The Rise of Millwal

Chapter 318: Kicking Away Manchester United's Championship

As the halftime whistle blew in the Premier League finale, Aldrich was the first to head back to the dressing room. The tactics remained unchanged, but he urged the team to control the tempo of the midfield in the second half, taking advantage of Manchester United's eagerness to equalize and strike back effectively.

In a matchup like this, the last thing you want is for your opponent to guess your intentions. It was no secret that Manchester United would be on the attack from the outset, much like how Millwall approached their earlier encounter, which led to a desperate need to close the gap in points. United's defensive posture became weaker on the road, as they poured more energy into their attack. While the pressure from a direct assault was immense, the pressure on their defense would also increase with counterattacks.

With the second half underway, the players returned to the field while Aldrich remained seated on the bench, completely calm.

Ferguson, on the other hand, couldn't sit still. From the moment the second half started, he was on the sidelines, directing his players' movements and urging them to continuously attack Millwall's defense.

The Red Devils were going all out, launching a desperate counterattack.

Millwall, however, stayed composed. Manchester United's golden wings were making their presence felt on the flanks, but thankfully, their frontline wasn't creating much danger.

United's three forwards—Cole, Solskjaer, and the benched Sheringham—combined for fewer than 40 goals this season, which was less than 60% of Manchester's total goals. With Sheringham averaging fewer than 0.3 goals per game, there wasn't much to praise there. Solskjaer, despite battling injuries this season, had a scoring rate similar to Sheringham's, but Cole was performing well with 16 goals and still had a shot at becoming the Premier League's top scorer—if he could pull off a hat trick today.

Millwall, distracted by their European campaign, saw their top scorers, Larsson and Shevchenko, stuck at 18 and 17 goals, respectively, while Trezeguet lagged behind with 15. The attacking trio had a significant drop in goals compared to last year, but their efficiency remained remarkable based on playing time.

By the sixtieth minute, the crowd began to buzz with excitement.

The Lions' fans were relaxed, enjoying the match. To be honest, if they dared think about the title race, they felt a conflict of emotions and chose to push it aside.

Close to three thousand United fans were in attendance, many of whom purchased tickets from the black market, making scalpers quite wealthy.

Then, in the away section of the stands, a ripple swept through the United fans as they received the latest news and began a louder wave of support.

"Heh, someone scored in Villa Park."

"Let me guess, it wasn't Arsenal. Otherwise, the United fans wouldn't react like this."

"Exactly, Aston Villa is leading Arsenal 1-0 at home. Wenger's team has been on the fast track since the second half of the season, but they seem to have gotten too tense at this critical moment and fallen behind."

"They're in a similar boat as United. Winning is the safest bet; a draw isn't reliable, and on the road, they might get overwhelmed and hit back by Villa—who excels at that kind of play."

"United has reason to be happy. If they can equalize and the score stays the same in Villa Park, they'll share points with Arsenal and claim the Premier League title on goal difference!"

The coaching staff at United also got the news, and Ferguson urged his players to put in even more effort!

The Millwall players who played today were originally their substitutes. It would be completely unacceptable if United cannot win this game.

Now that Aston Villa was lending a hand, a draw would give the Red Devils a glimmer of hope for the championship. If United managed to score, Arsenal would inevitably feel the blow, perhaps giving Villa the chance to net more goals.

United surrounded Millwall's goal with a barrage of attacks. With expectations running high for their strikers, they relied on the wings and Scholes' individual skills. Giggs threatened frequently with his cuts from the side, and Beckham took a few long-range shots. Scholes often pushed forward after orchestrating plays, nearly indistinguishable from the forwards.

Millwall faced constant danger in front of their goal. Keller, out of practice, performed well. Since becoming Millwall's second-choice goalkeeper, he had worked hard without complaint but hadn't played since their elimination in the FA Cup—a long interval. However, his condition was good; he didn't make any mistakes on the critical saves.

From the sixty-third to the seventieth minute, United's whirlwind attacks yielded no results. As they pressed harder, Millwall found more opportunities to counterattack.

In the seventy-second minute, Scholes' long-range shot was blocked by Ferdinand, who deflected it with his shoulder. United players appealed for a penalty, but the referee ignored them and turned to run back to United's half as the ball fell to Ballack, triggering a Millwall counterattack.

Butt kept his eye on Ronaldinho, but instead of passing it to him, Ballack found the rapidly advancing Lampard.

With United vulnerable in midfield due to their lack of defense, Butt retreated step-by-step in the direction of Ronaldinho. Lampard surged ahead, untracked by any defenders. Beckham sprinted back frantically just as he was about to reach him. Lampard passed the ball to Gudjohnsen, who was dropping back.

The Icelandic striker controlled the ball without hurrying forward. When Ballack arrived from the opposite side, he laid it off to him.

At this point, five Millwall players pressed into United's penalty area, and United defended with five men. But through well-executed passes and movements, Millwall successfully penetrated the opponent's defense.

Ballack aimed to break inside the box, forcing Butt to vacate his position on Ronaldinho. The moment Butt shifted, Ballack passed to Ronaldinho, positioned centrally.

