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Chapter 168: Full firepower unleashed

From the very beginning, Millwall took charge of the game, firmly controlling the tempo. It was evident that the Manchester United players looked fatigued; their pressing and movement lagged at least one tier behind Millwall's intensity.

Scholes pressured Pirlo, while the double pivot of Butt and Keane focused on limiting Nedved's influence, as Manchester United aimed to wrest control in midfield.

But their efforts were thwarted by Millwall's superior movement and tactics.

Pirlo and Makelele had developed a strong understanding over time. Previously, Makelele, with Nedved ahead of him in midfield, prioritized solid defensive duties and did not push forward much, leading to a considerable gap between them. However, with Pirlo beside him, the dynamics changed. Pirlo liberated Nedved, and also activated Makelele's attacking capabilities. Whenever Scholes attempted to disturb Pirlo with his movements, Pirlo would shift the ball to Makelele, who would then make a decision based on their positioning.

Cole dropped back to hassle, while Southgate moved up to contribute to the attack. In the middle and back, Millwall was not easily distracted from maintaining possession.

Under pressure, Pirlo received the ball and either executed a cross-field pass or a back pass. After a series of three touches, he surged forward. Makelele fed the ball back to him, and as Pirlo shook off Scholes's defense, he executed a straight pass to Nedved. Just as Nedved turned to receive the ball, he was taken down from behind by Keane, who resorted to a foul.

Referee Poll blew the whistle, signaling a free kick.

Keane, without arguing, stepped back, keeping a fixed gaze on Nedved.

As the Czech rose to his feet, he placed the ball at his feet and, before fully straightening up, sent it rolling backward.

Quickly take the free kick!

Pirlo, near the center circle, controlled the ball and, with a single touch, launched a long ball that soared over the heads of Manchester United's defensive midfielders.

On the left flank, Larsson stood just outside the penalty area, using his chest to cushion the ball down against Neville's challenge. At the same moment it dropped, he nudged it aside with the outside of his foot. The transition from reception to pass was seamless, both efficient and elegant!

Almost simultaneously, Capdevila burst up the left side, racing towards the byline. Neville turned to chase, but he was a step too slow.

Capdevila's run forced the entire United defense to turn and recover, but he decisively delivered a cross.

The ball raced low across the ground towards the goal area, where Trezeguet and David May were caught in a tense struggle for the near post. This situation made Schmeichel reluctant to come forward, while Trezeguet, aware he wouldn't connect with the ball, deliberately increased his physical confrontation to ensure May couldn't clear it!

The ball rolled past both of them, and Schmeichel was left stunned, quickly turning to chase towards the back post, but he was unable to catch up. Shevchenko came charging in unexpectedly, receiving the ball and effortlessly slotting it into the net.

"Shevchenko! Shevchenko! Shevchenko! What a powerful striker! He's scored again! And at Old Trafford, no less! Capdevila, who has firmly secured a starting position this season, has been outstanding. He's a fullback but plays a crucial role in both defense and supporting the attack! Millwall leads Manchester United 1-0 away!"

After scoring, Shevchenko pointed to Capdevila and ran towards him, with other teammates quickly joining in. They embraced tightly, symbolizing their unity!

"Martin, this goal may seem simple, but did you notice how it unfolded? Nedved initiated the play, Pirlo delivered the long pass, Larsson made the decisive touch, Capdevila crossed it, and Trezeguet attracted defensive attention while Shevchenko made the late run to score. All Millwall's attacking players participated in this goal's creation. If only the forward players were involved, United might have been able to defend it, but Capdevila's unexpected assist turned it into a vulnerability. Look, Neville is calling Beckham over; I bet he's instructing him to drop deeper defensively. Otherwise, how can Neville handle both Larsson and Capdevila on his own? It's laughable. Just containing Larsson without making mistakes is already tough enough."

"Ha, I agree with you. Ferguson doesn't look pleased at all. Over the past few matches, he hasn't been smiling. He's pointing at his players, clearly demanding more effort."

Aldrich raised his arms in celebration, then raised both fists triumphantly.

The camera zoomed in on him as Old Trafford erupted in boos.

No big deal; let them boo.

Any coach intimidated by booing has no future!

Anfield, Highbury, White Hart Lane, Stamford Bridge, Upton Park... Every ground that boos me will remember my name!

The players on the field celebrated calmly, with Nedved being the first to jog back, his expression returning to one of serene composure.

After kick-off, Manchester United attempted to shift the momentum, but their attacking formation was utterly fragmented by Millwall's organized defense. Beckham had just stopped the ball at the wing when Larsson closed in to mark him. As he took a step forward, Capdevila cleverly intercepted the ball and passed it to Larsson, who executed a one-two play with Capdevila.

Beckham sprinted back, but Capdevila stopped the ball and passed it to the more withdrawn Makelele, keeping the tempo firmly in Millwall's hands.

