"And that was the first half" exclaimed Martin Tyler in a voice full of disbelief, "Manchester City, dominated the match from start to finish of the first half–and in this first half we saw a miracle of talent. William Carter performed very, very, very well with 1 goal and 1 assist."
"That's right Martin, we saw how he played as if he was a veteran player who had played in the league for 10 years – he had vision, he had accurate passes, his first touch really made us believe that Lem gave him his shoes." Alan Smith answered before continuing "And with his goal in the added minute of stoppage time, a free kick 25 meters from Everton's goal – and how the senior players trusted him to execute that free kick, we can say that William is at the stage where he is one of the most important parts of this club."
"Oh, we also haven't mentioned how his assist was in the 8th second of the game–I'm still very awkward about calling seconds in a goal" Martin Tyler's voice was now filled with greater disbelief.
Manchester City's players strode into the dressing room with laughter and proud claps, while the Etihad tunnel still echoed with fans chanting William's name. Inside the modern room, the atmosphere was in stark contrast to Everton's dressing room which was definitely heating up.
Inside the room, William removed his grass-stained t-shirt and long-sleeved compression shirt, revealing darkening bruises and peeling skin from the relentless challenge he had endured.
Even though his Combat and Stamina statistics had been added with free statistics, still, with the intensity of the match and how the Everton players knocked him down, William felt that his body was really tired and he might not be able to play a full match with a physique like this.
Pep Guardiola, who was across the room, noticed William with his body showing several bruises.
"William, how are you?" Guardiola asked just to be safe.
"I'm fine, boss," William answered calmly with a smile on his lips. "They tried to stop me in the usual way but it didn't work – so all they could do was foul me, but that didn't really work either because there were players like Kevin who made them too wary"
Guardiola watched William a little longer, even though he wanted to be angry because they used a quick goal but Guardiola decided to forget about it because the team continued to follow his instructions with dominating play from the start.
So Guardiola started with applause to attract the players' attention.
"Okay, extraordinary players–you dominated the match as if your opponents were not a team from the Premier League but from a lower league. But listen to this, don't be too confident, even though you are three goals ahead in the first half, Everton will come out angry. Koeman will order them to play rough to break our rhythm. Gueye and Rooney will try to provoke you."
The players nodded their heads in unison, and they all knew that Everton would go all out in the second half.
Guardiola then walked up to William and put his hand on his shoulder. "William, you gave everything in the first half. You are starting to feel physically exhausted after the tough training with Lorenzo the other day. I want you to play intensely for the first fifteen minutes of the second half. After that, in the 60th minute, I will bring on Yaya Toure to maintain depth and provide physical protection in the midfield."
Guardiola thought after watching the match in the first half, where William was closely guarded and was even fouled hard several times by the Everton players.
So he decided to replace William after he disrupted the opponent's midfield with his abilities.
William nodded and felt that this was the best, with his current statistics it was impossible to play fully - especially since his speed statistics were still below average.
Guardiola then gave instructions to the other players before finally turning to Yaya Toure "Yaya," Pep called towards the Ivory Coast veteran midfielder who was doing a light warm-up in the corner of the room. "Get ready. Once William comes out, I want you to dominate the midfield with your strength. Don't let Rooney get the slightest chance."
"Show our genius boy what a physique a Premier League player should have," continued Guardiola with a faint smile on his face.
Yaya Toure just nodded slowly with a calm smile, glancing at William with an appreciative look. "Leave it to me, Boss. I will maintain what this little 'Maestro' has started, and you should also start training to improve your physique, brat."
"Why do you all always discuss physical training with me? I almost faint every time I train with Lorenzo," William answered while covering his face in frustration.
This made the dressing room roar with laughter again. The players' enthusiasm returned and they were ready to face Everton who would most likely go all out in the second half.
"Okay, stop joking" This time Guardiola's voice became more serious.
"Good job in the first half, guys! We've dictated the tempo of the game, but this game is far from over. Don't let your guard down! Keep putting pressure on them, keep creating chances, and let's capitalize on this performance. No mercy—get the job done!"
