From the phone, a magnetic voice came, "Hello, is this Guo Zihan? I'm Gao Nuo."
Guo Zihan's voice was extremely excited: "Ah? Ah—! Gao Nuo, is it really Gao Nuo?"
Gao Nuo took the phone away from his ear, waited for the scream on the other end to subside, and continued, "Yes, it's me. Hello."
Guo Zihan calmed down a bit, her voice sounded very cool, "Hello, hello, I'm sorry, I was too excited."
Gao Nuo got straight to the point: "Thank you for your support. I want to ask, are you really going to give me the Da Ai Gao Nuo account?"
Guo Zihan was still a bit nervous, her breathing sounded a little short: "Yes, but we hope to join your team and continue to manage this account."
Gao Nuo readily agreed: "No problem, but the content of the account may need some changes, for example—"
Gao Nuo briefly explained his ideas to Guo Zihan, asking her to come to Manchester, and that the specific details would be discussed in person.
After hanging up the phone, Guo Zihan took a deep breath and turned back to the director's office.
"You go to the evening gathering yourself, I'm not doing this anymore! Bah!"
The grade director looked stunned as Guo Zihan turned and left with a flourish.
On the last day of his holiday, after contacting Guo Zihan, Gao Nuo tried on his new football boots. Tomorrow, he would return to team training to prepare for the upcoming matches.
On February 17, 2024, in the 26th round of the Premier League, Manchester United hosted Tottenham Hotspur.
Harry Kane's consistent performance, coupled with Dejan Kulusevski's breakout season, saw Tottenham temporarily ahead of Liverpool, ranking 4th in the League table.
Last season, when facing Tottenham, Gao Nuo was not yet well-known, and the title of 'Asia's Number One Brother' was firmly held by Son Heung-min.
However, for this match between the two teams, headlines such as "Gao Nuo VS Son Heung-min, Battle for Asia's Number One Brother" filled all kinds of media.
In reality, Gao Nuo only cared about Harry Kane, who posed a significant threat to him on the top scorer list. That damned system mission, with a "Demon" blocking his way ahead and a "Hurricane" chasing him from behind, left Gao Nuo trembling in the middle.
Gao Nuo had just returned to the team and had only trained for two days. Although his training form was excellent, Erik ten Hag still chose to start Dzeko, partnering him with Rashford and Antony to form the frontline.
In the 2nd minute of the match, Manchester United's corner kick was cleared by Romero, and Tottenham counter-attacked. Højbjerg and Bentancur in midfield made successive passes, and Manchester United, whose formation was pushed forward, could not track back in time, allowing Tottenham to quickly advance to the edge of the penalty area.
Højbjerg, despite Lisandro Martínez's interference, spotted Kulusevski making a run on the right flank and played a diagonal pass into the channel. Kulusevski successfully broke into the box and aimed his left-footed shot at the far corner. At a crucial moment, De Gea dove sideways, parrying the dangerous shot out of play.
In the 12th minute of the match, Tottenham were awarded a free-kick 24 meters from the goal. Son Heung-min's shot curled over the wall, dipped sharply, and flew towards the top right corner of the goal.
Age had slowed De Gea's steps somewhat, but similarly, the experience that came with age allowed him to anticipate his opponent's intentions. He moved to the right side in advance, pushed off with his foot, stretched his body in the air, and with one hand, tipped the ball over the crossbar.
De Gea's goalkeeping on the line remained world-class.
Two consecutive brilliant saves showcased De Gea's enduring prowess and also served as a wake-up call for a slow-starting Manchester United. In the subsequent play, Manchester United began to take control of the match.
In the 30th minute of the match, Bruno Fernandes's free-kick was sent into the penalty area. Dzeko firmly held off his defender and headed the ball at the near post.
Tottenham's summer signing, Turkish goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır, had replaced Lloris and had performed well this season.
However, Dzeko's position was too close to the goal, and Çakır only had time for a subconscious wave of his arm before the ball flew into the net.
Manchester United led Tottenham 1:0.
