From the neighboring technical area, furious shouts echoed continuously.
"Change the tempo! Don't let the rhythm stagnate!"
"You're not utilizing the width enough!"
"Alli! Make decisive forward runs and attack from the far post!"
Pochettino wished he could literally control his players with a PlayStation gamepad, ensuring they executed his complex tactics 100%.
He knew Manchester United's tactical adjustments would come soon.
If Tottenham failed to score before then, the match would only grow exponentially more difficult.
After all, on paper, Tottenham's squad depth was slightly inferior to Manchester United's.
'We absolutely can't lose today's match,' Pochettino thought, clenching his fists tightly.
His earlier disclosure of locker room details in his book had caused serious discontent among some key players, and he had also clashed recently with the club's chairman, Levy, over the lack of transfers.
If he failed to deliver Champions League results this season, this would likely be his last year in North London.
...
As if hearing his manager's desperate thoughts, Tottenham players Sissoko and Harry Winks executed a firm double-tackle, dispossessing Pogba in midfield before swiftly launching a counterattack.
As a product of Tottenham's youth academy, Winks wasn't particularly outstanding—in fact, his physical and technical ceiling was rather average.
His tactical intelligence, however, was exceptional.
For instance, when Jeremy Ling charged forward on a counterattack, the honest Eriksen would step up to challenge, only to be easily dribbled past.
What about Winks?
He would pretend to cover other positions, pointing at teammates, and afterward, bear no responsibility at all for the goal.
So, having won the ball, Winks chose to play a very safe, lateral pass rather than driving forward.
"Push the formation forward!"
The moment Pogba lost possession, Matic immediately took command, leading his teammates to press forward aggressively to win it back.
Thus, Winks' safe lateral pass suddenly turned into a highly dangerous ball under pressure.
Alli, the intended recipient, had already cursed Winks' ancestors eighteen generations over in his mind, but he could only fight with all his might to regain control of the bouncing ball.
Peter Drury: "McTominay! A strong physical challenge on Alli! He wins it cleanly and directly slides the pass to Pogba!"
Jim Beglin: "Tottenham is caught completely in the transition from attack to defense! There are massive gaps in their formation now! Pogba cannot hold onto the ball for too long here!"
Manchester United players, taking advantage of their forward momentum, spread out like scattered petals, penetrating the glaring gaps in Tottenham's broken defensive shape.
Pogba didn't repeat his earlier mistake.
He decisively played a raking diagonal pass to the right flank.
Herrera, before Eriksen could drop back to intercept, delivered a brilliant one-touch pass to Mahrez sprinting ahead.
At this point, Manchester United's attacking momentum had fully taken shape into a lethal counter.
With Tottenham's two wide midfielders caught hopelessly up the pitch involved in the previous attack, only the Belgian center-back duo of Alderweireld and Vertonghen remained in their defensive half to face the onslaught.
Ling pointed toward the left side of Alderweireld and then quickly made a bursting diagonal run to exploit the depth of the field behind him.
It was incredibly noticeable that Ling's forward run was exceptionally clever, precisely targeting the exact spot most difficult for the two center-backs to cover together.
"You mark him!" Vertonghen left a desperate command for his partner and aggressively stepped up to close down Mahrez, who was carrying the ball.
The best defense is to stifle the attack in its cradle!
However, Mahrez feinted a dribble before suddenly cutting back inside, striking the ball firmly with the inside of his right foot!
Smack!
The ball skidded quickly across the slick Wembley grass toward the left side of the penalty area.
But Mahrez's right-footed pass was of slightly poor quality, its trajectory was ending far too close to Tottenham's goal.
If it were Lukaku running onto it, the big Belgian likely wouldn't have caught up to it before the keeper.
But Ling could.
Alderweireld strained every single muscle to chase back, but the distance between him and the United number 7 didn't close—instead, it grew.
A deep sense of helplessness welled up inside the defender.
Alderweireld was accustomed to reading the game, predicting the intentions of attacking players, and then positioning himself advantageously to intercept or clear the ball.
But this logical approach was utterly ineffective against Jeremy Ling.
Because no matter what Alderweireld did, Ling's movements were always half a step faster, half a second quicker—that sheer athletic unpredictability was simply unreasonable to defend against. Alderweireld could only pin his hopes on his goalkeeper.
After judging the ball's trajectory, Lloris didn't hesitate to rush aggressively off his line!
His hands spread wide, slightly shaking up and down, his center of gravity lowered and ready to dive sideways—a textbook one-on-one defending stance!
And he kept his eyes locked dead on Ling's center of gravity.
Top goalkeepers in football can predict the direction of a shot by observing their opponent's body posture and hip placement.
On the other end of the screen, Manchester United's number 7 was bearing down on goal!
Peter Drury: "LING IS IN! He leaves Alderweireld in his wake! He bears down on Hugo Lloris!"
His studs dug fiercely into the grass, propelling him forward with even greater speed, kicking up small clumps of Wembley dirt.
In the blink of an eye, Ling adjusted his posture for the shot.
The tip of his right foot was slightly raised, his hips opening up, pointing distinctly toward the right side of the goal!
A curled push to the far corner!
The same thought flashed through everyone's minds—including Lloris's—as they nervously awaited Ling's inevitable finish.
