Erik ten Hag observed the situation on the field. Manchester United's defensive pressure was not significant today. After losing Bellingham, Dortmund's midfield struggled to push forward quickly. Dahoud and Emre Can were more adept at defending, offering limited support to the front line. Sancho's habit of holding onto the ball for too long made Dortmund's attack even worse.
Considering the upcoming matches, Erik ten Hag made three substitutions in the 65th minute, bringing off Gao Nuo, Rashford, and Rice for Garnacho, Abraham, and Renato Sanches.
Sitting on the bench, watching the players run on the field, Gao Nuo said to Wout Weghorst beside him, "Wout, I feel like Sancho is a bit off. That tackle just now was a bit aggressive."
Wout Weghorst clenched his fist, "If that kid can't control himself, I can help him."
"No need. You have to calm down with that temper of yours," Gao Nuo advised his elder teammate while looking at the field with some concern.
Gao Nuo's worries were not unfounded. Trailing by three goals, coupled with the familiar scene at Old Trafford, and being restricted by Vanderson for the entire match, a frustrated Sancho was consumed by anger.
In the 80th minute of the match, Sancho once again attempted a forceful breakthrough. After several successful defensive plays, Vanderson was in top form and seized the opportunity to use his body to push Sancho out of bounds.
Sancho, who had fallen, didn't hear the referee's whistle. He angrily got up from the ground and sprinted with all his might, colliding with Vanderson's back.
"Watch out behind you!" Vanderson, who had just completed a tackle and was observing his teammates' positions, heard Gao Nuo's shout from the sideline. As he was about to turn around, he felt a huge force from behind. His body was knocked into the air, and then he fell heavily to the ground.
Antony rushed over immediately and pushed Sancho to the ground. Subsequently, players from both teams arrived, and a conflict erupted.
Emre Can and Lisandro Martínez tangled with each other. Dortmund's left-back Guerreiro embraced Antony. Hummels and Reyna tried to separate everyone. Pau Torres blocked Renato Sanches, who was still trying to get involved.
Even Gao Nuo on the sideline was not idle, holding tightly onto Wout Weghorst beside him.
Just as the situation was about to be brought under control, Dortmund's young forward Moukoko squeezed through the crowd and punched the cursing Antony in the back.
Years of experience allowed Antony to fall to the ground. Before he could react, he saw Bruno kick Moukoko in the backside. The scene became chaotic again. Antony quickly got up and embraced Bruno, while Manchester United players stood in front of the two.
The referee's whistle had been blowing constantly. He had just brought the situation under control and was checking on Vanderson's condition when, in that brief moment of turning his head, a new conflict erupted. The referee was furious, pulling out red cards and waving them at the players who had been involved in the altercation.
The farce on the field ended. Sancho, Moukoko, Antony, and Bruno Fernandes were all sent off.
Erik ten Hag, unhappy with the referee's decision, also received a yellow card. He muttered to himself as he sat back down on the bench, "Damn it, what the hell, Antony at most deserved a yellow card."
After the conflict, Manchester United players vented their frustration on the field, passing the ball around in their own half for the final few minutes, not allowing Dortmund's players to touch the ball again.
After two legs, Manchester United eliminated Borussia Dortmund with an aggregate score of 4:1. Their next opponent would be their city rivals, Manchester City.
The aftermath of the match was even more eventful. After more than half a year, an audio recording of Sancho in the locker room was leaked.
With conflicts with the coach and disagreements with teammates, Manchester United fans finally learned the truth. The radical faction immediately went to Sancho's social media to express their anger.
Curious media outlets began to analyze Manchester United's poor performance in the first half of the season.
Under malicious speculation, they actually managed to reconstruct most of what had happened.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to Piers Morgan Uncensored. Today, we have Manchester United legend Roy Keane with us to discuss Manchester United's performance this season."
"Recently, an audio recording of Sancho was leaked, and we now know that there were issues in Manchester United's locker room at the beginning of the season. Mr. Keane, please share your thoughts."
"That audio shocked me. Sancho's professionalism disappoints me. He was once a rising star for Manchester United. For things to have come to this, both the club and the player are responsible."
"Putting Sancho aside, do you believe Manchester United's locker room is not harmonious?"
"That's right. Judging by their performance at the start of the season, the players were definitely affected, especially Rashford. In my opinion, he truly deserves to be the team's vice-captain."
"I have a few pictures here, of Abraham and Gao Nuo attacking each other in training."
"Mr. Morgan, that's a bit exaggerated. Abraham just joined the team. From what I know of him, he's a humble kid. This must be a misunderstanding."
"Alright, let's continue. Here's a video of Manchester United's matches at the beginning of the season. You can see there were problems with coordination between the players; they were competing for attention on the field."
Morgan's questions were somewhat ill-intentioned, and Roy Keane's expression was not good.
"I have to admit, as a great club, Manchester United has various factions within the team, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.
During my time at Manchester United, the players in the squad were certainly not on harmonious terms. I once ran 40 meters to scold a teammate, and I even had a big fight with goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham didn't speak to each other off the field for over ten years, but that didn't stop us from fighting side by side on the field and striving for championships.
We are warriors fighting together; we don't necessarily need to be friends. We can still live and die for the same belief. Today's Manchester United players like Gao Nuo and Rashford need to learn the professionalism of their predecessors in matches.
During Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure at Manchester United, whenever he saw us openly arguing on the training ground, the old gaffer would always smile. He once told me, 'Son, now you know why we win on Saturdays. We win on Saturdays because we have this spirit in training every day.'
Clearly, Erik ten Hag is not yet capable enough to control the situation and lead the team in the right direction."
Morgan's eyes lit up. Roy Keane's incessant talking had made him anxious, but upon hearing Erik ten Hag's name, he immediately seized on the breaking point, "So, the instability in Manchester United's locker room is due to Erik ten Hag's managerial negligence?"
Roy Keane's fiery personality made him fearless. "Yes, in my opinion, Erik ten Hag is not yet capable of managing a club of Manchester United's stature. The management lacks respect and support for him, and these things need to be earned through trophies."
Morgan continued to look for another explosive topic, "Can you share your thoughts on Gao Nuo? He is currently the most successful Chinese player in the Premier League."
Roy Keane said casually, "I've been following Gao Nuo for two years. His resilience is good, but he lacks character, which aligns with the impression Chinese people have always given. To be honest, I think he has reached his ceiling and it will be difficult for him to become a world-class player."
Afterwards, Morgan asked a few more innocuous questions. The interview ended, and for the first time since the "Cristiano Ronaldo interview," Morgan once again pushed himself into the spotlight.