In the 32nd minute of the match, Tottenham, who had just kicked off, had their pass intercepted by Manchester United's new signing, Ward-Prowse. He played a diagonal pass to Antony on the wing. The Brazilian youngster advanced, and after a few feints at the byline, suddenly crossed the ball. Rashford's header at the back post went over the crossbar.
In the 44th minute of the match, Tottenham's cross from the wing was headed out of the box by Varane. Rice collected the ball and quickly sent it to the middle, creating a 2-on-2 situation in the attacking third with Antony and Dzeko.
The two players made a criss-cross run, Antony played a through ball forward, but Dzeko, whose steps were a bit slow, failed to receive the pass. Romero made a clean tackle to dispossess him, and the ball rolled right to Antony's feet. Facing Lenglet's challenge, Antony curled a left-footed shot. The ball hit Çakır's leg and slowly rolled into the goal.
At the end of the first half, Manchester United led Tottenham 2:0 at halftime.
After 15 minutes, the players returned to the field, switched sides, and the match continued.
In the 49th minute of the match, Tottenham took a corner kick. Varane got to the first touch, but didn't head the ball accurately. The ball dropped into the penalty area, and in the ensuing scramble, Kane seized the opportunity, poking the bouncing ball towards the goal.
De Gea was lucky. With his vision obscured, he didn't have time to react, instinctively sticking out a leg to block the incoming ball. The ball hit his foot and rolled out for a goal kick.
In the 60th minute of the match, Manchester United executed a brilliant play. Rice played a long pass from midfield to Rashford, who had successfully beaten the offside trap. A 30-meter long pass pierced Tottenham's defense. Rashford controlled the ball inside the box, but unfortunately, his final shot was blocked by Romero. The deflected ball flew high and was easily gathered by Çakır.
Three minutes later, Manchester United substituted Antony and Dzeko, bringing on Alexis Saelemaekers, who joined the team in the winter transfer window, and Gao Nuo, who had been absent from the Premier League for over a month.
Gao Nuo's appearance was met with a huge roar of applause. Unbeknownst to him, Gao Nuo had already carved out a place in the hearts of Manchester United fans.
Stepping onto the Old Trafford pitch, Gao Nuo was equally excited. In the close-up shot provided by the director, Gao Nuo patted the badge on his chest, responding to the home fans, and was met with another, even more fervent wave of cheers.
As time passed, Tottenham's fighting spirit gradually waned, and their offense and defense became less aggressive.
In the 73rd minute of the match, Gao Nuo acted as a pivot at the edge of the penalty area, playing a one-two with Rashford. A diagonal pass pierced through the defense of two Tottenham defenders, but Rashford, who had burst into the box, still couldn't capitalize on the chance, and his shot was saved by Çakır.
In the 79th minute of the match, during Tottenham's counter-attack, Emerson's long pass was too casual, landing a full 10 meters away from Kulusevski in the attacking third.
Luke Shaw, in the center circle, easily controlled the ball. Seeing Tottenham's loose defense, he immediately launched a long pass into the penalty area.
Gao Nuo was incredibly comfortable in the penalty area. Until the ball dropped in front of him, Tottenham's defense seemed to be merely watching, with only Lenglet symbolically coming over to interfere.
Gao Nuo was equally unreserved. From the edge of the penalty area, he directly jumped and, with a sideways volley, kicked the ball towards the goal.
Çakır, who had conceded two goals in this match, had a tough time. Manchester United's sharp offense this season had made goalkeepers of various teams suffer. He had thought that with his high and low saves, he could keep the 2:0 score until the end of the match, but the Chinese youngster who came on gave him a rude awakening.
The volley was incredibly fast, and Çakır had no time to react before the ball flew into the net.
The passionate knee slide reappeared at Old Trafford. Gao Nuo repaid the home fans' enthusiasm with a wonder goal, and also announced his return.
The rest of the match had no suspense. It was the usual routine: substitute some main players to avoid injuries, and bring on reserves to find their form.
The match ended with Manchester United defeating Tottenham Hotspur 3:0 at home.