Ronaldinho took a step back as if to unleash a powerful long shot, prompting the United defenders to close in. Stam was quick to challenge, but Ronaldinho deftly faked the shot and instead made a key pass that rolled right past Stam. Gudjohnsen's clever run drew Palister's focus, and as Palister leaned in, Gudjohnsen smoothly slid the ball through to the awaiting Van Nistelrooy, who was perfectly timed to beat the offside trap. With Schmeichel rushing toward him, Van Nistelrooy blasted the ball home from close range!

"Van Nistelrooy scores! With ten league goals this season despite limited play, he's showing just how deep Millwall's attacking talent runs, especially compared to United's struggling forwards! The score is now 2-0, and United is sensing defeat. Meanwhile, it's still 1-0 at Villa Park. What a dramatic day in the Premier League! If United had known Arsenal would falter, they might not have pushed so hard today. But who can see the future? This brings back memories of two years ago, doesn't it? Andy, what do you think?"

"Haha, are you talking about Millwall's match at St. James' Park two years ago? Newcastle was almost champions but ended up losing to Millwall at home. Keegan's title dream was brutally crushed by Hall's foot. It looks like United might be facing a similar fate today!"

Aldrich stood up with a calm expression, calling over Duff and Van der Meyde, who had warmed up. With less than ten minutes remaining, he still wanted to ensure both understood the tactical instructions, specifically how to stay cool and play in this high-stakes match.

No matter how much time was left or how the game was unfolding, substitutes had to perform well.

Millwall's substitutions were made rapidly—not dragging out time—since Aldrich replaced two players at once.

Gudjohnsen and Ballack came off.

Given that Ballack was the first-choice substitute in the Champions League and had played for over 70 minutes today, he needed to preserve some energy.

Ferguson made his changes as well, bolstering his attack with Sheringham in place of Palister.

Manchester United was really desperate and changed to a 3-4-3 formation, leaving only four defenders in the defense. No one other than Stam could handle Millwall's attack with confidence in one-on-one situations.

In contrast, Millwall changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation.

United was all in, and Aldrich knew that with the second goal, there would be no turning back for them. As for Millwall, with over 15 minutes still on the clock, defending wasn't the best choice. Switching to a counter-attacking style with a more actively positioned 4-2-3-1 setup would be more suitable.

Five minutes after United's substitutions, they bore fruit.

Beckham attempted a chipped shot at the far corner from the right side of the penalty area, but the ball crashed against the crossbar and bounced down.

With one extra forward, Millwall struggled to adjust their marking, letting one of United's forwards slip through. The ball deflected onto the second opportunity, highlighting a weak spot in their defense, and United's forward quickly slotted it home.

"Solskj?r! He pulled one back for the team with around ten minutes left. United only needs one more goal to equalize, while the score at Villa Park remains unchanged. United has surged back from the brink of death; at least, they see a glimmer of hope!"

After scoring, Solskj?r hugged the ball and ran back while his teammates sprinted after him, catching their breath and encouraging one another.

After conceding the goal, Aldrich remained composed at the sidelines. He gestured for his team to stay calm and not to panic.

Millwall have nothing to worry about. Even if Manchester United equalizes and takes the title, it will be thanks to Arsenal's failure.

With little time remaining, after Millwall restarted play, United charged forward aggressively, forcing Millwall's defenders to often clear the ball long.

Aldrich never prohibited his players from clearing the ball; even though they usually played a possession-based style, one couldn't be inflexible towards the game.

Materazzi's clearances were high and far, and Aldrich admired this maneuver.

Such clearances allowed players to alleviate some psychological pressure while exhausting United's players sprinting back. Although not all players rushed back, at least they created space, giving Millwall time to reorganize and disrupt United's shape.

As the match entered the last five minutes of regular time, United repeatedly lifted high balls into the box. Millwall adjusted rapidly after conceding, with Lampard dropping deeper on defense while both full-backs contracted inward.

Neville burst up to assist, intending to connect with Beckham's pass, but was intercepted by Zambrotta, who promptly fed Duff.

Duff sent a pass to Ronaldinho, who played it forward to the left flank. Duff sprinted past midfield, full of pace as he received the ball near the sideline. With only three United defenders remaining, including the keeper, Millwall enjoyed a numerical advantage.

When Duff reached the danger zone, he stepped in threateningly. When the chance to shoot presents itself, Stam has no choice but to push forward, fully aware that it is a risky move. But he had no choice, he couldn't stand idly by and watch his opponent kill the game.

As expected, the moment Stam moved, Duff passed the ball to the advancing Ronaldinho. With a clear run on goal, Ronaldinho found himself one-on-one with Schmeichel, who dashed out to close him down. Ronaldinho calmly squared it across the box.

Van Nistelrooy easily tapped it into the empty net.

"Van Nistelrooy has a brace! Millwall now leads Manchester United 3-1, and it looks like United has lost all hope. Hall won't allow United to lift the championship trophy at the lion's den!"

Ferguson stood on the sidelines, his nose reddening as he remained still for a long time. Before the match resumed, he waved his hand, sending a clear signal to the Red Devils: attack!

No matter how much time was left on the clock, even if it was just a second, they had to fight for a miracle!