"What did Mourinho say this time?"
"Well, alright, alright. That guy's always like this. I'm used to it."
"You know how it is—whenever Mourinho walks into a pre-match press conference, he turns into my wife. Completely unreasonable and relentlessly aggressive."
At Liverpool's pre-match press conference, reporters had already relayed Mourinho's comments to Klopp.
Klopp, however, looked perfectly calm. Perhaps because the opponent was Mourinho, nothing about it surprised him.
"I just hope Mourinho remembers that this match is at Anfield, not at their home ground."
"I wish Manchester United good luck. That's all I'll say."
Klopp stood up with a smile. His parting line—wishing Manchester United "good luck"—carried a rather pointed meaning.
When the two sides first met in the league earlier this season at Old Trafford, Liverpool fans still remembered clearly how they had been treated by Manchester United supporters.
So when Manchester United fans arrived at Anfield for this round of the Premier League, many of them couldn't even walk down the streets normally.
Wherever they went, they were met with middle fingers and deafening boos from Liverpool supporters.
In fact, within the 24 hours before kickoff, there were as many as fifteen clashes between fans across the city of Liverpool.
The Liverpool authorities even released a public advisory urging Manchester United fans not to wander around the city during these two days.
At the very least, they were warned not to appear on Liverpool's streets wearing Manchester United jerseys—home or away—because no one could guarantee their safety if they did.
...
April 12.
Premier League Matchweek 32 was about to begin.
At 3:30 PM local time, with half an hour remaining before kickoff, the ESPN broadcast went live.
Jon Champion and Jim Beglin were ready in the commentary booth.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to Matchweek 32 of the Premier League!"
"The weather today is fantastic—about as perfect as you could possibly hope for."
"Both teams have already submitted their starting lineups. Let's begin with Manchester United."
"Mourinho has great confidence in his current lineup. At the moment, Manchester United sit third in the Premier League, four points ahead of Arsenal, but nine points behind Manchester City and ten points behind Liverpool. With only a few matches left in the season, overtaking them will be extremely difficult."
"Goalkeeper: De Gea!"
"Defenders: Ashley Young, Bailly, Smalling, Valencia!"
"Midfielders: Matic, McTominay, Sanchez!"
"Attack: Rashford, Lukaku, Mata!"
"Yes, Arsenal once again sold a key player during the winter transfer window—Sanchez."
"But since arriving at Manchester United, Sanchez hasn't quite lived up to expectations. Fans are hoping he can deliver better performances."
"On the other side, Liverpool are sticking with their usual 4-3-3."
"Goalkeeper: Mignolet!"
"Defenders: Robertson, Lovren, Matip, Arnold!"
"Midfielders: Henderson, Wijnaldum, Leo Lin!"
"Attack: Mané, Firmino, Salah!"
Anfield was completely packed.
Liverpool supporters waved their flags across the stands, while roughly 3,000 Manchester United fans had traveled for the away match.
Ten riot police officers stood beside the United supporters' section, separating them from the Liverpool fans. Even so, some of the more aggressive supporters continued to shout provocations at each other.
Inside the dressing rooms, both teams were making their final preparations as the starting players entered the tunnel.
Almost no one exchanged greetings.
The air was thick with tension—exactly as Mourinho had intended.
He had instructed his players to treat this match as a battle of honor, one that could decide life or death.
"Maybe it's difficult for us to stop Liverpool from winning the title now."
"But we must never allow them to climb to the top by stepping over us!"
"If we can beat them at Anfield—humiliate them right in their own stadium—then even if Liverpool eventually win the title, we'll still be able to hold our heads high in front of our rivals."
"Because they never got the better of us!"
Mourinho's message was crystal clear, and the Manchester United players understood it just as clearly.
Moments later, referee Mariani led both teams onto the pitch.
Anfield erupted instantly.
The crowd roared as they chanted the names of their players.
Then the referee blew the whistle.
"Beep!!!"
"The match is underway!"
Liverpool kicked off first, easing into the game without rushing their attack.
Firmino immediately played the ball backward. Leo Lin controlled it and passed to Wijnaldum.
Liverpool built patiently, gradually pushing forward, while Manchester United—as expected—sat deep and prepared to counterattack.
Up front, Rashford positioned himself on the left while Lukaku held the central position, both ready to launch forward on the break.
Sixth minute.
"Liverpool once again advancing through the middle with Leo Lin, while Wijnaldum stays behind as support."
"Driving forward through the center—Matic steps in to challenge!"
Matic confronted him head-on as Leo Lin attempted to break through.
Leo Lin dropped his shoulder and pushed the ball outward, but his footing slipped slightly. Still not fully settled into the rhythm of the match, he nearly lost possession.
He quickly turned sideways to shield the ball from Matic, pivoted, and passed it back.
Seeing Leo Lin fail to beat him, Matic suddenly let out a roar and glared at him.
Leo Lin paused for a moment, then the corner of his mouth lifted.
He hadn't expected that stopping him just once would make Matic this excited.
Matic was clearly trying to pump himself up. After all, this was Anfield—Liverpool's home ground.
The overwhelming pressure from the crowd had already made Manchester United players nervous. Add Leo Lin's recent hot form, and a single successful defensive play had boosted Matic's confidence tremendously.
Wijnaldum received the pass and immediately returned it with a quick one-touch ball.
Right back to Leo Lin.
Behind him, Matic rushed forward again to challenge.
Leo Lin stood still, almost motionless.
But the moment Matic lunged in, Leo Lin suddenly flicked the ball behind his standing leg with his heel, turned, and snapped the ball away again!
Two rapid changes of direction in succession.
Matic was completely shaken off—his body even stumbling backward as he lost balance.
The broadcast camera immediately zoomed in.
Matic leaning backward in frustration.
Leo Lin gliding past him, a grin spreading uncontrollably across his face.
Gerrard burst out laughing.
"Matic's been sent the wrong way!"
"Hahaha—did he really think he could stop Lin one-on-one?!"
...
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