But after reviewing over six hundred matches and a year and a half of personal experimentation in training, Ling had long developed the habit of actively countering opponents' defensive logic.
Lloris will choose to dive to the right! Without any unnecessary extra touches or adjustments—a testament to his absolute, terrifying confidence in his shooting ability—Ling struck.
Thump!
Before the dull sound of the ball being struck even rang out, Lloris had already reacted to the body shape, diving like lightning to his left, toward the far post!
But the ball didn't go there.
Ling had snapped his ankle at the very last microsecond.
The ball flew treacherously, powerfully, and deadly straight toward the near post.
Lloris was completely wrong-footed.
He could only watch mid-air as the net rippled.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the away end at Wembley erupted into deafening, chaotic cheers, with Manchester United fans waving their arms and scarves excitedly.
Ling, facing a mix of exhilarated United fans and utterly frustrated Spurs supporters behind the goal, sprinted dozens of meters before leaping, punching the air and executing a passionate knee slide!
Scoring at the national stadium truly felt different!
Peter Drury: "LING!!! HE DECEIVES THE KEEPER! It is the near post, and it is devastating! In the 39th minute of the match, young Jeremy Ling has broken Tottenham's resolve!"
Jim Beglin: "I originally thought both teams would head into halftime locked in a tense draw, Peter! But Manchester United seized the opportunity from Winks' misplaced pass and changed the scoreline with the most ruthless, devastating counterattack!"
Peter Drury: "This goal... Scott McTominay's tackle in midfield was brilliant, Pogba's vision was sublime, but young Jeremy's finish? It was absolute, cold-blooded perfection!"
...
@UtdFaithful: NO WAY HE JUST DID LLORIS LIKE THAT! The absolute disrespect to look far post and smash it near! 🥶
@SpursOfficial_Fan: Why do we always let this kid score against us? Winks gave the ball away so cheaply.
@TacticsNerd: Look at the ankle snap from Ling on the replay. To generate that much power near-post while your body is open far-post... it's unfair.
...
Lloris, picking the ball out of his net, was thinking about the goal.
Any normal striker would have gone for the far post in that situation.
He had played the percentages.
It's just that he failed, and the kid made him look incredibly foolish on national television.
At this thought, Lloris felt like crying but had no tears left!
Last time, Manchester United had put seven past him, and today he had become Ling's highlight-reel backdrop once again.
Alli, standing in the distance near the center circle, couldn't resist muttering.
"He should've covered the near post!"
Lloris, hearing this as he walked the ball back, bristled like an angry cat.
He jumped up and angrily retorted at his own teammate: "Easier said than done! If I had gambled on the near post, don't you think a player of his caliber would've just passed it into the open far post?!"
After screaming this, the French captain punched his own goalpost in sheer frustration.
Harry Kane quickly rushed over to calm the two down.
The pressure in Tottenham's locker room had been immense lately, and if they started physically fighting each other before the match was even over, they'd likely become the absolute laughingstock of European football.
Meanwhile, by the corner flag, the Manchester United players were gathered together celebrating joyously.
Mahrez's envy was written all over his face as he hugged the goalscorer.
"Jeremy, I swear, if my right foot had even 80% of your skill, I'd probably win the Ballon d'Or next year."
"Give me a break, Riyad!" Pogba scoffed, slapping Mahrez on the back. "On that earlier play, you couldn't even pass the ball straight to him! You're not even half as good as Ling!"
"There are about five minutes left in regular time in the first half. Everyone, stay sharp! Tottenham didn't climb to fourth place in the table by luck alone!" Ling ignored the bickering duo, turning serious as he tightened the captain's armband on his sleeve.
"Understood, skip!" the Manchester United players responded in unison.
Ashley Young watched from afar in defense, feeling immensely gratified, thinking the young number 7 was growing more and more into his leadership role every single game.
After the match resumed, the Tottenham players were desperate and determined to equalize before the break.
But their eagerness showed poorly in their play, with Alli attempting to break through with his individual skills more than once rather than passing.
However, against Manchester United's compact, disciplined defensive formation, getting past one player didn't mean you were getting past the second.
Whenever Manchester United regained possession and calmly kept the ball, Wembley erupted in piercing, frustrated boos.
The Tottenham fans were doing everything they could to disrupt the United players' concentration, as they were genuinely terrified of experiencing another "7-Up" humiliation today.
The ball was passed to Ling near the center circle.
Vertonghen immediately tensed up, dropping his stance, fearing Ling would burst forward again.
But to his surprise, Ling simply placed his foot on the ball, looked up, and passed it safely back to the defense.
With so little time left in the first half, there was absolutely no need to take unnecessary attacking risks.
Taking the psychological advantage and the lead into the locker room was the most efficient, mature, and correct choice.
Seeing this professional game management, the Tottenham players grew frustrated and intensified their pressing in the attacking third.
However, their usually effective fouls and physical tricks didn't work well against Manchester United.
Firstly, the United players were well-prepared for such dark-arts tactics from Pochettino's men.
Secondly, whenever they lost the ball to a heavy Tottenham challenge, as long as the referee's whistle didn't blow, they immediately got back up and fought back with equal, if not greater, physicality.
In less than five minutes, possession violently changed hands five or six times in midfield.
Finally, Mike Dean blew his whistle to signal the end of a bruising first half!