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

Chapter 995 Injury

Once both captains had completed the coin toss, and both teams were in position on the field, the television broadcast focused the camera on the pitch, where the players were already in their respective positions.

Then, Anthony Taylor, who was the referee for the match, blew the whistle to start the game!

After the match began, the commentators started introducing the two sides to the audience.

"The third Manchester derby of the season has begun!" Andy Gray said. "In their first meeting this season, Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1 at home, with Bruno Fernandes' goal and assist helping United secure their ninth consecutive win at the start of the season. And two months ago in the League Cup final, it was Bruno Fernandes again who scored two goals and provided an assist, leading Manchester United to a narrow 3-2 victory over Liverpool and winning their fourth trophy of the season..."

"With the referee's whistle, the Premier League's 'El Clásico' has begun!" Zhan Jun raised his voice, "The suspense surrounding this season's league title could very well end in this match. In the current Premier League standings, Manchester United leads second-placed Liverpool by 8 points. If the Red Devils defeat the Reds away from home today, with only 6 rounds left in the league, it will be very difficult for Liverpool, who are 11 points behind, to overtake Manchester United..."

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"Currently, Liverpool is in better form than Manchester United. Since their shock defeat to Leicester City in their last match of 2021, the Reds have gone 11 games unbeaten in the league, with a record of 9 wins and 2 draws. The two draws were against Chelsea and Manchester City, and they are currently ranked third and fourth in the standings. Manchester United's performance in 2022 has been much worse, with only 6 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss, 7 points less than Liverpool during the same period."

"Actually, given their performance this season, it's fair and reasonable for either side to win the championship. But there can only be one champion, and someone has to be heartbroken..."

"This is the third meeting between Liverpool and Manchester United this season, having previously met in the league and the League Cup. Liverpool have suffered two consecutive defeats...Statistically, Manchester United have the advantage this season...But don't forget, today's match is being played at Liverpool's home ground, Anfield!"

“Anfield has always been a very famous and intimidating home ground in Europe, and Liverpool’s performance at home this season has been particularly outstanding. They are currently unbeaten with 13 wins and 3 draws. The last time they dropped points at home was in the 10th round of the league, when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Brighton at home. After that, they achieved a ten-game winning streak at home.”

“Liverpool’s performance in 2022 has been nothing short of phenomenal compared to the first half of the season,” said Andy Gray. “At the end of 2021, Liverpool were 17 points behind Manchester United in the standings, only fourth. Then, after the start of 2022, Liverpool went on an 11-game unbeaten run in the league, slowly catching up in the points…”

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After the game started, the two teams did not produce the exciting scenes that people had expected. There were no fast-paced offensive and defensive transitions, nor were there any intense back-and-forth attacks.

In comparison, they played very cautiously, and there were no exciting moments on the field.

This is quite normal, after all, it's a heavyweight match that determines the champion. In such a match, no one wants to make a mistake first, so being conservative and cautious is a natural choice.

Moreover, when masters clash, whoever makes the first move will reveal a weakness that their opponent can exploit.

Thus, in this back-and-forth, eight minutes into the game, neither team had managed a single shot on goal. This clearly demonstrates how seriously and cautiously each side was taking the other.

No matter how excited everyone is in the locker room, once they get on the field, they all need to calm down when the whistle blows and not let their passion cloud their judgment.

It wasn't until the ninth minute that an exciting moment occurred on the field.

Bruno played a through ball from just outside the penalty area, sending the ball to the right side of the box. Greenwood received the ball on the wing and then used a change of direction to dribble into the penalty area.

"Greenwood! Manchester United have pushed their attack into Liverpool's penalty area!" Andy Gray exclaimed.

The Manchester United fans in the stands had just started cheering when they were drowned out by boos from the Liverpool fans.

Amid boos, Harry Kane, positioned in the middle, extended his hand, signaling Greenwood to pass him the ball. But at this point, expecting Greenwood to pass the ball was simply wishful thinking…

Greenwood, dribbling laterally, did not choose to pass the ball but instead tried to shoot himself, only to have the ball blocked by Kouliba who rushed up.

"Oh dear!" Andy Gray exclaimed regretfully, "What a pity! Greenwood's breakthrough was beautiful, but the choice of that last kick... is still questionable..."

Zhan Jun exclaimed, "That was close! Manchester United suddenly launched an attack, and Liverpool seemed a bit unprepared, revealing a weakness. Luckily, Koulibaly covered in time... But if Greenwood had chosen to pass instead of shoot, the outcome would have been uncertain, especially with Harry Kane in the middle..."

