"Gotta work on my right foot more after we get back!" Riyad Mahrez said with a laugh as the teams reset.
If Mahrez had taken that shot with his left foot just now, he probably would have changed the scoreline.
But he was just joking around.
"Jeremy, maybe we should control the tempo a bit later," Mahrez suggested, not taking his missed chance to heart.
"With only two of us up front, it's hard to create effective space."
"No, the boss's tactics demand speed," Ling shook his head. "Slowing down might let our midfielders catch up, but it also gives the Spurs players time to fall back into their defensive shape. If we get a similar chance again on the counter, make a run toward my side and pass the ball to the left. As for Spurs' number 4..."
Ling didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
From their brief encounters earlier in the half, he had noticed that Spurs' number 4, Toby Alderweireld, was decent at clearances and reading the game, but his raw physicality and pace were rather average.
On the other hand, Spurs' other center-back, Jan Vertonghen, was only slightly inferior to Virgil van Dijk in one-on-one defending and also had excellent ball-playing ability.
If Ling wanted to consistently break through today, he had to play to his strengths and exploit their weaknesses.
He would use his physical advantage and pace to challenge Alderweireld, and rely on his technical skills to deal with Vertonghen.
"Yeah, I get it," Mahrez nodded.
If anyone else had said this to him, he would have thought they were an idiot.
After all, Spurs' Belgian center-back pairing was widely considered one of the top three most formidable combinations in the Premier League.
Why had Belgium performed so well in the recent World Cup? A massive reason was the stability of their defense, which relied heavily on Vertonghen and Alderweireld.
But if Ling said it, Mahrez trusted it.
Soon after, Mahrez delivered a corner kick near the penalty spot.
Facing the defense of the two tall center-backs, Ling managed to get his head to the ball but couldn't generate enough power under pressure, sending it straight into Hugo Lloris's waiting arms.
Spurs immediately launched a quick counterattack!
Lloris hurled a long throw out to Kieran Trippier—the so-called "successor to Beckham"—who cushioned the ball mid-air to Moussa Sissoko in the center.
Sissoko, without stopping the ball, continued the fluid play.
The ball traced a rapid "Z" shape across the green pitch, arriving on the left side to Christian Eriksen!
He was the undeniable brain of the Spurs team, the core playmaker entrusted with absolute possession by Mauricio Pochettino.
Compared to David Silva or Mesut Özil, his underlying stats were actually more impressive.
Yet, shockingly, his weekly wage was only £75,000.
It had to be said that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was indeed quite stingy.
In the stands at Wembley, some Spurs fans even held up banners that read.
"Down with that miser Levy!"
Even with the privilege of possession, Eriksen didn't hold onto the ball for long, instead quickly orchestrating the play forward.
A football is always most dangerous when it's in rapid motion!
Peter Drury: "Eriksen finds Dele Alli! The English prodigy, after two years of struggle, has recently shown signs of his old, brilliant self!"
Jim Beglin: "Nemanja Matic drops back quickly to track him!"
In the 2016-17 season, Alli had delivered an incredible record of 22 goals and 9 assists, cementing his place among the Premier League's top goalscoring midfielders.
Although his form had fluctuated significantly over the past two seasons, he remained the undisputed first choice for Spurs' attacking midfield role.
His Transfermarkt value even reached €90 million.
In the eyes of Spurs fans, he was their "Jeremy Ling," the talisman destined to lead Spurs to a championship one day.
Facing the experienced Matic, Alli confidently dribbled forward.
After deftly controlling the ball to create a yard of space, he accelerated directly toward the heart of the Manchester United defense!
However, Matic's positioning was far too precise.
The veteran shifted sideways half a step and collided hard with the Englishman, legally using his body to ensure Alli's touch became slightly heavy.
The loose ball rolled dangerously toward the edge of the penalty area. Players from both teams immediately scrambled for it. Harry Kane held off David Luiz with his back to goal and swept the ball sideways to Son Heung-min.
Considering the angle was too tight, the South Korean star tried to cut inside toward the center before taking a shot.
But Harry Maguire was least afraid of defending head-on.
The big center-back stretched out his foot quickly, fiercely, and accurately to poke the ball away before Son could pull the trigger.
The ball rolled out of bounds for a throw-in after a physical tussle between McTominay and Sissoko.
"He should have shot directly," Alli muttered under his breath, glaring at Son.
As everyone knows, almost every team has a few troublemakers who, relying on their minor fame, look down on their teammates.
Alli was one of them.
As for the reason? It might be his genuinely tragic childhood: hanging around the wrong crowds, smoking at seven, selling drugs at eight.
In such dark circumstances, it's hard for anyone to remain true to themselves as they grow up.
Thus, Alli had developed an aloof and often arrogant personality as a defense mechanism.