The dressing room was filled with cheers and support, the players getting even more excited as they returned to the field.
In stark contrast to the calm atmosphere in City's dressing room, the atmosphere in Everton's dressing room felt very tense. The sound of a door slamming loudly by Ronald Koeman started ten minutes filled with anger.
Ronald Koeman stood in the middle of the room, his face bright red as he looked at his players one by one. "Eight seconds! You guys let a teenager destroy our preparations in eight seconds?!" he shouted as he hit the tactics board until it shook.
He pointed at Idrissa Gueye and Morgan Schneiderlin with a shaking index finger. "I told you guys, stick to that number 11! Don't let him breathe! But what do I see? He's dancing in midfield as if this is his playground!"
"He's still very young, but he plays with you like you're amateurs."
Phil Jagielka as captain tried to speak, but Koeman immediately cut him off. "There's no excuse! Ashley, Michael, you guys were too slow in closing the space! And Jordan, you just let that free kick go in?!"
After calming his anger, Koeman took a deep breath and drew rough lines on his tactics board.
"Gueye, your job now is no longer guarding the area. Your job is William Carter. If he goes to the toilet, you go to the toilet too! I don't care if you have to get a yellow card, stop him at all costs!"
Koeman instructed his players to play more "dirty". He wants every City player, especially William, to feel physical pain every time they touch the ball to destroy their mentality.
Then he turned to Rooney "Wayne, drop deeper into midfield. Use your experience to provoke the boy's emotions. We need one quick goal to break their composure," Koeman instructed Rooney.
Wayne Rooney, who had been silent while retying his shoes, finally looked up. His eyes radiated the cold determination of a veteran whose pride had been wounded. "Calm down, Boss. I will make sure the second half won't be that easy for them. The boy will know what it's like to play in an adult men's league," said Rooney in a low, threatening voice.
Koeman nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Get out there and show that Everton can't be humiliated like this!"
The halls of the Etihad Stadium became noisy again when both teams came out to start the second half. The atmosphere has changed drastically; If in the first half the Everton players looked surprised, now their faces radiated cold aggression. William stepped onto the pitch, but he immediately noticed that Idrissa Gueye's eyes never left him, as if the Senegalese midfielder had been ordered to become his darkest shadow.
There were no changes from either team at the start of the second half, both teams seemed to still believe in their starting line-up.
Referee Robert Madley blew the whistle to signal the start of the second half. Wayne Rooney and Dominic Calvert-Lewin stand at the halfway point. Once the ball was rolled, Everton no longer tried to build a slow attack; they immediately threw the ball towards the wing, trying to force a physical duel from the first second.
"And the second half begins! Everton look much hungrier now," said Martin Tyler at the commentary table.
"The Etihad Stadium is really roaring at this moment, the fans of both teams are still enthusiastic – Everton fans are still shouting their support even though their team is behind" shouted Alan Smith trying to penetrate the deafening noise of the crowd "especially Manchester City fans, they are playing at home – and were 3-0 up in the first half. The fans of these two teams are tireless, they are all 12th man in every game"
Everton began to carry out successive attacks using long balls. Wayne Rooney dropped deep, even level with Schneiderlin, to coordinate the pressing. In the 48th minute, Rooney managed to win an aerial duel against Fernandinho and immediately pushed the ball towards Calvert-Lewin who was running behind John Stones.
"Danger for City! Calvert-Lewin goes into the penalty box!" shouted Alan Smith.
Luckily for City, Ederson came out very quickly from his nest—as is his typical risky but effective style—to clear the ball before the Everton striker could get a shot off.
The ball was under Manchester City's control this time, they immediately dominated the match once the ball was on their side.
Their passes were accurate and targeted, moving the ball smoothly between the midfield and attack line.
William, who had made an impact in the first half, was again the center of attention. Every time the ball reached him, he played with passion, increasing the tempo and pushing the attack forward.
"Look at Manchester City!" shouted Martin Tyler, his voice almost drowned out by the roar of the stadium. "Their quick passing, smoothness in attack—like a well-maintained machine!"
