Zhan Jun noticed the argument in the live broadcast room and immediately started explaining with Zhang.
"Zhang, please explain the offside call for this goal to everyone."
"Ah, alright. Generally, when we talk about offside, we look at whether there are any defenders between the attacking player and the goalkeeper."
"Ah, but this is a narrow definition. The rule for offside states that at the moment the attacking player passes the ball, in the opponent's half, the receiving player is closer to the goal than the second-to-last defender, and also closer to the goal than the ball. In this situation, the receiving player will be called offside."
"Ah, in other words, for that particular ball, even though Gao Nuo still had James in front of him, Gao Nuo's position had already surpassed Kepa, which means Gao Nuo was closer to the goal than the second-to-last defender."
"Yes, just as we saw in the replay. So the Referee's call was very accurate, and Gao Nuo missed the chance to equalize."
The Referee's call was correct. Gao Nuo ran back to the center circle with some regret. There was still plenty of time, and this offside call did not affect Manchester United's attacking momentum.
In the 25th minute of the match, Manchester United, playing with a compact defense, launched a counterattack.
Mbappe received a pass in the front field, and Lisandro Martínez didn't give his opponent another chance to perform.
Lisandro Martínez stretched out his foot and poked the ball out from between Mbappe's legs. Rice, who had tracked back, gained possession and advanced forward.
All three lines of Manchester United pushed forward simultaneously, and Chelsea's defense scrambled to track back.
"Left side! Long pass!"
Bruno Fernandes shouted towards the midfield.
Rice had intended to control the tempo first, when he heard the captain, whose position was being blocked by Enzo Fernández, give an instruction.
Without hesitation, he looked up and saw Rashford had already accelerated. Rice kicked the ball towards the left byline.
The pass had plenty of lead, and Reece James and Rashford began to race.
In terms of overall ability, the contest for this ball was fifty-fifty, with both sides having a chance.
But Gao Nuo didn't think so. Although he had different views from Rashford in some aspects, Gao Nuo always believed in his teammate's ability.
As a result, Chelsea's center-back Fofana tragically discovered that this yellow-skinned kid was running even faster than last year.
If it weren't for the offside line restrictions, Gao Nuo constantly adjusted his position, and Fofana wouldn't even see his taillights.
After continuous physical contact, with pushing and pulling, the contest on the left side finally had a result.
Reece James arrived first, but the ball, which he had kicked directly out of bounds, was blocked back into play by Rashford.
Reece James lost his balance and fell to the ground. Rashford stumbled a couple of steps, then chased after the ball.
The ball, rebounding back into play, was extremely fast, rolling towards the left side of the penalty area.
Rashford chased desperately, and finally, before Škriniar's sliding tackle, he laid the ball off horizontally to the center.
This pass was a bit forced, rolling towards the goal.
Gao Nuo had the upper hand in his duel with Fofana, but Kepa's decisive charge added more suspense to this contest.
"No shooting lane!"
Gao Nuo instantly made a decision, slightly adjusting the direction of his left foot, which he had extended for a sliding shot.
Kepa's charge was steady, quickly getting down and blocking all shooting angles with his outstretched body.
Right in front of Chelsea's goal, Gao Nuo successfully made a sliding shot.
"No way it's going in!"
Kepa looked at the ball flying towards the left side of the goal, full of confidence.
Under everyone's gaze, a red figure suddenly appeared, gently deflecting the wayward ball into the goal next to the post.
After passing, Rashford jumped to avoid Škriniar's sliding tackle, watching the scramble in front of the goal while moving forward due to inertia.
The moment Gao Nuo took his sliding shot, Rashford accelerated again, completing a follow-up shot before the ball went out of bounds.
Rashford, who had scored, ran towards the corner flag, turning back and continuously waving to Gao Nuo.
Gao Nuo got up from the ground and followed Rashford, lifting him by hugging his legs.
Old Trafford erupted in applause and cheers for the two who had equalized the score.
Michael Carrick on the sidelines still appeared calm and composed, simply waving his fist briefly before returning his hands to his pockets.
"Was that goal luck? If Gao Nuo intentionally passed to the left, then the execution of that play was simply stunning."
"In such a short time, could Gao Nuo really see his teammate on the left and still make the pass while under pressure from an opponent?"
"If that's truly the case, I might need to re-evaluate Gao Nuo's future."
Michael Carrick was somewhat lost in thought, staring at the grass beneath his feet, momentarily forgetting that the match was still ongoing.
In the 33rd minute of the match, Chelsea organized an attack. Enzo Fernández and Sterling combined, steadily advancing into the front field.
Enzo Fernández evaded Bruno Fernandes's defense and passed the ball to the left.
The double-teaming of Casemiro and Vanderson put a lot of pressure on Sterling. After receiving the ball, Sterling did not rashly choose to break through, instead passing the ball behind Casemiro.
Enzo Fernández surged forward to receive the ball, and facing Pau Torres's tackle, he continued to lay the ball off horizontally to the center.
Before Mbappe received the ball, Lisandro Martínez was already right behind him.
In the few short seconds the ball rolled, the two constantly engaged in a subtle struggle.
The moment Mbappe extended his foot to receive the ball, Lisandro Martínez suddenly exerted force. Mbappe, supported on one foot, lost his balance and sat on the ground.
"Beep—!"
The Referee's whistle blew. Ignoring Lisandro Martínez's protests, he firmly awarded Chelsea a free-kick.
Amidst boos from the crowd, Bruno Fernandes rushed to the scene. As captain, he needed to put pressure on the Referee.
Covering his mouth with his hand, Bruno told the Referee, "This is Old Trafford. With this intensity of confrontation, there shouldn't be a foul call."
Before the Referee could speak, Enzo Fernández interjected from the side, "That's fair. There's no problem with this call. Put away Manchester United's usual antics."
This greatly displeased Bruno Fernandes, and the two began to attack each other.
"Home advantage, what's wrong with that? We, Manchester United, always advocate fairness, unlike some teams who just waste money."
"What do you mean 'waste money'? Is Manchester United jealous because they can't buy players?"
"What's the point of buying so many? You play like trash!"
"You're the trash!"
"Beep beep beep—!" The Referee's whistle temporarily calmed the two down.
After separating the two Fernándezes, Chelsea began to prepare for the free-kick.
It was 26 meters from the goal, in a position on the left, closer to the center.
Mbappe, eager to make a contribution, stood in front of the ball, took a run-up, and shot.
The ball sailed over the wall, arcing towards the top-left corner of the goal.
It was a very high-quality free-kick.
Nübel's save was far off; he could only try to kill the ball with his eyes.
Under everyone's gaze, the ball hit the crossbar and flew into the stands.
Mbappe, who had narrowly missed scoring, shook his head helplessly; the dip was still a bit lacking.
