After the match started.
Manchester United, breaking from their usual approach, rapidly pushed their entire formation forward, launching an intense high-press.
Leicester City, as the Premier League team least adept at possession, decisively opted to exploit the space behind the opposition's defensive line in response.
Mahrez received a pass from Vardy, skillfully dribbled past Ling's pressing with a series of feints.
"A brilliant evasion!"
"Perhaps it's precisely because he rose through the lower leagues step by step that he developed such exceptional ball control."
"A direct long ball over the top!"
Since Drinkwater's departure, Leicester City has assigned part of the midfield long-passing duties to Mahrez.
Although this somewhat limits Mahrez's ability to fully utilize his dribbling attributes, indirectly weakening the attacking threat in the final third.
But this is a necessary sacrifice based on the overall tactical setup.
Amid the loud cheers of the Leicester City fans.
The ball spun fiercely through the air, dropping precisely into Manchester United's defensive territory.
Vardy surged forward from deep, pushing his speed to the limit.
Meanwhile, Manchester United's midfield and defensive players, due to their height, appeared somewhat cumbersome.
They were clearly at a disadvantage against a pacey striker like Vardy.
"Vardy bulldozes past Phil Jones and takes a shot just outside the box!"
"Brilliant save, De Gea! A world-class stop!"
"Just thirty seconds into the match, Leicester City launched a rapid attack, threatening Manchester United's goal."
"It shows that Luke Shaw's absence does have some impact."
"Let me share a stat with everyone."
"Up to now, an astonishing 41.7% of Vardy's career goals have come from late runs into the box, highlighting just how terrifying Leicester City's attacking efficiency can be."
"Here's a right-sided corner for Leicester City!"
Mahrez made a signal and delivered the ball toward the penalty spot.
But Manchester United's "tower defense" was not just for show.
Matic outmuscled Okazaki Shinji and headed the ball clear.
The second ball fell outside the box.
Mata used his slight frame to barely hold off Ndidi, cushioning the ball to Valencia making a forward run down the wing before hitting the ground.
Valencia exploded with terrifying pace, racing down the touchline.
The transition from defense to attack happened in an instant!
Manchester United players charged forward like an unstoppable tidal wave.
Seeing their attack fail, Leicester City immediately dropped their entire formation back, packing the central areas with numbers.
On the sidelines, Leicester City's head coach Shakespeare stood with his hands in his pockets, looking utterly confident.
His defensive setup was highly targeted, aimed at stifling Manchester United's central passing combinations and attacking runs.
Without Lukaku and Pogba, what do you have to attack with?
Meanwhile, on the neighboring bench, Mourinho sat steadily, his attention not on the player with the ball but fixed on the sprinting figure on the left flank.
Having chosen to start Ling, it meant they aimed to break through the opposition as quickly as possible.
The first wave of attack had the highest chance of success!
On the pitch at that moment.
Manchester United had advanced into the final third.
The forwards were also continuously shifting to the right side.
Under these circumstances, Leicester City had to tilt their defensive efforts to maintain numerical superiority in that area.
In that instant.
Valencia abruptly stopped, shaking off Albrighton, and used the narrow space to play a cross into the center.
"Mark United's number 6 and 9 tightly—they pose the greatest threat."
Leicester City captain Morgan shouted loudly.
His judgment was accurate and followed the pre-match instructions from the coaching staff.
Currently, Manchester United's main tactics revolved around Pogba and Lukaku.
As long as these two key players were neutralized, United's attacks would struggle to gain momentum.
The Leicester City players immediately adjusted upon hearing this.
As the camera shifted.
Pogba quickly glanced behind him, feigned a direct pass to draw the attention of two defenders.
"Eh? He just let the ball roll past him?"
"Mkhitaryan, when did he drift into the central area?"
Jim beglin was full of confusion.
Before he could figure out the answer, the ball was swiftly transferred to the left side of the penalty area, revealing a figure that excited him immensely.
"Watch that Chinese kid—his dribbling skills are quite good."
Simpson, hearing his captain's reminder, decisively closed him down.
Originally, based on the coaching staff's predictions, he expected to be matched up against Lingard or Martial, so he wasn't very familiar with the young player in front of him.
But it didn't matter.
Since lifting the Premier League trophy, he had built immense confidence.
Whoever came at him—it made no difference!
At the same time.
Countless fans held their breath nervously, watching as the two figures closed in on each other.
Simpson's challenge was aggressive and wide.
Ling seemed to have anticipated it.
After all, half a month of video analysis had given him a thorough understanding of Simpson, familiarizing him with the defender's various habits.
So he made his move.
His body swayed subtly, his right foot lifted gently, all seemingly imbued with a beautiful rhythm.
Simpson hesitated for a moment.
Was he cutting inside or pushing the ball wide?
He couldn't read his opponent's true intention.
So he quickened his movements, aiming to disrupt the play before his opponent could adjust.
Tap!
With a crisp touch of the ball.
Ling pushed the ball outward at an even faster pace.
A stunned Simpson was left blank-minded, kicking at the empty space where the ball had been a second before.
In that split second.
The two brushed past each other, their backs now facing one another.
Whoosh!!!
The decibel level at the King Power Stadium surged abruptly, turning extremely noisy by the sound of cheering fans.
"Brilliant!"
The dribble was completed in an instant, and Jim beglin only had time to utter two words before being stunned once again by what unfolded on the screen.
Under the gaze of thousands.
Ling surged into the penalty area with the ball.
But Maguire's defensive recovery was rapid, blocking his path.
The two faced off directly.
At this stage, although Maguire excelled in one-on-one defending, he had a fatal flaw.
He was too slow and too reckless.
As he stretched out his leg to tackle, Ling had already completed his touch.
Then, under the referee's watchful eye.
Although Maguire tried to pull back, momentum couldn't be negated, and he ultimately made contact with Ling's standing leg.
He collapsed to the ground...
The King Power Stadium seemed to fall into silence.
On the sidelines, Mourinho had been chatting and laughing with Faria, but when he saw Ling tripped and fall to the ground, he immediately stood up and rushed toward the assistant referee.
"Isn't that a foul? No card? No penalty?"
Faced with the Madman's rapid-fire questions, the assistant referee was completely overwhelmed and helplessly explained.
"The head referee has his own judgment. If you engage in similar behavior again, you're very likely to be sent to the stands."
Mourinho turned to look at the field and saw that the head referee had already blown the whistle, shown a card, ruled a foul by Leicester City in the penalty area, and awarded Manchester United a penalty kick.
He suddenly felt a bit awkward and could only pretend nothing had happened, quietly returning to his position.
Faria stared wide-eyed at him.
He hadn't even processed what happened before Mourinho had already dashed out, with a starting speed comparable to Bolt.
(Remind me of that time mourinho ran to the referee when faria told him something lol)
Really...