Chapter 34

Jones clenched his fist. "Boss, don't worry. As long as I'm on the field, I won't let any Manchester City player break through!"

Jin Taige hesitated for a moment. "As long as you're on the field? That statement makes me nervous..."

Jones looked confused. "Boss, why are you panicking?"

Taige frowned. "Phil, you've already got a yellow card. I trust you, but if you get another, you'll be sent off, and then you won't be able to stop anyone."

Jones nodded. "I get it now. I'll be more careful and avoid another booking."

"No, Phil," Taige emphasized. "Not 'more careful.' You absolutely must not get another card. We're playing at Manchester City's home. If we stay disciplined, we'll find weaknesses in their defense."

As the halftime break ended, both teams returned to the pitch with their respective instructions.

Within the first five minutes, Taige noticed something unusual. Manchester City had changed tactics. Their three attacking midfielders Nasri, Aguero, and Navas weren't playing their usual short passing game. Instead, they repeatedly targeted Jones, forcing him into one-on-one defensive duels.

Twice, Jones slid in aggressively, tackling Aguero and Navas. Taige watched nervously from the sidelines.

He called Giggs over. "Watch Jones. If he keeps playing like this, it's only a matter of time before he gets sent off."

Giggs nodded. "Understood, boss."

Returning to the pitch, Giggs warned Jones, "Be careful with your challenges. You can't afford another card."

Jones acknowledged the advice, but Giggs knew changing Jones' natural style of play wouldn't be easy. To minimize risk, Giggs dropped deeper, helping Jones with defensive cover.

Raman's voice echoed through the broadcast. "Manchester City have come out firing in the second half! Ten minutes in, they've already had three dangerous shots!"

Nasri broke through Giggs' defense and passed to Aguero in the box. Aguero turned quickly, setting up for a shot but before he could strike, Jones flew in, blocking the shot with a last-ditch effort.

The Manchester United away fans erupted in applause.

"Jones! Jones! That was a heroic block!" Raman exclaimed. "Aguero had De Gea beaten, but Jones put his body on the line!"

Jones, energized by the cheers, waved to the crowd. But on the sideline, Taige let out a nervous breath.

"That was close," he muttered. "If Jones hadn't gotten there, Aguero would have scored."

Scholes, sitting nearby, sighed. "That's exactly why Jones is always getting injured he throws himself into these reckless challenges."

Taige's mind clicked. A thought surfaced.

Despite Manchester United's defensive resilience, Manchester City sought a new approach. Midfielder Yaya Touré, recognizing the difficulty in breaking down United's backline, took matters into his own hands.

Turning to Fernandinho, he said, "I'm going forward."

Fernandinho nodded. "Go ahead. I'll handle the defense."

Touré, known for his powerful midfield surges, started driving toward United's penalty area. Giggs immediately noticed the danger.

"Watch Touré!" Giggs shouted, reorganizing United's defensive shape.

Touré, one of the Premier League's most dominant midfielders, was a nightmare to defend. His combination of strength, skill, and long-range shooting made him a constant threat.

United had just finished an attack, leaving their defensive shape exposed. Touré took advantage, picking up the ball from Fernandinho and charging forward.

Jones instinctively stepped up to challenge him.

Before he could commit, Giggs intercepted. "Leave him to me! You focus on marking Aguero."

Jones hesitated but nodded, dropping back to track Aguero.

Giggs rushed toward Touré, fully aware of the risk. At 39, he lacked the physicality he once had, but he was determined.

Touré barely acknowledged Giggs. If this was Giggs ten years ago, I might be concerned. But now? He can't stop me.

As Giggs closed in, he tried to use his body to block Touré's run. But Touré was like a freight train Giggs bounced off, nearly losing his balance.

Realizing he was outmatched physically, Giggs made a split-second decision.

"Even if I risk a booking or a sending-off, I have to stop him here!"

Without hesitation, Giggs lunged in from behind, sliding in for a last-ditch tackle. If he mistimed it, he would surely be sent off.

But Touré was prepared. At the very last moment, he nudged the ball to his right, effortlessly avoiding Giggs' challenge.

Touré hadn't dodged the tackle by chance—he had already spotted Aguero making a run into the penalty area. Without hesitation, he delivered a precise pass to the Argentine forward. Aguero controlled the ball smoothly.

Jones, seeing Aguero receive the ball, rushed forward to challenge him. But Aguero barely kept possession, quickly flicking a pass to the left, where Nasri was charging into the box.

At that moment, Smalling had already shifted toward Aguero, expecting him to attack directly. But Aguero's quick pass caught him off guard. Ferdinand, covering Navas on the opposite side, was too far to intervene.

Now, the only Manchester United defender in position to react was Jones.

Jones saw Nasri preparing to shoot. Without hesitation, he sprinted over, determined to stop him.

Nasri, however, had a different plan. The moment he received the ball, he shaped as if he would shoot but instead, he pushed it forward slightly and let Jones' tackle make contact with his leg.

Nasri went down in the box, rolling dramatically, clutching his leg in exaggerated pain.

"Jones has brought Nasri down!" the commentator shouted. "Nasri is on the ground in agony!"

"The referee blows his whistle! He's running over… Red card! And he's pointing to the penalty spot!"

"A penalty and a red card! No debate! Jones' recklessness has cost Manchester United dearly!"

Players from both teams immediately surrounded the referee.

Giggs, as captain, was the first to plead with the referee. "Ref, Jones got the ball first! That shouldn't be a penalty!"

Ferdinand backed him up. "Nasri was looking for the contact he tripped himself over Jones! That was a dive!"

