Chapter 929: Reaching the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup

In the 70th minute, scoring the second goal almost sealed the victory.

Watching the ball hit the net, Gao Xiaodong lifted up his jersey. There was a line written on the jersey: Nani, rest in peace and recover.

The applause sounded like thunder, and tens of thousands of fans chanted Gao Xiaodong's name like a tsunami.

On-site commentator Andy Gray praised: "This is a typical Gao Xiaodong-style goal, fast! Powerful! Deadly! Arsenal made careful arrangements to defend Gao Xiaodong, but unfortunately they only did it in vain. In this game Gao Xiaodong spends most of the game on defense, but once the opponent neglects to defend, Gao Xiaodong will give the opponent a fatal blow! The reason why Gao Xiaodong is difficult to defend is that he is so versatile. Even if he is not attacking, he can still play a major role. …”

Arsenal head coach Professor Arsene Wenger was very dissatisfied with Djurou's clearance. He muttered a few words to the court, and then made substitution adjustments. Ramsey came on and replaced Diaby.

This is Ramsey's first appearance for the Arsenal first team since he was seriously injured on February 27, 2010.

This is Arsenal's second substitution. After the two substitutions, both Arsenal's midfielders were replaced, which shows how dissatisfied Wenger is with the team's defense.

Without the midfielder, Arsenal will completely rely on offense instead of defense.

Against a team like Manchester United, using offense instead of defense is almost called bravery, but it is called death.

But Wenger had no choice. It was possible to get one goal back in 20 minutes. It was not that difficult to get two goals back. This was a knockout match. If he didn't win, he would be eliminated. He could only give it a try.

The effect of Arsenal's desperate attack was obvious. In the following time, Arsenal got consecutive shooting opportunities.

In the 72nd minute, Brown headed the ball to the top of the arc. Nasri followed up with a right-footed shot and hit the rebound. Van der Sar was in a good position to get the ball.

In the 75th minute, Ramsey volleyed with his right foot from outside the penalty area and hit the stands under the interference of Pogba.

In the 76th minute, Sagna passed the ball to the back post, and Robin van Persie headed the ball to the goal. Wilshere stopped the ball two meters away to prepare for a volley, but Gao Xiaodong poked the ball away from behind.

One minute later, Chamakh's right-footed volley from the penalty area was caught by Van der Sar while falling to the ground.

In the 78th minute, Rooney made a pass from the right, but the ball hit Djurou and missed the goal post.

In the 79th minute, Wilshere's left-footed volley from the left side of the penalty area hit the side net.

Seeing Arsenal shooting constantly, Ferguson felt the pressure, and he made substitution adjustments again. This time, Ferguson's substitution once again surprised Wenger and the fans. Under such heavy defensive pressure, not only did he not substitute Instead, the defensive players replaced Fabio and replaced him with Giggs to strengthen the offense.

Ferguson's substitution was once again praised by Andy Grad, "Sir Alex Ferguson is really undiminished. The two substitutions, one old and one young, were unexpected. Although 2:0 was already very stable, he was able to make such a The substitution is really generous, but Sir Alex Ferguson probably doesn't want Giggs' wing attack, but wants to use his experience to control the rhythm. Now Manchester United's midfielder is led by two old men, Giggs and Scholes. Xiao Gao Xiaodong and Pogba, of course, although Gao Xiaodong is not old, he has a lot of experience and cannot be called a newcomer. I hope Pogba can seize this opportunity to perform."

In fact, Pogba has always hoped to perform in the offense. However, his teammates do not pay attention to him as a junior. They only look for old people who often cooperate with him to pass the ball. Pogba can only run back and forth and have one shot opportunity. None were caught.

After Giggs came on the field, Pogba felt that his defensive tasks were heavier and he had less time to push forward.

In the 82nd minute, when Gao Xiaodong took the ball and attacked from Smallin's pass, he found Pogba staying motionless in the backcourt and immediately shouted: "Follow up!"

Pogba woke up from a dream and hurriedly ran towards the Arsenal half-court.