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Although Greenwood's shot didn't go in, it gave the audience hope that the game would be intense.

The probing phase is over, and the game should now be on track. Liverpool, taking advantage of their home ground, launched an attack on Manchester United's goal amidst cheers from their fans.

After passing the ball back and forth with his teammates in midfield, Henderson suddenly and cleverly sent the ball to the wing, where Salah suddenly switched from the right to the left to receive it.

"Salah has received the ball!" Andy Gray exclaimed excitedly.

The rivalry between Salah and Liverpool and Manchester United is one of the commentators' favorite topics. Although he is currently a Liverpool player, he may go to Manchester United next season. If he helps Liverpool defeat Manchester United and win the league title, how will he face his new teammates in the dressing room next season? After receiving the ball, Salah dribbled towards Manchester United's penalty area.

Cancelo came up to defend him, preventing him from entering the penalty area directly, so he had to slow down.

Just as he slowed down, Mane appeared not far from him, ready to provide support.

Logically, Salah should have quickly passed the ball to Mane at this point, then made a cut to get past Cancelo. However, after making a gesture as if to pass to Mane, Salah didn't actually pass; instead, he feinted, turned, and tried to force his way past Cancelo.

He flicked the ball towards the baseline with his left foot, turned and accelerated to chase after it.

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Cancelo was initially fooled by Salah's feint to pass the ball to Mane, but he reacted quickly enough to turn around and chase after Salah.

Salah didn't have much space to sprint with the ball, so he didn't get any speed and was quickly caught up by Cancelo.

Facing Cancelo's pursuit, Salah used the outside of his right foot to flick the ball in the opposite direction, preparing to stop suddenly, accelerate, and change direction.

After two consecutive changes of direction, Salah finally managed to shake off Cancelo. He nudged the ball into the penalty area with his right foot, accelerated into the box, and faced the onrushing Van Dijk. Salah then unleashed a shot, curling the ball with his right foot into the far corner of the goal!
Amid gasps of surprise, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea leaped into the air and tipped the ball away with one hand!

While many were still lamenting that Salah's shot hadn't gone in, Salah himself plopped down on the grass, rubbing the muscle in the back of his right thigh where he had shot, his face contorted in pain...

The camera quickly located Salah, and everyone noticed that he seemed a bit off.

"Uh, what happened?" Zhan Jun asked in surprise. "Judging from his appearance, it seems like he was injured while shooting?"

Referee Anthony Taylor stopped the game and signaled for Liverpool's team doctor to come onto the field.

Bruno ran over to Salah, concerned: "What happened?"

“It looks like I pulled a muscle…” Salah said, frowning, looking quite frustrated.

He clearly wanted to perform well in this match, but he got injured right at the start. He felt that he definitely wouldn't be able to finish the match.

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Bruno saw Salah's expression and felt the same way.

Since the transfer saga, Salah's performance has been remarkable. He has consistently worked hard and hasn't slacked off at the club just because he might leave Liverpool next season. Instead, he has put in even more effort and dedication.

Clearly, Salah was trying to silence some people with this performance.

The match against Manchester United is probably the one he values ​​most.

Liverpool's team doctor rushed over, examined Salah, and said, "I'm sorry, Mohammed, you can't play in this game."

Upon hearing this, Salah covered his face with his hands and lowered his head.

At the same time, Liverpool's team doctor stood up and gestured to Klopp on the sidelines to make a substitution.

"Damn it!" Klopp cursed involuntarily when he saw the gesture on the sidelines, but he still told his assistant coach to let Origi warm up.

"Liverpool's team doctor made a substitution gesture, which means that Salah will not be able to continue the game... As the focus of this game, it is really unexpected that he has to be substituted after only ten minutes of playing..." Zhan Jun's tone was full of disappointment.

The fact that the most talked-about figures in this match left so quickly is like a party without alcohol; it makes the experience rather dull.

Of course, this may also be related to the fact that he is actually a die-hard Liverpool fan.

"Before the match, everyone was speculating about Salah's performance—whether he would excel and help Liverpool win, or simply sleepwalk..." Andy Gray said. "Now, all that speculation has come to an end. Salah is injured and has been substituted. At the height of the battle between Manchester United and Liverpool, he could only watch helplessly. This is a real loss for the game, diminishing its excitement..."

(End of this chapter)