Manchester United legend

Chapter 66 Chasing the Leader

Manchester United got off to a good start in this season's Champions League as they beat Swedish champions Gothenburg 4-2 at Old Trafford in their first game.

Cantona and Jost did not play, with Jost suspended by UEFA for two games and Cantona for three as punishment for a fight with police in Turkey.

But even without these two, Manchester United still won, because the Red Devils' wing rage is very sharp.

"Wide madman" Giggs scored twice, both goals were cut from the left to the penalty area to score,
Kanchelski's long-range shot and Lee Sharp's front-of-the-door goal both scored for Manchester United.Manchester United easily won their first Champions League game.

In the subsequent No.12 round, Manchester United won 2-0 at home against Newcastle. Millennium Iron Tree Pallister scored for Manchester United in a corner kick, and teenager Gillespie scored a second goal for Manchester United.

Both Cantona and Jost missed excellent scoring opportunities, and Jost's heavy artillery from 35 meters away hit the crossbar of the opponent's goal directly.

But even the media admitted that Jost's long-range shots became more and more threatening.

In the second game of the Champions League, Manchester United once again went to Turkey to challenge Galatasaray. Manchester United played extremely difficult in this game, and finally tied their opponents 1:1 with captain Bruce's goal.

After the draw with Galatasaray, back in the league, Manchester United won two games in a row, first winning Villa 2-1 away.Goals from Kanchelski and Ince led United to victory.

Then Manchester United returned home and slaughtered the helpless city team Manchester City 5-0.

In that game, Kanchelski became the best player in the game. He first assisted Cantona to break the deadlock with a precise cross just past the midfield. Then, he staged a hat-trick by himself, scoring a goal with his left and right feet, and scored with a header, which showed Kanchelski's comprehensiveness.

He cooperated with Cantona three times in a row, received an assist from Cantona, and broke the opponent's gate.

Kanchelski, who showed great power, became a hero in the hearts of Manchester United fans, and the name of Ukraine Express became the loudest voice in Old Trafford!
Manchester United's 5-0 rout of their rivals in the same city also created a perfect night at Old Trafford. Kanchelski was also the first player to score three goals in a Manchester "derby" since 1970.

Then Manchester United faced the "dream team" Barcelona in the third game of the Champions League.

This is Jost's first time playing with a Spanish team, and Barcelona left a deep impression on Jost in this game.

The overall skills of the Barcelona players are a bit better than those of the Manchester United players. They have excellent pass control and can quickly control the rhythm of the game.

The number of passes in Barcelona's midfield area is higher than the number of passes in the front and back courts, and the number of passes in short and medium distances far exceeds the number of long-distance passes; the players' continuous passing and one-time touch are super powerful, which is an effective weapon for them to control the initiative of the game; Barcelona has more effective offensive and threatening passes, more opportunities to get shots, and the probability of scoring is much higher than that of the opponent, which is also an advantage of the team.

Manchester United first broke the deadlock with Mark Hughes receiving a pass from Jost, but Barcelona relied on the goals of Romario and Baquero to overtake the score. Manchester United scored for Manchester United in the 79th minute of the second half. His goal finally equalized the score.

In this 2-2 match, Manchester United's player skills and awareness were not far behind their opponents. Lee Sharpe played extremely well in the game. He received a cross from Jost, and he had a wonderful idea in the opponent's siege, and scored a shocking heel goal.

At that moment, even Barcelona, ​​who was watching the game, couldn't help cheering!
But back to Barcelona in the fourth game of the Champions League, Cruyff's team gave Manchester United a 4-0.

Due to the policy of restricting foreign players, Ferguson could only give up the Danish Schmeichel and use the local goalkeeper Walsh as a substitute.

Stoichkov broke United's goal in the first 2 minutes. Jost fouled Romario in the backcourt. Barcelona won a free kick in a good position. Stoichkov's free kick flew into the net like a missile.

Manchester United was passive and completely unable to organize an effective offensive.

In this way, Barcelona won a big victory at home like the autumn wind sweeping the fallen leaves, not only earning enough goal difference, but also occupying an advantage in the results of the match between the two sides.

The Manchester United players gave up at the last moment of the game.But Jost didn't. He frantically ran and intercepted in the midfield, trying to grab the ball and score a goal for Manchester United to save face.

But being humiliated by the Barcelona players, Guardiola, Romario, and Stoichkov used the "sliding monkey" in their usual training to slip Jost.

Jost kept chasing the ball back and forth, but Ince couldn't stand it anymore, and ran over to foul Romario to end the "monkey slide".This also caused a little conflict
Without Cantona and Schmeichel, Manchester United was humiliated by Barcelona 4-0 away in the Champions League. It is natural to vent when they return to the league.

Manchester United defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 at home.Cantona scored twice and Ince added the icing on the cake.

Manchester United finally felt a little better, winning three consecutive league victories.But the good mood was broken by Arsenal not long after.