Before Beckham could make it halfway back, Makelele and Pirlo executed another one-two. The ball was sent out to Capdevila on the flank.

Capdevila feigned a pass, tricking Beckham off balance. He then surged forward, forcing Neville to match up defensively. Capdevila didn't give Neville a close chance and instead passed the ball to Larsson, who had been making a run into the box.

Larsson received the ball near the byline and drew David May into his defense. Instead of pushing forward, he took two steps back while maintaining possession, then passed the ball to the onrushing Nedved. He then turned sharply and made a forward run towards the goal. Nedved, understanding Larsson's intention, flicked the ball back without stopping it, slicing through Manchester United's defense.

Larsson, arriving at the ball, skillfully shot for the far corner, effortlessly sending it into the net.

Schmeichel yelled furiously at the defense, while David May and Pallister signaled with their hands, claiming that Larsson was in an offside position.

The assistant referee raised the flag for offside even before Larsson shot.

A collective gasp swept through Old Trafford.

Larsson stood with his hands on his hips, visibly frustrated: "That was a clear goal!"

The previous interplay had been exquisite, yet it was all for naught due to the offside call.

Aldrich approached to pressure the fourth official, regardless of the validity of the call.

He continuously protested to the officials, viewing the replay on the big screen. It remained difficult to determine if Larsson was indeed offside. From a neutral standpoint, both the call and no-call could be justified; considering the split-second timing, it was unreasonable to expect the referee's precision to match that of a machine.

Particularly because Larsson noticeably retreated after delivering the pass and then pushed forward, trying to avoid being caught offside. However, since he came back from an offside position, it made it easier for him to be deemed offside.

Manchester United escaped a scare, and the match continued. Their urgent desire to equalize forced them to push forward, while Scholes had yet to firmly establish himself in the attacking midfielder role. Last season, he frequently acted as a shadow striker, scoring ten invaluable goals on Manchester United's title run.

Historically, Pirlo had often been criticized for his defensive shortcomings. Aldrich believed a significant factor was that he had been cultivated as an attacking midfielder since his debut. In this era, it's not that attacking midfielders don't train defensive skills, but the defensive abilities of classical attacking midfielders were notoriously lacking, which is why they've all but vanished from European football.

Thus, over the past year, Aldrich restructured Pirlo's training to emphasize not only the importance of orchestrating play from his position but also to strengthen his defensive capabilities. Although his explosive speed still left much to be desired, his defensive awareness had vastly improved, evident in his positional play. Aggression in tackles is not merely a result of ability; awareness is key, much like the future player Xavi. You wouldn't say his defensive technique was outstanding, but whether he participated in pressing during defensive phases is critical to the team's performance.

As long as Pirlo could disrupt Scholes, that would be sufficient. If Scholes showed any intent to push forward, Makelele would effectively stifle any United offensive attempts.

Consequently, Manchester United's repeated attempts to feed Scholes for offensive organization failed, and attacking via the flanks led to Millwall's players congesting the spaces with their withdrawals.

After several ineffective attacks, Keane opted to drive forward himself. While he possessed good organizing abilities, he certainly held the ball for too long this time. Nedved, demonstrating better movement, intercepted the ball from the side. He quickly transitioned into a counterattack, passing to Trezeguet, who had dropped back to receive the ball, then advanced swiftly.

Butt hurried to mark Nedved, but before he could reach him, Trezeguet returned the ball to Nedved, who then flicked it into the box. Trezeguet, after passing, pivoted towards the penalty area, perfectly timing the run. The ball sailed over the heads of Pallister and Larmore, as Trezeguet surged towards the six-yard box. With both center-backs needing to turn, Pallister had no choice but to trip Trezeguet.

Poll decisively halted play, pointing to the penalty spot while pulling out a yellow card for Pallister.

The atmosphere at Old Trafford was rife with boos, as fans thought that Trezeguet had staged a dive.

Yet slow-motion replays proved it was undoubtedly a penalty.

Should Trezeguet have escaped Pallister's interference and advanced for a clear one-on-one opportunity, Pallister's outcome might have not just been a yellow card.

Aldrich remained quite unhappy, asserting that it should have been a red card. Nonetheless, the fourth official patiently started a dialogue with him.

"It's a mixed situation; Schmeichel also had the opportunity to intervene and clear the ball."

"My player had already started his charge; Schmeichel, standing on the goal line, is he really going to be quicker than my forward from the same distance?"

"Ah, since it didn't occur, we can only speculate. What do you think?"

"That's a bit unreasonable on your part. Fine, I won't argue, but if we miss the penalty, I'll lodge a complaint."

In the end, Aldrich and the fourth official shared a laugh.

Sometimes referees have it tough.

Larsson stood at the penalty spot. Amid the resonating boos from Old Trafford, he calmly began his run-up. With composure, he slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Schmeichel guessed the right direction but couldn't save it; after all, it was a theoretical dead corner.

Millwall led 2-0 away, and it was still only the 28th minute of the first half.