But Manchester City players weren't having it.

Yaya Touré shoved Ferdinand. "Are you blind? Look at Nasri! His leg was nearly taken off!"

Ferdinand stepped forward, not backing down. "Nasri is a serial diver! You lot always fall over in the box!"

The confrontation escalated as both teams argued furiously.

On the sideline, Jin Taige stormed toward the fourth official. "That was never a penalty! Nasri had already lost control of the ball! He dived!"

The fourth official waved him off. "The referee made his decision, Mr. Tiger. Also, control your emotions."

Assistant coach Ferran couldn't hold back. "This is a disgrace! That decision is ruining the match!"

Hearing this, the referee ran over, consulted the fourth official, and immediately brandished a red card sending Ferran off.

Taige clenched his fists, ready to argue further, but Scholes held him back. "Boss, we're already down to ten men. If you get sent off too, we'll lose all control of the game."

Taking a deep breath, Taige relaxed his fists. He stared at the referee. "Alright. Fine. Whatever you say…"

The referee, still watching him closely, warned, "Mr. Tiger, control your emotions and make sure your players do the same."

Ignoring him, Taige walked toward the field and shouted to Giggs, "Ryan! Keep the team calm! We're already in a bad situation don't make it worse!"

Giggs nodded and immediately worked to settle his teammates, pulling Ferdinand away from the argument and shielding Rafael from the confrontation. On the other side, City captain Vincent Kompany also intervened. "Guys, we've got the advantage now. Don't get into unnecessary fights."

After a few tense moments, tempers cooled. The referee gave both Yaya Touré and Ferdinand yellow cards for their involvement in the scuffle.

Then, he turned to Jones, who was still standing there, stunned.

Only ten minutes ago, Jones had been United's hero, making a game-saving block against Aguero. Now, he was sent off and had conceded a crucial penalty.

The referee gestured for him to leave the field.

Jones looked devastated. The crowd at the Etihad erupted in boos as he walked off slowly, head down.

His teammates tried to console him. Giggs patted his shoulder. "Don't dwell on it. Go and rest."

As Jones approached the sideline, Jin Taige was already waiting for him.

Jones hesitated, barely able to meet his manager's gaze. "Boss, I'm sorry... I let the team down."

To his surprise, Jin Taige smiled. "You executed my halftime instructions perfectly."

Jones blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Taige smirked. "Didn't I tell you not to get a yellow card in the second half? Well, you didn't get one."

Jones was on the verge of tears. "But boss... I got a straight red."

"Haha!" Taige patted him on the shoulder. "Relax. You played well. The red card was just an accident. Go take a shower and wait for our comeback!"

As Jones disappeared into the tunnel, Taige's smile vanished. He turned to Scholes. "This game is slipping away. I'm not happy."

Scholes raised an eyebrow. "Then why joke with Jones?"

Taige sighed. "Winning a league match is important, but so is protecting a young player's confidence. If I had scolded him just now, he'd carry that weight for a long time. Even if I just looked disappointed, he'd take it personally. Young players have fragile mentalities we have to be careful with them."

Scholes nodded. "That's veteran experience talking."

"More than ten years in youth coaching. You learn these things." Taige exhaled sharply. "Now, let's see if we can salvage this match."

On the pitch, De Gea stood tall, stretching his arms wide, bouncing on his toes, trying to unnerve the penalty taker.

Aguero, City's designated penalty specialist, was unfazed. He took a short run-up and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner. De Gea guessed wrong.

GOAL!

The Etihad erupted.

"Aguero scores! Manchester City lead 1-0!" the Sky Sports commentator shouted. "They've finally broken through!"

His colleague, Morris, shook his head. "This changes everything. It's the 63rd minute United are a man down and now a goal behind. Jin Taige has no choice but to go all out in attack."

Raman, the other commentator, smirked. "I said before the game that United would struggle without Kante, their defensive anchor. Just look at Jones he was all over the place. He wouldn't even start for a relegation team. Mark my words, there are more goals coming… and they won't be for Jin Taige's team."

Taige had no choice but to gamble. Staying defensive would only ensure a 1-0 defeat. He had to take risks.

First, he subbed off Evra for Mahrez, pushing Ashley Young to left-back and unleashing Mahrez in attack.

Then, he replaced Valencia with Martial. Valencia had been ineffective, his crosses constantly intercepted. Martial's speed and dribbling could cause more trouble.

The final roll of the dice: he took off Icardi, who had been smothered by Kompany, and brought on an extra forward.

But before his changes could take effect, disaster struck again.

With Jones gone, Manchester City's attacking trio of Nasri, Aguero, and Navas had a free run at United's defense.

In the 73rd minute, their intricate passing tore through the backline. Aguero drew defenders toward him, then cleverly laid the ball off to Nasri at the edge of the box.

With one touch, Nasri set himself and with the second, he curled a shot into the top corner.

GOAL!

The Etihad exploded once more.

"Nasri doubles City's lead! 2-0!"

The home fans celebrated wildly, already imagining tomorrow's headlines. They could taunt their United-supporting neighbors and coworkers this derby belonged to them.

Rooney was livid. He stormed over to the referee, pointing at Nasri. "Look at him! Where's the injury now?! That penalty was a dive!"

The referee had no patience. Yellow card.

Giggs quickly pulled Rooney away. "Enough! Do you want us to go down to nine men? If you're angry, channel it into a goal!"

Rooney glared at the celebrating City players, then clenched his fists.

"Do you think only City can score? Watch this. Manchester United are not finished."