Chapter 524 130— Chelsea (V)

With fifteen minutes left, Chelsea brought Armando Broja on for Mudryk, giving them a second central striker to go alongside Jackson.

Demien dropped a couple of yards deeper instantly. Two strikers attacking different parts of the box meant James's crosses had become a genuine problem, and he couldn't keep living on the edge of Chelsea's area just because United were winning the midfield battle.

Chelsea pushed forward. James got the ball on the right and swung a cross toward Broja, but Shaw got across and bumped him off balance before he could get a clean header. United cleared. Enzo collected it outside the area and shaped to deliver it straight back in.

Demien stepped into his forward passing lane. Enzo had to switch it instead of crossing.

United dealt with the second ball in and broke through Garnacho. Demien supported him, received near halfway and immediately found Bruno beyond Caicedo. Bruno carried forward and slid Garnacho into the box.

Garnacho skipped past the first challenge and shot across Sánchez.

It slid past the far post.

"That's the chance to kill it!" the commentator said. "Garnacho was clean through!"

Garnacho stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the side netting. Demien jogged past and patted his back. "Good run. Right idea."

"I should've scored that."

"I know. Next time."

On eighty-four minutes, Ten Hag replaced Højlund with Rashford, fresh running against a Chelsea back line that was now pushed up almost to halfway.

Højlund came off to a standing ovation and slapped hands with Demien on the way past. "Hold it for me."

"Go and rest," Demien said.

Rashford didn't need to score. His job was to be a threat — an outlet, a runner who'd make Chelsea's defenders think twice before they all pushed forward at once.

Demien started looking for him immediately. On the next counter, he received from Maguire, turned past Caicedo and slid Rashford into the left channel. Rashford carried toward the box, but Disasi recovered and forced him back out wide, and the eventual shot was blocked behind for a corner.

Demien stayed outside the box for the corner. Chelsea had three attackers waiting on halfway for a counter, and United couldn't afford to lose that ball with everyone in the area.

The corner was cleared straight toward Palmer.

Demien got there first and moved United back into possession.

The final minutes turned direct. Palmer tried to find pockets between the lines, but Demien kept denying him room to turn. Enzo started looking for James earlier. Sterling and Jackson attacked the box before United's defense could get settled.

One Chelsea attack worked its way to the right, and James whipped a dangerous ball toward the far post. United cleared it, but it came straight back to Chelsea, and Sterling carried it inside. Dalot had to foul him just outside the area.

Free kick.

Demien organized the midfield as Chelsea lined it up. "Scott, stay on the edge. Bruno, with me. We need someone on the second ball."

Chelsea delivered. Maguire won the first header. Demien collected the clearance and, as he tried to turn away from Enzo, felt the tug on his shirt. Free kick to United.

United finally got out of their own half. Old Trafford applauded like they'd scored — the part of the match where thirty seconds of possession was worth almost as much as a goal.

Then Chelsea came closest of all.

James got it wide on the right and sent a deep cross beyond the far side of the six-yard box. Broja got across his marker and met it full on.

Header.

Off the post.

Old Trafford gasped as one.

The ball came bouncing back out toward the edge of the area, where Demien had been waiting in the second-ball zone all along. He didn't stop the header — he couldn't have — but he was first to the rebound, and he cleared it away from Chelsea's attackers without panicking.

He didn't hoof it. He carried it toward the touchline and dragged the nearest Chelsea player out with him.

United moved up the pitch.

"That hit the post!" the commentator said. "Broja so close! United survive!"

Maguire exhaled loudly, hands on his knees for a moment, before shouting at the defense to get up the pitch.

The board showed five minutes of stoppage time.

Chelsea pushed almost everyone forward. Ten Hag brought on a fresh defensive body for the last minutes, but Demien stayed on, still receiving under pressure without his legs going.

Chelsea went through Palmer again. He dropped toward Enzo, trying to drag Demien away from the middle.

Demien didn't follow too far.

Palmer received facing his own goal and had to give it back before he could turn.

Chelsea switched it to James. The cross came in. Maguire headed it clear.

Demien got to the second ball and found Rashford, who carried it into Chelsea's half and won a throw-in.

United used the throw to keep it by the touchline. Demien came to support, received, and deliberately played it backward rather than trying to beat the whole Chelsea midfield by himself.

The crowd whistled at the referee, begging him to end it.

Chelsea won it back one last time and tried to thread a pass through the middle toward Palmer.

Demien intercepted it and rolled it back toward United's defense.

The referee checked his watch.

Fweeeeeeettttttt!

FULL TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 2 — 1 CHELSEA

McTominay was the obvious center of attention. He'd scored both goals, and United's players kept finding him to wrap arms around his neck, Bruno shouting something in his ear that made him laugh. When he found Demien, he grabbed his face with both hands.

"That cross," he said. "I'm telling you. I just had to stand there."

"You had to get there first," Demien said. "Nobody else did."

Bruno reached them, still shaking his head about the penalty. "I owe you both dinner. Don't tell anyone."

The broadcast named McTominay Player of the Match for his brace, and nobody in the dressing room argued with it. He'd earned it.

「PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH COMPLETE」 「MANCHESTER UNITED 2 — 1 CHELSEA」 「DEMIEN WALTER」 「Goals: 0」 「Assists: 1」 「Clear Chances Created: COMPLETE」 「Progressive Actions: COMPLETE」 「Midfield Recoveries: COMPLETE」 「Pass Accuracy: 90%+ — COMPLETE」 「TEAM OBJECTIVE: Win — COMPLETE」 「Reward: +70 MP」

MATCH RATING: 9.1

No bonus skill. No extra draw. The reward had been set before kickoff, and it paid exactly that.

He walked toward the tunnel with the noise of Old Trafford still washing down behind him.

He'd controlled Chelsea's midfield for forty-five minutes, created the winner and helped keep the lead without letting the game turn back into the chaos of the first half.

But before the players had even finished their cooldown in the dressing room, the fitness staff were already talking about the next one. A whiteboard by the door had been updated.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 — BOURNEMOUTH (H) TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 — BAYERN MUNICH (H)

United had won tonight.

They had three days before they had to do it again.