesley for the second.
In the 22nd minute, during a lightning-fast counterattack, Theodore's lofted pass from midfield set Jack Grealish up for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Just before the halftime whistle, Villa earned a penalty, which Grealish converted with ice-cold composure.
After forty-five minutes, Aston Villa led Beşiktaş 4-0.
In the second half, the claret and blue wave continued.
Theodore and Grealish each added another goal from distance to complete the rout.
The final score was 6-0. A total demolition.
Theodore Bjorn recorded two goals and two assists on the night, taking home yet another Man of the Match award.
...
With the Europa League fixture concluded, the Villa squad immediately shifted their focus to Manchester United.
Securing a victory at the "Theatre of Dreams" is never a simple task.
Dean Smith knew they had to give it everything.
In daily training at Bodymoor Heath, he relentlessly drilled defensive counterattacks.
The Aston Villa boss understood that going toe-to-toe with Manchester United in an open game at Old Trafford was too risky.
The blueprint was clear: absorb pressure, solidify the defensive shape early, avoid conceding, and capitalize ruthlessly on the break.
As matchday approached, the English media went into overdrive, churning out dramatic headlines to stoke the tension.
Sky Sports: "The marquee clash of the weekend! The runaway league leaders visit Old Trafford. Can Dean Smith's men secure a 13th consecutive win?"
The Guardian: "The Red Devils host Villa. Ole Gunnar Solskjær insists his side will end Villa's miraculous winning streak on home soil."
The Times: "A clash of trajectories! A struggling Manchester United faces the most dominant Aston Villa side in history at the Theatre of Dreams."
ESPN: "Dean Smith's team just dismantled Beşiktaş in Europe. On Saturday, they face a true Premier League heavyweight. Can Villa keep the fairytale alive?"
During his pre-match press conference, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær was highly respectful, refraining from any mind games and showing Villa considerable courtesy.
However, the same could not be said for United's legends.
Roy Keane, the notoriously fiery former United captain, took to social media to launch a scathing attack on Aston Villa and their teenage sensation.
"Theodore Bjorn is being entirely overhyped by the media and these fanboys," Keane posted. "I watch him, and I just see an ordinary Premier League player. I don't see this generational talent. He's no Zidane. He's not even a Beckham. Manchester United will show Villa what a real Premier League powerhouse looks like this weekend."
Keane's comments ignited an absolute uproar online.
Thousands of global Villa supporters flooded his replies, defending their star midfielder.
But Keane doubled down.
An hour before kickoff, he fired off two more posts.
"Aston Villa fans are getting way too arrogant," he wrote. "You've won a dozen games! Manchester United is the biggest club in the country. Villa don't even belong in the same conversation."
Minutes later, he added: "United will win by at least three clear goals today. Theodore Bjorn is going to get completely shut down. After ninety minutes, he'll have nothing to show for it. The United midfield will give this 17-year-old a harsh reality check."
At 7:30 PM, inside the away dressing room at Old Trafford.
To light a fire under his players, Dean Smith printed out Roy Keane's comments and shared them with the squad.
Reading the disrespect, the Villa players were furious, their eyes burning with the desire to make Keane eat his words on the pitch.
Theodore didn't stay quiet.
He picked up his phone and posted a direct response to his own social media accounts.
"Football is played with boots on a pitch, not with words on an app. No one disrespects Aston Villa."
Within seconds, his notification feed became a war zone as United and Villa fans clashed in the comments.
...
Shortly after, the Aston Villa players lined up in the narrow tunnel at Old Trafford.
Theodore stood at the very back of the line, focused and stoic.
[Ding! Mission issued: Defeat Manchester United away!]
[Ding! Mission reward: 10 free attribute points!]
Just as Theodore prepared to step out into the blinding lights of the stadium, the mechanical voice of the system chimed in his head.
Finally, a new mission!
---------
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