"Vieira! Vieira, who has been out for a long time, unleashes a powerful low drive from outside the penalty area!" Andy Gray shouted excitedly.
After the second half began, Arsenal played much more openly. Especially after activating the right flank, Arsenal's entire attacking line in the final third was brought to life. Whether it was Ashley Cole and Henry on the left, or Petit and Vieira in the middle, they all gained much more space.
When Vieira appeared on the edge of the penalty area, not only did Bruce step forward excitedly in front of the coaching bench, but Cassel and the others on the bench also rushed out. Even Ethan in the stands, along with the crowd of fans around him, stood up as well.
Almunia, who had originally been standing slightly to the left, reacted very quickly. His movement was extremely flexible as he dived toward the right post.
"Beautiful! Almunia makes another wonderful save and saves New Manchester United! He has pushed Vieira's long shot out past the byline! That is definitely a world-class save!" Andy Gray exclaimed in admiration.
The fans at the scene immediately erupted. Everyone shouted Almunia's name loudly, cheering for his world-class save. This was definitely an inspiring stop.
"Almunia has climbed up from the ground, and his teammates immediately run over to hug him tightly and express their gratitude. Yes, without his brilliant performance, New Manchester United would probably have conceded already. And once Arsenal scored, New Manchester United's defence would no longer be as resolute as it was in the first half. It was Almunia who saved New Manchester United!"
Ethan, in the stands, let out a sigh of relief and sat down, still shaken. He finally understood why so many head coaches developed heart problems, because this was definitely one of the professions that tested the heart the most.
"Even if you gave Vieira ten more chances, he might not hit a shot like that again. However, that goalkeeper's performance in this match has been excellent," Beckham praised with a smile.
Vieira was indeed capable in both attack and defence, but his long-range shooting was not that great. Compared with players who specialised in long shots, like Gerrard and Xabi Alonso, this was indeed a weakness for him. However, that did not stop him from producing that world-class effort just now.
Chance was also one of the most indispensable elements on the football pitch.
Almost all flashes of genius carried an element of chance, such as Zidane's volley in the 2002 Champions League final, Maradona's Hand of God, or the 60-metre long shot that made Beckham famous. All of them had strong elements of luck.
But it could not be denied that these moments of chance created classic legends.
"We can see that after Ljungberg came on, Arsenal became very active on both flanks, fully using the width of the pitch to stretch New Manchester United's defensive line. Once the defensive line is stretched wider, more gaps appear. The opportunity Vieira just got outside the penalty area was created because Arsenal's players drew the attention of the defenders away from him."
Martin Tyler even felt that the world-class long shot just now was the most brilliant attack and finish of the entire match so far. Arsenal's previous combinations and switches of play had completely shifted New Manchester United's defensive line and exposed gaps.
"That's right. Arsenal's players are individually stronger than New Manchester United's players. This allows Arsenal to give their players the freedom to express themselves on the pitch, while New Manchester United must rely on a tenacious team structure to contain them." Andy Gray felt that from a tactical perspective, this match was actually very exciting.
In the first half, both sides' tactics countered each other. Bruce's deep defensive block completely restrained Arsenal, but in the second half, Wenger replaced Parlour with Ljungberg. This brilliant move completely opened up the game.
"Martin, how do you think Bruce will respond next?" Andy Gray was becoming more and more interested in this match.
In fact, anyone would be interested in this kind of battle of wits and strength, especially when it was happening right in front of them.
"It's difficult. The next 20 minutes will be Arsenal's best chance to establish an advantage, but New Manchester United don't have many cards left to play. Look at the players on their bench. Bringing on any one of them won't really change the situation!"
"What about Hleb? Could they substitute him and bring on Kevin Evans to strengthen the defence?" Andy Gray suggested.
Martin Tyler thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "That is indeed a good option, but I don't think it's very likely. In fact, I've always wondered why Bruce chose to use Hleb in this match instead of the more defensively reliable Krzynówek. I've always had a feeling that this is a hidden move."
"A hidden move?" Andy Gray frowned, but he was not stupid and quickly figured it out. "You mean Bruce wants to use Hleb's speed to launch counterattacks?"
"There is that possibility, but I'm not entirely sure!" Martin Tyler laughed.
While they were speaking, the live broadcast screen shifted to New Manchester United's coaching bench. Bruce turned back and called out, and immediately a player sitting on the bench ran out to warm up.