Son Heung-min, standing beside him, pretended not to hear the insult and silently returned to his position.
Although he had been at Tottenham for three and a half years and scored consistently, his status within the team hierarchy wasn't particularly high, and he was often yelled at by Lloris and others.
Speaking of this, Son rather envied Jeremy Ling.
The United star had been promoted to the first team for less than two years, yet he already wore the captain's armband for the biggest club in England.
Moreover, from the information Son gathered in daily life, Ling held a significant, respected position in the Manchester United dressing room, even surpassing the authority of some veteran players.
"Son, don't take it to heart. Just focus on the match!" Harry Kane kindly patted him on the back to comfort him.
Son forced a smile. "Thank you, H."
...
In the following phase of the match, facing Manchester United's incredibly dense and compact defensive setup, Tottenham quickly switched their tactical approach.
They utilized Eriksen's elite passing ability to find opportunities for crosses from the flanks, aiming for their two forwards to attack the ball in the box.
However, Maguire effectively controlled the airspace, dominating the aerial duels and denying Kane and Son any clear chances.
Even when Kane managed to win the first header, the efforts posed no real threat to David De Gea.
Meanwhile, Manchester United looked for opportunities to launch quick counterattacks during defensive gaps, though McTominay appeared slightly flustered in midfield under the intense pressing from Trippier and Winks.
Matic frequently had to shift over to help the young Scotsman cover the gaps.
In the 31st minute of the match...
After McTominay successfully stole the ball from Son Heung-min's feet, he was blatantly tripped by the falling South Korean, losing his balance and tumbling painfully onto the Wembley turf.
Manchester United players immediately surrounded Son, angrily questioning him over the cynical foul.
Tottenham players weren't about to back down either, rushing over to push away the United players.
A fierce shoving conflict erupted on the pitch!
The match referee, Mike Dean, hurried over, blowing his whistle repeatedly and physically separating the players from both teams.
"All issues on the pitch are to be resolved by me!" he shouted authoritatively.
After saying this, Dean walked toward Son—who had spread his hands in an innocent act—and sternly issued a verbal warning.
Naturally, the Manchester United players were deeply dissatisfied and approached the referee to argue for a booking.
But Mike Dean firmly shook his head, believing Son's actions didn't quite warrant a yellow card yet.
"That fucking bald bastard!" De Gea cursed from his penalty area, covering his mouth with his glove.
"I heard he has a nickname: the North London Sniper. Apparently, he's a massive Tottenham fan and has actually celebrated their goals on the pitch more than once," Maguire whispered to De Gea, also covering his mouth.
"Alright, you two! Stop talking about the referee behind his back, or you'll risk getting sent off for dissent!" Ashley Young scolded them angrily while jogging past.
At the start of each season, the English Football Association conducts strict background checks on referees' allegiances.
The fact that Mike Dean was assigned to officiate the Tottenham vs. Manchester United match indicates that the FA had officially confirmed he is not a Tottenham fan.
Moreover, this bald-headed referee is known for his strict standards—he was famously the first referee in Premier League history to issue 100 red cards.
(For comparison, Martin Atkinson, who ranks second, has only issued 58).
Jeremy Ling didn't press the issue with Mike Dean either.
As long as the officiating standards remained consistent and unbiased toward either side, they could accept it.
After all, Tottenham played dirty under Pochettino, but Manchester United wasn't incapable of doing the exact same thing under Mourinho.
On the pitch, reasoning is meaningless in the face of malicious fouls.
The only way to respond is through action—making opponents fear or even dread challenging you.
After the conflict subsided, Son Heung-min approached McTominay and sincerely apologized.
Despite his seemingly harmless, smiling appearance, Son was quite similar to a character from a martial arts novel—a master of playing the "gentleman's sword" while delivering cheap shots.
McTominay wasn't fooled by the apology. He snorted coldly and walked away.
The match grew increasingly intense afterward, with players from both sides engaging in heavy physical confrontations, constantly disrupting the rhythm and preventing either team from creating clear-cut chances.
On the sidelines, Mourinho frowned slightly, stroking his chin as he fell into deep thought.
Manchester United's problem was straightforward: a lack of midfield mobility, an overly passive defense in the backline, and consequently, highly ineffective attacks.
The solution was equally simple.
Mourinho glanced toward the substitutes' bench, where new signing N'Golo Kante was intently watching the match, mentally simulating how he would handle the ball if he were on the pitch.
"N'Golo, follow me into the dressing room at halftime. You'll be coming on in the second half," Mourinho decided.
"Got it, boss!" Kante replied with a wide, genuine grin.
He had originally thought he wouldn't get a chance to play in this match since he just signed with the team, but the opportunity had come unexpectedly fast.
He knew he had to seize it to earn the coach's favor, ideally securing the starting defensive midfielder position outright!