The match between Manchester United and Newcastle United started off in an unremarkable way.
But Claire was soaking up the electric atmosphere at Old Trafford, where the fans' enthusiasm for him was palpable. Every time Claire glanced at the stands, his eyes caught a young boy dressed in a full Batman cosplay outfit. Sitting nearby, Du Juan would wave her left hand toward Claire on the pitch whenever she noticed him looking her way.
Sir Alex Ferguson sat calmly on the bench, observing the attacking rhythm on the field. "This fast-paced game might be too much for anyone to handle. Looks like we can't play this many matches next season!"
Carlos Queiroz, watching Michael Carrick hold the ball and prepare to break into the opponent's half, nodded in agreement. "The home atmosphere at Old Trafford always seems to magically double the opponent's fighting spirit!"
Ferguson glanced at the buzzing stands, a hint of surprise in his expression. He hadn't missed the recent subtle moves by the club's management—endless fan chant campaigns, Claire's signed jerseys being sold through scarcity marketing, the growing mystique around players, and their reduced media exposure. These tactics had packed Old Trafford to the brim, but instead of maximizing the star power of United's players, they'd sparked growing discontent among the fans.
Ferguson kept his opinions to himself. Those were matters for the club's higher-ups. His job was to spend the budget and secure victories.
"Claire's fitness test yesterday was subpar. I wonder if he'll make an impact," Carlos remarked.
Ferguson's gaze shifted to Claire, who was jogging lightly in United's half. He noticed Claire wasn't running with much urgency in the first half. If Ferguson's instincts were correct, Claire had already picked up on his teammates' fatigue and was conserving his energy for a second-half surge.
Seeing this, Ferguson felt a wave of relief. His decades of coaching experience told him this match might not give him much to worry about.
On the pitch, Claire moved with small, deliberate steps in United's half, pausing whenever he neared the midfield line. Nani, the midfielder from Sporting Lisbon, noticed Claire's unusual behavior during a rare charge into the opponent's half.
"What's wrong with you? Did a girl weaken your legs or something? Why aren't you pushing into their half?" Nani snapped, clearly frustrated.
Claire didn't take the jab personally and offered no explanation. Twenty minutes into the match, he'd already noticed that many of United's key players were struggling to keep up with Newcastle's pace. Even Wayne Rooney, the "Little Tornado," was starting to look sluggish in attack due to fatigue.
To the untrained eye, the game lacked offensive flair, but the Old Trafford crowd's enthusiasm didn't waver. Whenever Claire or Cristiano Ronaldo linked up with a teammate, the stands erupted in massive cheers.
Fellow defender Rio Ferdinand, sneaking up to Claire during an attacking move, whispered, "Why are you barely running out there?"
"Haven't you noticed our attack's been inefficient from the start? Even Rooney's slowing down. Everyone's waiting for Newcastle to slip up, saving their energy."
It wasn't so much waiting for Newcastle to attack as it was United collectively coasting. Newcastle's coach, Glenn Roeder, saw his midfielder Emre steal the ball from Ronaldo and immediately rushed to the sidelines, shouting, "Push up! Push up! I want a goal!"
Roeder's fist-pumping and yelling drew the attention of Old Trafford's roving cameras. His animated display was broadcast repeatedly on the stadium's big screens. MUTV's new host, Lucy Pinder, smiled as she spoke into her microphone: "After days of grueling matches, our young lads are looking a bit drained. Right now, we're seeing Newcastle's new coach, Glenn Roeder, furiously urging his players on from the sidelines."
Today's guest on MUTV was Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton. Despite his age, he looked particularly spirited. When Lucy passed him the mic, he said slowly, "Neither side is foolish. Roeder's realized United are trying to wear Newcastle down. He's desperate to extend their lead and shore up their defense in the second half."
After stealing the ball from Ronaldo, Newcastle's midfielder didn't dribble forward alone. Instead, he broke past the halfway line and passed to Solano, who was waiting on United's flank.
Solano, towering half a head over United's midfielder Scholes, headed the ball straight into United's penalty area. United's defenders, forming a wall, leaped to contest the falling ball, while Newcastle's forwards scrambled for their chance.
Lucy Pinder jumped to her feet in the MUTV studio, her voice brimming with excitement: "Solano's header has sparked some life into United's players, but Newcastle's forwards are holding their own!"
"Damn it! Luke pulled a sneaky move behind Ferdinand!"
"Oh, Van der Sar's save was spot-on! Luke's first attempt was blocked. Ronaldo—it's Ronaldo! Ronaldo's steal! Ronaldo's saved United's box!"
"I don't know what United's backline is doing! Claire's just standing there like a wooden post. He's really letting me down."
Lucy's face was flushed as she shouted in the MUTV studio, while Sir Bobby Charlton watched her outburst in stunned silence.
But the fast-changing action on the pitch gave Lucy no time to catch her breath. As Ronaldo turned to sprint with the ball, Newcastle's midfield quickly surrounded him, closing in for a new trap.