What makes William even more dangerous is his movement. He is not limited to one area of the field. He swapped positions with Leroy Sané at will, darting from the center to the left flank and back again. His unpredictability is a nightmare for Everton's backline, who can't guess where he will appear next. It's not just his speed—but also his intelligence in controlling the ball, his ability to read the game and make the right moves when needed.
However, the Everton players, who played relying on their physicality, still managed to reduce the ferocity of William's movements by breaking him.
Until finally Everton managed to get the ball after Aguero failed to take advantage of the opportunity created by the combination of William and Kevin de Bruyne.
Everton made a quick counterattack, William, whose stamina was starting to decline due to his movements and also physical contact with Everton players, was unable to catch Idrissa Gueye who received a pass from an Everton defender.
Idrissa Gueye, after knowing that William couldn't catch up and Kevin De was on the other side of the field, immediately released a through ball to Mason Holgate.
Mason, who had run and escaped Manchester City's offside trap, sent a low cross into the penalty box.
"Rooney comes in from the second line!" shouted Martin Tyler.
With perfect timing, Wayne Rooney grabbed the ball with a first-time kick that plunged heavily into the bottom corner of Ederson's goal. Ederson had jumped, but Rooney's ball speed was too difficult to stop.
"GOALLLLL!!!! amazing" Martin Tyler's shout was full of enthusiasm, "the legend showed that he can still perform optimally, he is still as sharp as we know"
"Look at how the quick counter-attack happened, the defender's interception then towards Idrissa Gueye who fired a pass straight into Mason Holgate's running path, Mason Holgate only needed to continue his maneuver and after glancing slightly towards the Manchester City penalty box and immediately released a low cross which was met by the Manchester legend but not Manchester City but Manchester United, Wayne Rooney immediately met the ball with a first-time kick and broke into the goal guarded by Ederson." Alan Smith's voice was also full of enthusiasm.
"The score was 3-1 in the 54th minute. Wayne Rooney gave Everton hope again," continued Martin Tyler.
Everton fans cheered happily, while Manchester City fans were shocked by Everton's fast attack.
On the field there was not much change in the expressions of the Everton players.
Rooney didn't celebrate the goal excessively; He immediately took the ball from inside the goal and ran back to the center, gesturing to his teammates to continue pressing. On the sidelines, Ronald Koeman looked a little calmer, while Pep Guardiola started to look nervous and continued to instruct William to remain calm under Gueye's pressure.
The match continued with a restart kick-off by Manchester City, the players tried to stay calm – tried to control the ball and create a goal to seal victory in this match.
59th minute of the match.
City didn't let Everton gain momentum for too long. William Carter, despite his stamina starting to wear out at 70 and being closely guarded, showed why he is nicknamed "The Tactician in Boots" in the u21 World Cup match.
Receiving the ball from Fernandinho in the center circle, William made a feint which made Idrissa Gueye lose his balance for a moment. With his gaze beyond the defensive line, William sent a curved diagonal pass 40 meters which landed right at the feet of Leroy Sané who was sprinting down the left side of the field.
Sané took one touch to control the ball before firing a high cross that sailed towards the far post. There, surprisingly, Kyle Walker made a very aggressive overlap. Walker jumped higher than Leighton Baines and headed the ball with full force.
DUARRRRR
The ball hit the inside goal post hard before bouncing in, making Jordan Pickford only stare as the net shook.
"GOOOAAALLL!!! 4 - 1!"
"Amazing! Kyle Walker scored with a header that smashed the post!" Martin Tyler screamed hysterically. "But look at William Carter's opening pass earlier. His diagonal vision really killed Everton's defensive tactics!"
"Gosh, I don't know how to describe this match other than a match dominated by an 18 year old boy," continued Martin Tyler now with a voice full of disbelief.
Kyle Walker immediately ran towards the corner flag in a burst of joy, making his iconic celebration while pointing towards the rabid City supporters. William Carter, even though he was starting to catch his breath, mustered up the remaining stamina to catch up with Kyle Walker. Without hesitation, William jumped onto Walker's back and celebrated happily.