Gao Xiaodong was very fast. By the time Pogba came to the Arsenal half, Gao Xiaodong had already played a wall-to-wall cooperation with Giggs, and passed the ball to Rooney on the wing in the 30-meter area.

Rooney made a pass from the wing. Gao Xiaodong and Hernandez grabbed the ball in the middle, but the ball was taken by goalkeeper Almunia.

Returning to his own half, Gao Xiaodong said to Pogba: "During the attack, what are you doing in the backcourt? Do you want the two big brothers to move forward, or are you unable to run?"

Pogba said: "I'm afraid that I will be hit and counterattack after attacking."

Gao Xiaodong said in an old-fashioned way: "Just run back when you counterattack. What are you afraid of? There are defenders and two big brothers behind you. Look at the replacement of the leader. Do you really want to defend? You are only 18 years old and you are timid. What's the matter? Make a difference!"

Gao Xiaodong's words made Pogba blush, and he secretly vowed to go forward next time regardless of whether he conceded the ball or not.

After Manchester United's counterattack, Wenger saw that he still couldn't score, so he made another substitution adjustment, replacing Arshavin and replacing Rosicky.

Wenger's substitution was ridiculed by the on-site commentator Andy Grade, "At this time, the professor is still making a substitution. Shouldn't he be replaced by a defender? This is the difference between the professor and Sir Alex Ferguson. Achievements are very different."

Although Wenger's substitutions were a little conservative, Arsenal's players were already furious, and the defenders also let go of assists. The offensive was even more intense than before.

In the 85th minute, Sagna made a pass from the right. Chamakh's header rebounded in front of the penalty area and was hit by Van der Sar with both hands. Nasri's long-range shot from the top of the arc hit Chamak in front of the goal and bounced out of the baseline.

In the 86th minute, Van der Sar's big kick was intercepted and Arsenal continued to attack.

Rosicky got the ball from the wing and quickly crossed the ball. His long-range shot with his right foot from outside the penalty area was blocked by Van der Sar.

In the 88th minute, Manchester United launched a quick counterattack after stealing the ball. Rooney dribbled the ball down the right. Gao Xiaodong, Pogba, and Hernandez all fired three arrows and rushed towards Arsenal's penalty area.

When Djurou was defending, he knocked down his teammate Sagna and missed the ball. Hernandez shot from a small angle but was blocked by Almunia on the goal line.

Gao Xiaodong and Koscielny ran towards the rolled ball at the same time. Gao Xiaodong, with quick eyes and quick feet, moved the ball first and passed it to Pogba on the other side.

Gao Xiaodong was knocked down by Koscielny, but Pogba easily pushed the shot into the empty goal, rewriting the score to 3:0.

After scoring the goal, Pogba was so excited that he even forgot to thank Gao Xiaodong, who played for him. He took off his jersey and ran towards the stands with a roar.

The victory was determined and the potential youngster scored. The Manchester United fans were also very happy. They stood up and applauded Pogba: Well done! Paul! You will be the new Scholes! Come on! Boy!

Ferguson also stood up and applauded. He was satisfied with the performance of this tall, capable offensive and defensive young man with excellent skills. He felt that if Pogba could continue to perform like this, he could definitely let him play in the league. After all, Scholes is 37 years old.

Manchester United's counterattack not only brought a goal to Arsenal. When they were defending, Sagna and Djuru collided, hitting Djuru and dislocating his shoulder. While the Manchester United people were celebrating, Djuru was injured. Taken away on a stretcher. As the substitution quota was exhausted, Arsenal could only challenge with 10 men.

Because it took some time to treat Zhu Lu's injury on the court, referee Foy gave 5 minutes of stoppage time.

Arsenal, who faced the challenge with 10 men, did not give up and tried to save some face, but Manchester United took advantage of the number of people to firmly control the ball. Arsenal did not have a chance to shoot in the 5 minutes of stoppage time. In the end, the game ended with Manchester United 3 -0 eliminated Arsenal and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup with head held high.