曼联的联赛连胜势头直到16轮才被阿森纳以0比0的比分遏止，但随后曼联继续积蓄力量，在进入12月的时候又取得了两场两胜，主场依靠休斯的进球1比0战胜诺维奇、客场3比2赢女王公园巡游者，进球的是乔斯特和坎通纳。坎通纳梅开二度。

It was not until the 19th round that Manchester United lost to Nottingham Forest at home, ending their undefeated storm of 9 wins and 8 draw in 1 games.

Manchester United's defeat at home is actually a pity. The score was very close 1 to 2. Manchester United also had a great advantage on the scene. Mark Hughes was infinitely close to scoring, but in the end he still had nothing to do with this tough opponent who had two great marksmen, Sheringham and Coreymore.

Subsequently, Manchester United played away against Chelsea in the 20th round. With the goals of Cantona, Ince and Hughes, Manchester United beat their opponents 3-2. After returning home, they were tied 1-1 by Leicester. Giggs scored for Manchester United.Then there was another 2-2 draw, and Manchester United relied on Pallister's header at the last minute to tie at the Southampton Stadium and only scored 1 point.

In this way, Manchester United ended 1994 league games in 22, accumulating 46 points before entering the new year, 3 points less than Blackburn, who had one game less, and ranked second.

Such a ranking, although it did not meet Ferguson's expectations, was ahead of the biggest contender.But there are still 20 games in the league, and Manchester United is still full of hope.

Then Manchester United returned to the Champions League. Manchester United, who had not won the previous two rounds, encountered Barcelona's 4-0 nightmare in the last game, and the journey of the Champions League cast an extremely unfavorable shadow.

Then Manchester United played an away game again. Ferguson's team came to Sweden to challenge Gothenburg with the desire to win, but the weak away game ability once again reminded the Red Devils fans to clearly understand the team's strength.

Ferguson's team was unacceptable in Sweden and had no combat effectiveness. Once again, they played an unexpected score and were defeated by Gothenburg 3-1.

This is an unforgettable game for Ferguson. Manchester United's dream was actually shattered by Blomqvist. He defeated Manchester United with his outstanding performance alone.

Gothenburg fans played "Giggs? Look at our Blomqvist!" But Giggs didn't play in that game, and he was lucky to avoid direct comparisons with Blomqvist.

Although Cantona lifted the ban and came back, Manchester United was extremely unsuited to the rainy away game.

At the same time, the opponent is no longer the lamb who was slaughtered in the Dream Theater, but has become a demon-slaying God of War.

Gothenburg's left-wing magic wing Blomqvist showed his prowess in the drizzle. In the 11th minute, he took the lead in breaking the deadlock for the Gothenburg team and led Gothenburg to take the advantage of the game. The scene has been overwhelmed by the struggling Manchester United, who is very unsuited to the frequent slipping of players on the field.

It wasn't until the second half that the desperate Manchester United launched a fierce offensive, and after Gothenburg's physical strength reached its peak output, the formation recovered slightly, and the Red Devils regained the advantage of the scene. In the 64th minute, Mark Hughes equalized for Manchester United.

But the Gothenburg team, which had surpassed the limit of physical strength, resumed a massive attack. Blomqvist assisted Alinmark to score 1-2 after 1 minute after Hughes scored.Manchester United, which fell behind for the second time, did not even organize an effective counterattack, and the score was expanded again. Blomqvist broke into the penalty area and won a penalty. Gothenburg finally sealed the victory 3-1.

After Manchester United's defeat in this battle, the qualifying situation can no longer be grasped by themselves.After this game, Gothenburg has already qualified. Two weeks later, Gothenburg drew 1-1 with Barcelona at Camp Nou. There is a certain tacit understanding between the two teams to qualify.

Manchester United was eliminated in this way, squeezed out of the knockout rounds, and went home.

时间来到1995年1月的时候，曼联先是主场依靠吉格斯和因斯的进球2比0战胜考文垂，接着客场靠着斯科尔斯的进球1比1打平纽卡。

Back at home to face this season's leader Blackburn.The two teams entered into hand-to-hand combat from the very beginning. Jost vs. Keane, the two kept fighting in the midfield, the two shoveled, and the small moves continued.

Finally, in the 75th minute, Jost tackled Keane in the midfield and broke the ball. Jost quickly passed it to Giggs on the left, Giggs quickly advanced from the left, and then made a cross from the baseline.

Cantona, the "King of Old Trafford" who scored a key goal for Manchester United after the game.Praised by the media as Mr. Big, the French striker has become a favorite with Red Devils fans and has conquered the Theater of Dreams with his artistically inspired football.Cantona became the darling of Manchester United fans, and also became the confidence guarantee of Manchester United's victory.

After this game, the odds offered by the bookmaker were also based on the lowest odds for Manchester United to defend the title in the final league—almost all fans believed that Manchester United was still the favorite.

However, no one noticed Blackburn at this time.They have withdrawn from all cup competitions and are focused on competing for the league title.

(End of this chapter)