Kieffer Moore's dedication was both speechless and awe-inspiring; no one knew what he was thinking at the time.
Erik ten Hag substituted Saelemaekers for Lindelöf, and Manchester United's formation changed to 4-3-2.
De Gea stood in front of the goal, taking deep breaths. The changes on the field were no longer his concern; at that moment, his eyes were only on the ball and the opponent standing in front of it.
Bouncing from side to side and waving his arms, De Gea tried his best to activate his muscles and get his whole body excited.
The whistle blew, the opponent took a run-up and shot. De Gea, who was moving to his left, suddenly stopped, braced his left hand on the ground, raised his right hand high, and blocked the ball flying towards the center.
His half-kneeling body quickly sprang up, pinning the falling ball beneath him.
“Woo—!” The home fans' sighs had not yet ended when De Gea quickly scrambled up, swung his arm, and threw the ball fiercely forward.
Bournemouth, still regretting the missed penalty, only then reacted. Looking back, on the left wing, Garnacho, who came on in the second half, was full of energy. He had already carried the ball past the midfield line, and even worse, another red figure was rapidly charging forward.
Gao Nuo never faltered when facing a counter-attack opportunity. The moment De Gea got up from the ground, Gao Nuo started his run.
The berserk mode from the Asian Cup was playing out in England, as Gao Nuo sprinted all the way from his own penalty area arc, surpassing one opponent and teammate after another.
By the time Garnacho was marked by a defender, Gao Nuo was less than 30 meters from the opponent's goal.
Looking up at Garnacho's path, Gao Nuo changed his direction, slanting towards the left side of the penalty area.
Garnacho's crossing route was blocked by a defender, and he was considering a breakthrough. Habitually, he looked up towards the penalty area, and a red figure entered his peripheral vision. Surprised, Garnacho slightly turned his head and saw Gao Nuo's leopard-like figure.
Abandoning the idea of a breakthrough, Garnacho stepped on the ball to make a sudden stop, and the defender's center of gravity was suddenly shaken, instinctively lunging forward.
Having created space, Garnacho no longer hesitated, sending a through ball to the left side of the penalty area.
Gao Nuo charged directly from the middle to the left, his path somewhat overlapping with Garnacho's. It was this seemingly reckless run that once helped the China Team win the Asian Cup.
At the top corner of the left side of the big penalty area, the accelerating Gao Nuo was unstoppable. He caught up with the ball in a completely unreasonable manner, and as soon as he slowed down, he extended his left leg and flicked the ball backward with his heel.
A heel flick to change direction! The defender following Gao Nuo couldn't stop his body, his feet gave way, and he slid out directly.
Similarly, the sudden change of direction made Gao Nuo's body a bit unstable. He braced his right hand on the ground, pushed hard with his feet, finally adjusted his center of gravity, and dribbled horizontally along the penalty area line.
Gao Nuo made continuous small adjustments with his feet, took a breath, then aimed at the goalkeeper's movement and pushed the ball with his right foot into the bottom right corner of the goal.
It was not difficult; Gao Nuo was too close to the goal. Even an off-foot shot easily broke through the goalkeeper's defense.
10-man Manchester United led Bournemouth 2-1, with Gao Nuo scoring twice.
Sliding on his knees with two streaks, in the close-up shot, Gao Nuo's face was full of dominance. His teammates who followed him piled on top of him, their faces all showing expressions of ecstasy.
“Oh! Goal! Unbelievable! Gao Nuo! Starting from the backfield once again, incredible counter-attacking speed, incredible change of direction, and a goal! Gao Nuo scores twice, he surpasses Haaland and enjoys the Premier League Golden Boot alone!”
Zhan Jun lost his composure. At this moment, he forgot his identity as a commentator, and his voice was trembling slightly. Like many China Team fans, his heart was filled with excitement.
Even Zhang, with all his experience, couldn't hide his excitement at this moment. “Eh! Beautiful! Manchester United's counter-attack was too fast. From De Gea saving the penalty to Gao Nuo's goal, it only took about 20 seconds. This is a textbook counter-attack!”
Zhan Jun's professionalism allowed him to quickly calm down and continue, “Yes, Manchester United is now leading by one goal, and there are still over 10 minutes left in the match. Bournemouth will surely launch a fierce counter-attack. Manchester United is a man down on the field and needs to be extra vigilant to secure the victory.”
Zhang couldn't help but exclaim, “Eh! I thought Gao Nuo had already transitioned to a target man. In the recent matches, we rarely saw his burst of speed. This goal reminds me of the Asian Cup at the beginning of the year, where Gao Nuo used such an unreasonable goal to help the national team go all the way.”
The live stream was already quite chaotic. Fans were too excited, and their words struggled to express their feelings at the moment, so the bullet chat was filled with expletives like “Wocao” and “Mai le ge biao,” leaving new viewers confused, thinking Gao Nuo had messed up again.
After the celebration, Manchester United's morale was high. With excellent performances from both the goalkeeper and the forward, there was no reason to lose the match. They didn't just defend; they adopted the stance of a league leader and went on the offensive against Bournemouth.
In the 85th minute, De Gea made a flying save, tipping a free-kick heading for the top left corner of the goal over the crossbar.
In the 87th minute, Manchester United counter-attacked, and Gao Nuo's header narrowly missed, almost completing a hat-trick.
In the 92nd minute, Bournemouth had a corner kick opportunity, and even their goalkeeper came to the front of the goal. No miracle occurred, Varane got to the first ball and cleared it. Fortunately, Bournemouth's full-back reacted quickly enough, committing a tactical foul before Manchester United could launch a counter-attack, stopping Manchester United's chance at an open goal with a red card.
Without the numerical advantage, Bournemouth was powerless to turn the tide. The full-time whistle blew, and Manchester United defeated their opponent 2-1, winning the English Premier League title.
Being away from home did not affect Manchester United's celebration. The substitutes, coaching staff, and all Manchester United staff rushed onto the field, celebrating wildly.
Gao Nuo walked to the center circle. He first squatted down, then covered his face with his hands. From the trembling of his shoulders, it was clear his emotions were not calm. Finally, he lay on his back, right in the center of the pitch, closing his eyes, listening to the cheers around him, feeling the grass beneath him, as tears of excitement streamed from the corners of his eyes.
Erik ten Hag did not let him immerse himself in his personal emotions. While hugging the players he encountered, Erik ten Hag walked straight towards Gao Nuo.
Looking at the yellow-skinned boy in front of him with a face full of satisfaction, Erik ten Hag's eyes were also red. Without any extra words, he bent down, took Gao Nuo's hand, pulled him up forcefully, and then hugged him even more tightly.
From a bold attempt a year ago to becoming the Premier League Golden Boot winner today, Gao Nuo continuously repaid Erik ten Hag's trust with his performance.
Erik ten Hag had always been fond of Gao Nuo, not only giving him playing opportunities but also speaking out for him when he faced slumps, doing his best to protect him from media influence.
All of this finally bore fruit.
They made each other.
