From the man behind the football king to the football king.

Chapter 1003 Brilliant Smile
The game was practically over by then. Bruno scored with only a dozen seconds left in stoppage time, and Liverpool had virtually no chance of turning the tide. Unless the referee added a few more minutes of stoppage time on top of the regular stoppage time, the game would be over as soon as Liverpool kicked the ball back. That's why every Manchester United player celebrated so recklessly; they all knew this.

Liverpool's players didn't remind the referee that Manchester United's celebration was going too long. Everyone knew the match was already over, and it wouldn't have been strange if the referee had blown the final whistle at that point.

However, Anthony Taylor did not do that. Instead, he went up to the Manchester United players and persuaded them to return to their own half and let Liverpool kick off.

Manchester United's players walked back to their own half, chatting and laughing, while the television broadcast's close-up shots remained fixed on Bruno.

“One assist, one goal – if Manchester United can win the league title this season, Bruno will definitely be the most crucial contributor,” Andy Gray said.

………………

After the Manchester United players returned to their own half, both teams stood still, waiting for the kickoff.

The Liverpool players looked somewhat listless; they had been chasing for a whole season but could never quite catch up.

Now, having been defeated by Manchester United again at home, they are eleven points behind United, with only six rounds left in the league.

Given Manchester United's current form, expecting them to drop eleven points in the next six league matches, allowing Liverpool to reap the benefits, is simply wishful thinking.

If Manchester United could play like that, Liverpool wouldn't have had such a tough time chasing them.

This idea is not only an insult to Manchester United, but also an insult to Liverpool itself.

Manchester United would have faltered long ago if they were going to; they wouldn't wait until they were about to lift the trophy to slip up.

After six rounds of league play, an eleven-point gap is undoubtedly an insurmountable chasm.

Of course, this is all predicated on Liverpool winning all six of their next league matches, which is no easy feat, given that their next opponent includes Tottenham Hotspur, led by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Moreover, even if Liverpool wins all their matches, Manchester United will drop at least eleven points in the next six rounds, so Liverpool will still have to rely on Manchester City's results.

It's worth noting that shortly before this match ended, Manchester City had already taken a one-point lead over Liverpool in the standings after winning their rescheduled Premier League match from Round 30.

………………

At Anthony Taylor's whistle, Origi listlessly kicked the ball back.

As expected, Anthony Taylor blew his whistle again just after he kicked the ball away.

"Match over—!!" Andy Gray roared, "This crucial battle has finally come to a conclusion! Manchester United have defeated Liverpool away from home thanks to Bruno Fernandes' last-minute winner, extending their lead over Liverpool to eleven points!"

"This eleven-point lead essentially means Liverpool are out of the title race this season! Klopp and his players' dream of winning their first Premier League title may have to wait until next season!"

"Just an hour earlier, Manchester City had already thrashed Brighton 3-0 in their rescheduled home game! This brought Manchester City's points total to 71, allowing them to overtake Liverpool in the standings. In other words, after losing to Manchester United, Liverpool had dropped to third place in the standings, a double blow for Liverpool..."

"The game is over! The game is over!" Zhan Jun exclaimed excitedly. "Manchester United have defeated Liverpool away from home! This victory could very well determine the league champion this season! If Manchester United do win the title, they will become the first team in Premier League history to achieve six consecutive titles. Before the season, some British media confidently predicted that Manchester United would not be able to win the league title this season. Their reasoning was that Manchester United not only failed to strengthen the team by making significant signings, but also sold their star striker Mbappe, weakening the team. Now, Manchester United is about to do it!"

At this point, you would never guess that Zhan Jun is a Liverpool fan.

………………

Amid the shouts of the commentators, the Manchester United players on the pitch began to celebrate wildly, showing no regard for the fact that this was the home ground of their arch-rivals, Liverpool.

On the contrary, the host Liverpool players could only leave the field hastily, handing the stage over to Manchester United.

They were definitely unwilling, but they had no choice but to accept it, since Bruno's last-minute kick was simply a stroke of genius.
That unconventional shooting motion actually managed to put the ball in the goal. If Bruno were to do the same thing again, he probably wouldn't be able to score 99% of the time.

