Chapter 796: Last-Minute Winner! Thrashing Manchester United! Era-Defining Transfer! God-Like Wang Shuo! Ferguson, Wake Up!

In the visiting dugout, Ferguson’s calmness, composure, and confidence were all just a front put on for the players. In reality, he was an absolute nervous wreck inside.

He couldn’t even stop himself from wondering, “If I had promised to sell Rooney last summer, would Wang Shuo have agreed to join Manchester United?”

This tantalizing thought grew wildly in his mind. Gradually, it morphed into an endless, agonizing regret.

“It’s all that damn Wenger’s fault!” he thought. “Someone give me a gun and a bullet!”

53.5% to 46.5%. A difference of seven percentage points. These were the first-half ball possession stats for both teams.

When Wenger saw this data, he laughed in sheer excitement, clenching his fists and cheering, “Yes!”

Pat Rice was equally thrilled. “It actually worked!”

Manchester United was like the ultimate litmus test. Through them, one could see just how much Arsenal had improved. Many might find it hard to believe, but over the past few years, regardless of victory or defeat in their matchups, Arsenal had always been at a disadvantage in terms of possession against Manchester United. Yes, it was true—the Gunners, who seemingly excelled at passing, surprisingly fell short of Manchester United in possession rates.

Why was that? It was because Manchester United had an incredible work rate. Their intense pressing always disrupted Arsenal’s passing and cutting lanes. Upon winning the ball back, they could swiftly transition into lightning-fast counterattacks. Therefore, Manchester United not only dominated possession but also overwhelmingly led in shooting attempts.

But what about today? The first-half shooting attempts were 5 to 3!

Manchester United’s most threatening attack of the entire first half had just occurred during stoppage time. Giggs had sent a curling cross to the far post, where right winger Valencia rapidly charged the right post. However, as Vermaelen challenged him in the air, the defender managed to clear the ball out of bounds for a corner. Other than that, Manchester United had failed to produce a single decent attack throughout the first half.

“It actually worked!” Wenger also let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Dominating possession and creating more chances meant that Arsenal held the upper hand in this war of attrition. The next test for the team would be how to win this grinding battle.

Returning to the locker room with a 2-0 lead, Wenger first praised the players extensively, then analyzed the first half’s dynamics. He wanted the team to maintain their advantage in possession.

“This is an arduous war of attrition!

“We are struggling, but our opponents are struggling even more—they are still down by two goals!

“Under this extreme high-pressure environment, what seems like a deadlocked game is actually beginning to crumble.

“And it’s happening right at their weakest link!

“This is the barrel theory!”

At this point, Wenger looked at Wang Shuo.

If Arsenal and Manchester United were seen as two wooden barrels, then Wang Shuo was the longest plank in the Arsenal squad. His corresponding defensive line—the area occupied by Smalling and Evans—was Manchester United’s shortest plank.

“Wang, push a little harder. Keep pressuring them and force them into making mistakes!”

Wang Shuo flashed a confident smile. “Don’t worry, leave it to me!”

Hearing his words and seeing his confident expression, all his surrounding teammates exuded a renewed sense of belief and assurance. Even though Wang Shuo had just arrived, he had already led the team through so many grueling and hard-fought matches so far this season.

He never disappointed them!

To the astonishment of all the Manchester United players, despite holding a two-goal lead, Arsenal came out fighting even fiercer and more ruthlessly in the second half.

Especially Wang Shuo.

Just two minutes into the second half, while tracking back on Valencia, he executed a direct sliding tackle to intercept the ball, his momentum carrying him completely over the touchline. It made everyone in the stadium think he had injured himself. But the very next moment, he sprang back to his feet, full of vigor, and threw himself right back into the game.

He was pushing so hard! He was absolutely relentless!

All sixty thousand Arsenal fans in the stadium screamed themselves hoarse, cheering them on. And Wang Shuo’s proactiveness and commitment also galvanized his teammates around him.

By the fiftieth minute, when Evra received the ball on the left flank, Walcott, De Bruyne, and Wang Shuo simultaneously pressed toward that side, managing to block Evra near the halfway line. The veteran from France was forced to pass back to Evans in their defensive third.

Both Walcott and Wang Shuo lunged toward Evans at top speed. No one could fathom the immense pressure the Manchester United center-back was under in that exact moment. Their speed was simply too fast.

Startled, Evans didn’t even dare to hold onto the ball. He hurriedly played a lateral pass, knocking the ball over to Smalling beside him.

Wang Shuo, however, was already prepared. He suddenly changed direction, his legs driving forcefully into the ground as he activated [Domain Skill: Blasters]. Combined with the explosive launch of [Hunter], he pounced toward Smalling at blinding speed.

This was also a brand-new way to utilize his Domain Skills that Wang Shuo had comprehended this season. Neither [Blasters] nor [Hunter] required him to have the ball; they could be used during regular off-the-ball movement. As long as they were used appropriately and timed right, they often caught opponents completely off guard.

Just like this time.

Although Evans had made a hurried pass and Smalling was somewhat startled, the latter reacted fast enough and immediately moved to trap the ball. But Wang Shuo, who had originally been quite a distance away, suddenly arrived right in front of him in the blink of an eye.

This gave the Manchester United defender a massive shock, prompting him to immediately try and turn around to shield the ball.

Trapping the ball, simultaneously turning around, and trying to shield it…

Forced to cram this entire sequence of actions together, Smalling became a flustered mess. Somehow, his legs slipped, and he lost control, sliding to the ground near their defensive third.