"We can see that New Manchester United's number 5, centre-back Gary Turner, is warming up outside. Could it be that Bruce wants to bring on a centre-back to strengthen the defence? Then who will he take off?"
A few minutes later, with the ball out of play, Gary Turner ran onto the pitch. The referee then raised the substitution board, signalling that starting centre-forward number 16 Žigić was coming off, while number 5 centre-back Gary Turner was coming on. The two hugged on the sideline and then swapped places.
This was a tactical adjustment, and New Manchester United's shape also changed.
First, Olić was pushed up front to play as a lone striker. Evra moved further forward to play as a left midfielder, while Abidal shifted to the left flank to serve as left-back, with Gary Turner and Distin taking charge in central defence.
In this way, New Manchester United's formation did not change too much, but their defence became even more solid.
Abidal and Evra joined forces on the left to control Ljungberg, which gave Essien and Juninho more energy to help defend against Henry and Ashley Cole on the right. And with both flanks controlled, Petit and Vieira in the middle were no longer as active as before.
Seemingly still not at ease, Bruce called from the sideline for Juninho to drop back and play as a third defensive midfielder, while Olić also dropped deeper. He looked more like an attacking midfielder, but in reality, Olić's position was very fluid, often even appearing outside the penalty area to help defend.
All 11 players on the pitch were committed to defending, completely giving up the front half to Arsenal. This made several Arsenal defenders, who had the ball but could not score, keep moving forward.
"Bruce is indeed a very capable head coach. The tactics in this match are very targeted, especially defensively. He has barely given Arsenal any opportunities. It can be seen that he has studied Arsenal very thoroughly," Martin Tyler said with admiration.
After listening, Andy Gray laughed out loud. "Of course. Arsenal and Manchester United are bitter rivals. Bruce played for Manchester United for many years, so he must be familiar with this team. Moreover, I always have a feeling that perhaps in the future, Arsenal's list of bitter rivals will include one more name, New Manchester United!"
After hearing this, Martin Tyler also laughed, looking like someone who loved seeing chaos unfold.
For this group of media personnel, what they most hoped to see was a fierce and exciting match, so they were all looking forward to New Manchester United visiting Old Trafford to face Manchester United. That would definitely be a true clash of titans.
After the adjustments, Arsenal's flank attacks were restricted again. Ljungberg on the right, while facing Evra's tenacious marking, also had Abidal to deal with, which meant he could not be as active as he had been at the start of the second half.
With the right flank controlled, the threat posed by Henry and Ashley Cole on the left was greatly reduced. Petit and Vieira in the middle were not pure attacking players either, which immediately caused the situation on the pitch to return to a stalemate.
Although it was a stalemate, the physical battles between both sides were very fierce, especially the body-to-body clashes.
During an Arsenal attack on the left, Essien cleverly intercepted Henry's ball, but was knocked to the ground by Ashley Cole, who rushed up from behind. Cole immediately passed the ball to Henry. Fortunately, Stenson made a timely tackle and put the ball out for a throw-in, resolving the crisis, but Essien appeared to be running out of strength.
"What's going on?" Ethan in the stands was a little puzzled.
Essien's physical fitness was famous at New Manchester United. Perhaps only Olić in the whole team could compare with him. In the past, he had been as strong as a bull, but only 55 minutes into the second half of this match, he already seemed to have no strength left.
On the other hand, although the other players were tired, they were not like Essien. Could something have gone wrong?
"What's wrong, Michael?" Juninho, as captain and nearby, saw Essien in this state and ran over to show concern.
Essien shook his head and reached out to wipe the sweat from his face. "I'm fine!"
But looking at him, it seemed as if even walking was becoming difficult. It was really hard for people to believe he was fine.
One had to know that in New Manchester United's defensive system, Essien was a very important figure. If Essien went down, New Manchester United's defence would inevitably have loopholes.
And someone as cunning as Wenger would definitely not let that loophole go.
Sure enough, as soon as Wenger on the sideline saw Essien showing signs of exhaustion, he immediately made a gesture toward Henry on the flank and pointed at Essien. Henry looked at Essien, immediately nodded with a smile, and then approached Vieira.
"Patrick, that kid number 23 can't hold on anymore. Send him on his way!" Henry said with a smile.
Vieira glanced at the sweat-soaked Essien and immediately smiled coldly. He looked at Petit beside him, and the two exchanged glances before nodding tacitly.
At this moment, naturally, Bruce could not see the expressions of the Arsenal players. He was troubled over whether or not to substitute Essien.
(To be continued.)