But even a one percent chance of success is enough if it happens at the most crucial moment.

………………

After the match, Bruno was surrounded by reporters, with countless microphones thrust in front of his mouth, all wanting to hear his thoughts on the game and the result.

"I don't think we've already won the title." In front of reporters, Bruno, his expression changed from the excitement he had just displayed while celebrating with his teammates, calmly stated, "There are still six rounds left in the league, and we still have strong opponents like Arsenal and Chelsea. Brentford, Brighton, and Crystal Palace are all tough teams to beat, especially Norwich, who are still fighting to avoid relegation. If we think we've already won, we might actually lose. So now is not the time to talk about the league title."

The reporters, recalling the wild and reckless celebrations of the Manchester United players, found Bruno's words unconvincing.

While that's theoretically true, everyone knows that if Manchester United maintains this momentum, neither Arsenal nor Chelsea, nor Brentford, Brighton, nor Crystal Palace will be a match for them.

Norwich are certainly fighting to avoid relegation, but if the gap in strength is too large, Manchester United won't underestimate them, so why would they allow Norwich any opportunity? When asked about his thoughts on missing the penalty, Bruno said, "Every record has an end. My 63 consecutive penalty goals were an unbelievable record, so I have no regrets about it being ended. Alisson is an excellent goalkeeper, and he had a fantastic performance today. It's not surprising that he saved the penalty..."

………………

Of course, some people asked Bruno about his thoughts on the final goal. He laughed and said, "I'm very satisfied with the final goal. Actually, I didn't know if it would go in when I took the shot, but I had to try. I didn't expect it to go in. It seems that all the bad luck during the game was for this last moment of good luck."

The reporters laughed too.

Manchester United seemed to have a lot of bad luck for most of the game, missing a penalty and squandering several clear-cut chances. Even with a man advantage, they had no real edge.

But that last one was incredibly lucky.

One of the reporters shouted, "The Liverpool radio commentator says God is Liverpool tonight!"

Bruno burst into laughter upon hearing this.

He didn't say anything, he just smiled, a bright smile.

Such a bright smile was infectious, and everyone laughed along with it.

They all understood the meaning behind Bruno's laughter: it was the joy of having triumphed over God.

But Bruno's smile didn't actually mean he had defeated God. He had something to say, but he felt it wasn't appropriate to say it, so he kept it to himself.

That is to say: "It's a good thing I don't believe in God."

I don't believe in God anymore, so it doesn't matter which side God is on.

………………

At the post-match press conference, Mourinho was also smiling broadly, his expression exactly the same as Bruno's.

Later, some media outlets combined photos of the two of them laughing with their heads tilted back and used this photo as the subject of their reports.

No further explanation is needed; just these two photos are enough to tell you everything.

The reporter gave these two photos a title: "Mourinho and Bruno's Smiles".

This smile is the perfect way to describe Manchester United's victory.

Although the league is not over yet, everyone believes that Manchester United will not let go of the team they have secured.

Manchester United may drop points in the last six rounds, but they certainly won't drop double digits and let the victory slip away.

Liverpool could only lament that their luck was simply not good enough.

………………

The Liverpool media was filled with lamentations after the match.

Of course, some media outlets also spoke out in Liverpool's defense, believing that Anthony Taylor's officiating in the match was problematic. He first awarded Manchester United a penalty, and then sent off a Liverpool player, forcing Liverpool to play with ten men for the remainder of the match, making it very difficult for them.

If both sides had equal numbers, how could Liverpool have allowed Bruno to score in the final moments if they hadn't been forced into a full-scale defensive strategy?

In a post-match interview, Klopp also criticized Anthony Taylor's refereeing decisions.

Mourinho countered, "I don't want to discuss whether the penalty should have been awarded or not. In my opinion, since the referee made the decision, we should respect it. Besides, we didn't benefit from the penalty. I would also say, if Bruno had scored the penalty, why would we have needed a late goal?"

The implication is that Liverpool shouldn't be hypocritical after getting the benefits.

The war of words between the two sides did not stop after the match ended; there were indeed too many topics for them to argue about.

Klopp was unwilling to admit defeat at the post-match press conference: "There are still six rounds left in the league, let's see what happens then."

(End of this chapter)