Chapter 520 126 — Chelsea (I)

The tunnel doors opened onto Old Trafford at full voice.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Onana.

Dalot — Maguire — Lindelöf — Shaw.

Demien — McTominay.

Antony — Bruno — Garnacho.

Højlund.

McTominay settled in beside him rather than Mainoo, confirming which of Tuesday's combinations Ten Hag had gone with — the running beyond Chelsea's midfield that gave United another way to punish Caicedo and Enzo whenever either of them stepped toward Demien.

Chelsea lined up in their familiar 4-2-3-1, Caicedo and Enzo screening in front of the back four, Palmer just ahead of them in place of the suspended Gallagher, Sterling and Mudryk wide, Jackson leading the line alone.

"United have come through Istanbul and Newcastle inside a week," the commentator said as both teams took their positions, "and Demien Walter's been at the center of both. Chelsea have the pace and the technical quality to make any loose midfield battle dangerous, though — this won't be as simple as the form table suggests."

"Two nineteen-year-olds influencing two of England's biggest clubs," his co-commentator added, nodding toward Palmer warming up near the center circle. "Different type of player entirely, but worth remembering both of them are still teenagers doing this."

Old Trafford didn't sound nervous. It sounded like a crowd that expected to be entertained.

「PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH MISSION」 「Manchester United vs Chelsea」 「Create 3 Clear Chances」 「Complete 7 Progressive Actions」 「Record 4 Midfield Recoveries」 「Maintain 90%+ Pass Accuracy」 「TEAM OBJECTIVE: Win」 「Reward: +70 MP」

No goal requirement. No assist requirement. Just the shape he'd spent two days learning, now standing in front of him for real.

Chelsea kicked off.

United forced them backward almost immediately.

Chelsea tried building through Enzo and Caicedo first, Palmer drifting toward Demien's right to create the exact overload United had rehearsed against on Monday.

He didn't repeat the mistake. He passed the movement to the nearest defender with a short word — "Yours" — held the central lane, and stayed close enough to Caicedo that Chelsea couldn't simply recycle through him uncontested.

United won it back inside a minute. Demien dropped just far enough to give Maguire an easy outlet before turning to face Chelsea's midfield. Caicedo came to close him. Enzo stayed tighter to Bruno.

For a moment, Tuesday's drill was standing in front of him in a real Premier League match.

He didn't force it through Enzo. He gave the ball back, shifted into another lane, and asked for it again.

Caicedo followed.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Press Resistant」

He turned away from the pressure and released McTominay into the space behind it.

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Progressive Actions: 1/7」

McTominay carried it toward Shaw and Garnacho, Chelsea scrambling across, the ball eventually reaching Højlund on the left. Højlund got a low effort away from a tight angle that forced Sánchez into the night's first save.

"Chelsea already under real pressure inside the first two minutes," the commentator said.

United stayed on top of them rather than letting the save reset anything. Their press hurried Sánchez and the center-backs into rushed clearances, Demien positioning himself just behind Bruno's first pressure so that whenever Chelsea looked for Caicedo or Enzo, someone was already waiting on the next pass.

Chelsea escaped once through Palmer, who dropped to collect, combined quickly with Enzo, and looked for Sterling on the outside. Demien didn't chase him the whole way into Chelsea's half — he dropped back centrally instead, cutting off Jackson's route through the middle and leaving the wide duel to United's fullback.

The move died without a shot.

United attacked again immediately. Demien received under pressure and saw Antony cutting inside from the right. Enzo shifted to cover Antony's lane, leaving Bruno briefly free.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Andrea Pirlo — Deep-Lying Playmaker」

He disguised the pass and sent it between both Chelsea midfielders. Bruno turned and found Antony attacking the edge of the box. Enzo recovered desperately and caught Antony's foot as he tried to cut inside.

Play ran on for a moment before the whistle finally stopped it, the referee already being waved toward the pitchside monitor.

He checked the replay, walked back, and pointed to the spot.

Penalty to United.

Old Trafford rose as Bruno collected the ball, placing it carefully while the rest of the box cleared. Demien stayed outside the area with the other midfielders, giving Bruno the space rather than crowding the moment.

Bruno waited through his usual pause.

Sánchez guessed correctly and got down in time.

Save.

Højlund attacked the loose rebound but couldn't turn it in from the angle it left him.

The stadium's reaction landed somewhere between disbelief and frustration, a groan that ran the length of the ground.

Demien didn't read it as a curse or a failure on Bruno's part. It was simply a big chance gone.

Chelsea made the cost of it immediate.

United still had several players around the box when Chelsea won the ball back, and Mudryk was released down the left before United could fully reset. Demien was recovering through the center, but the turnover had happened too far ahead of him to erase alone. Rather than sprint blindly at Mudryk, he protected the central return lane toward Palmer and let Dalot and Maguire handle the winger.

Mudryk got into a shooting position and drove one low across the face of goal, forcing Onana into a save at the near post.

"That's exactly the warning from before kickoff," the co-commentator said. "United commit numbers, and Chelsea are gone the other way in seconds."

The match kept opening up. Garnacho received wide and cut inside before Sánchez saved another effort. Chelsea broke through Sterling on the far side, Maguire delaying Jackson's run long enough for cover to arrive. United won it back and went again through Antony, forcing another block around the edge of the box.

The ball kept finding its way back to Demien between every phase, not because he was chasing it, but because everyone else kept sending it there once the first move broke down.

Once the match threatened to become a straight sprint between penalty areas, he deliberately slowed it.

He received from Lindelöf with Caicedo approaching, and rather than attack immediately, shifted it to Shaw, took the return, and moved it across to Dalot. Chelsea's midfield had to travel the width of the pitch to follow. United brought it back through him again.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Toni Kroos — Metronome」

He moved Chelsea from right to left, waited for Caicedo's impatience to show, and accelerated the instant their double pivot separated by a few careless meters. Bruno received between the lines, combined with Højlund, and forced another save.

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Progressive Actions: 3/7」

United kept the pressure sustained around Chelsea's box. One clearance came off, and Demien collected it outside the area and sent it straight back in rather than letting Chelsea's line step out. A second clearance followed, and McTominay won the next contest before Chelsea could properly reset.

Garnacho drove another ball inside. Maguire, still forward from the previous set piece, got an effort away that Chelsea blocked. The loose ball fell centrally.

McTominay reacted first and drilled it beyond Sánchez.

MANCHESTER UNITED 1 — 0 CHELSEA Scott McTominay, 19'

"McTOMINAY! And United finally have what this half has deserved!" the commentator shouted over Old Trafford erupting.

"No assist on that one worth crediting individually," the analyst added on the replay, "but look at how many phases it took to get there. Walter and McTominay have both been collecting second balls around that box for five straight minutes. This goal belongs to the pressure, not one pass."

McTominay wheeled away with Garnacho reaching him first, Bruno arriving a step behind, Demien clapping from the edge of the box rather than sprinting into the pile.