Then soon other players also approached them, and the goal celebration became even busier.
The view from the stands presented two different worlds. Manchester City fans cheered wildly, waving their sky blue scarves while singing "Blue Moon" at ear-splitting volume; they realized that this victory was almost locked in the 59th minute. In contrast, in the corner of the Everton supporters' stand, the atmosphere was frozen. The Toffees fans looked downcast, some holding their faces as if they couldn't believe that the momentum of Rooney's goal had just been immediately extinguished by such a clinical counter-attack scheme.
Pep Guardiola appeared to be celebrating wildly in his technical area. He punched the air several times before finally turning towards the bench with a big smile, gesturing to Yaya Toure to immediately take off his warm-up jacket. Pep knew that this fourth goal was the result of William's maturity in attracting Gueye's attention, which finally opened up space for Walker to step up.
Meanwhile, Ronald Koeman was completely devastated. He stood still while staring at the grass, then suddenly turned around and threw his jacket on the spare chair in frustration. His "Burn the Earth" plan in the second half was destroyed in an instant by a clever diagonal pass from a teenager whose movement he should have killed.
"This is a painful tactical defeat for Koeman," said Alan Smith. "Every time Everton try to get up, Manchester City always have a way to bring them back down to earth"
Just as the Manchester City players walked back to their defensive area, the attention of the entire stadium turned to the fourth official who raised the electronic board. The number 11 is bright red next to the number 42 is green.
"A moment that will be remembered by everyone in this stadium," Martin Tyler's voice sounded emotional. "William Carter come out, and hear the roar!"
The entire Etihad Stadium stand, from fanatical supporters to spectators in the VIP stands, stood up at once and gave a standing ovation. William walked out with slow steps, greeted Robert Madley, clapped his hands while turning around and looked around where the fans greeted him with applause, then he walked to the edge of the field where Yaya Toure was – hugging Yaya Toure who came on to replace him. Yaya whispered something while patting William's head proudly before running towards the center of the field.
As soon as he arrived near the substitute players' seats, Pep Guardiola welcomed William with a tight hug and a big smile. "Good game, William. Get some rest," said Pep briefly as he directed William to the bench where Phil Foden was waiting with an admiring smile.
"You look amazing, bro," Foden said to William who was sitting nearby. "I hope to be able to play with you in the near future like in the Academy match," he continued.
"Of course," said William, "you will get the opportunity, and we will show you how we dominated the academy match at that time," continued William with a smile on his face.
"Yes, that's right–after this match I will train even harder. You can't leave me behind again like in the U21 national team, friend," Foden answered in a voice full of determination.
William just smiled because he knew how Foden's abilities would develop in the future.
He remembered how Foden shone in his previous life, how the two people who were called princes from Manchester had 2 different fates, but in this life - William promised himself that he would no longer be left behind by his best friend.
On the field the match continued.
After the kick-off was restarted by Everton, the tempo of the match remained high but the pattern of play changed completely. Yaya Toure's presence provides extraordinary physical stability for City. Idrissa Gueye has repeatedly tried to stab, but he is now facing a solid "wall" within Yaya that cannot be easily shaken.
Minutes passed quickly with one attack after another.
75th minute–Everton get a golden opportunity through Leighton Baines' cross, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin's header still hits Ederson's crossbar.
82 minutes–Raheem Sterling, who came on for Gabriel Jesus, makes a quick sprint from the right and curls a shot, but Jordan Pickford makes a spectacular save with his fingertips.
Minute 88–Kevin De Bruyne tries his luck with a hard long-range shot, but the ball only narrowly deviates next to Everton's goal post.
Koeman's Everton continued to try to catch up by bringing in Gylfi Sigurdsson, but City's defensive coordination led by Vincent Kompany remained disciplined. Even though there was intense buying and selling of attacks, no additional goals were scored until the referee blew the long whistle.
Final score at Etihad Stadium: Manchester City 4 - 1 Everton.
"Manchester City secured the three points in a very dominant style," concluded Martin Tyler. "And tonight, the brightest star in the Manchester sky is not an old player, but a teenager called William Carter."