In the players' tunnel, the Brighton & Hove Albion players watched the Manchester United team with keen interest.
Although Brighton had already secured their spot to avoid relegation, they were still fully committed to this match.
Manager Chris Hughton had fielded his strongest lineup; after all, if they could successfully thwart Man United at Old Trafford, they would gain more attention than in any other game this season.
Humans always had an innate desire to disrupt someone's joy—Brighton now wanted to become the villains, personally shattering Man United's fairy-tale ending.
As for the Manchester United players nearby, they were chatting in small groups, the atmosphere relaxed and cheerful.
Fully prepared for battle, they were brimming with confidence, determined to decide the Premier League title today and leave no hope for Manchester City.
"Jeremy, remember to make diagonal runs later and take more shots in the channel areas," Nemanja Matic said gravely, offering tactical advice.
Jesse Lingard chimed in, "Right, in the last round, Liverpool beat Brighton 4-0, with Salah contributing a goal and an assist. Who knows how many goals Salah might score tomorrow against Chelsea? So you need to score at least one goal today to catch up in the Golden Boot race first."
"Don't worry, the boss is watching from the sidelines. If we waste chances, we'll probably get an earful before we know it," Ling grinned.
After the pre-match preparations were complete, the players adjusted their mindset once more before following the referee out of the players' tunnel.
Nearly 70,000 Manchester United fans packed the stands, looking from a distance like a surging red tide, their voices already echoing down the tunnel.
Old Trafford erupted with roaring chants, seemingly transforming into tangible sound waves pounding against eardrums.
Cheers erupted like fireworks, igniting the passion at Old Trafford, rising continuously toward the sky.
They could hardly wait, eagerly anticipating Manchester United clinching the title early.
As for smoke flares, very few were prepared because, according to Premier League rules, the championship trophy is only presented at the team's first home match after securing the title.
But the fans didn't care about the trophy ceremony today; they cared about the confirmation.
The camera then shifted to the sidelines.
Jose Mourinho wore a dark gray Armani trench coat, slightly faded from washing.
And this Armani trench coat was a gift from Mourinho's wife after her first trip to Italy, for which she had spent an entire month's salary.
Sometimes fate works in mysterious ways.
In reality, his financial situation was quite poor when he first embarked on his coaching career all those years ago.
When he coached Real Madrid, Barcelona fans taunted him, "For years, he's only worn one coat to direct matches, looking as shabby as someone from the slums."
Mourinho felt fortunate to have met her.
The woman Mourinho loved most was named Matilde Faria, and his best friend was named Rui Faria.
His gaze slowly shifted from the pitch to the stands behind him, where a gentle, virtuous middle-aged woman and a young, beautiful girl were happily waving at him.
His wife and daughter.
Matilde gazed tenderly at Mourinho from the VIP box, just as she had at the Estádio da Luz, Stamford Bridge, San Siro, and Santiago Bernabéu, watching the man who once dominated the football world rise to the top again.
Peep!
With the referee's whistle, the match officially began!
Manchester United didn't launch an aggressive attack from the start but instead conservatively passed the ball around in the midfield and defense, controlling the tempo.
Brighton wanted to be the hero who slayed the giant but severely overestimated their own strength.
So they all bottled up their emotions, waiting to release everything on that day.
If the Man United players approached the game with such a mentality, the match outcome would likely teach them a harsh lesson.
Although Ling knew everyone meant well, some things still needed to be said aloud.
"Our primary goal is to secure the win. Don't deliberately pass up chances just to set me up," Ling reminded his teammates.
"Let's kill this game early," Marcus Rashford whispered quietly.
"Agreed," Ling's tone was very serious.
But Jeremy proactively dribbled forward aggressively.
There are no weak teams in the Premier League.
The first to press was Anthony Knockaert!
The situation on the pitch changes in the blink of an eye.
Compared to Knockaert, Ling was more composed, not recklessly committing to a tackle.
Touch, step, turn!
Three movements executed seamlessly!
Both the player and the ball bypassed Knockaert from left and right!
The second to press was Bruno Saltor.
The captain of Brighton, Bruno, looked wary. As the distance between the two players narrowed progressively, Ling's legs swiftly stepped over the ball, his center of gravity swaying dramatically with the motion.
All 70,000 fans in the stadium seemed to hear a "tick-tock" sound, feeling an unparalleled impact.
Bruno tentatively stretched out his foot to tackle.
In that instant, Ling abruptly pushed the ball to the right, leveraging his explosive power to plant his foot and burst forward!
Leaving Bruno no chance for a second attempt.
The stadium's spotlights seemed to converge, all shining on Man United's number 7.
Ling spotted Romelu Lukaku making a run into space but chose not to pass.
His chest swelled with confidence.
With crisp, clean touches and rapid, agile footwork, he charged straight toward Brighton's goal!
Entering the penalty area, he feigned a pass but instead cut back, leaving Lewis Dunk, the last defender, in his wake.
Under the stunned gaze of Brighton's goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, he slotted the ball into the far corner to score!
1-0!
BOOM!!!
Old Trafford erupted completely.
Ling sprinted wildly to the corner flag, raising his arms to the tens of thousands of fans, basking in cheers meant only for him.
A solo run tearing through Brighton's flank, a goal of sheer perfection!
The camera angle switched to an aerial view.
Ling was surrounded by his Man United teammates, enveloped as if by red flames.
In the distance, countless camera flashes flickered incessantly.
In the VIP box, Sir Alex Ferguson stopped chewing his gum, murmuring to himself, "Man United has finally found the hero who embodies the Red Devils' discipline and legacy."
David Beckham was also left speechless beside him.
Though Brighton's overall strength was modest, pulling off such an unstoppable breakthrough was still an immense challenge.
"Beautiful! A complete individual masterpiece!" Peter Drury exclaimed on commentary.
"I'm at a loss for words." Jim Beglin fell silent for a long moment before continuing, "Congratulations to Ling for scoring his 36th goal of the season! With fewer penalties, he's now overtaken Salah to claim the top spot in the scoring charts! What a debut season!"
Drury sighed with emotion, "Youth in its glorious prime!"
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