Perhaps it was the victory in the derby that made the players feel a little elated, or perhaps it was the easy victory in the FA Cup that made Tottenham relax their vigilance.
After advancing to both the League Cup and the FA Cup, Tottenham returned to White Hart Lane and capsized at home.
This is a focus battle between the top of the Premier League, and may even affect the ownership of the league championship.
But Martin Joel dropped the ball at this moment, from the arrangement of the starting lineup to the rotation, which made Bai Baihe fans seriously doubt whether the Dutch coach didn't care about winning the championship at all.
Before the start of the game, Tottenham had remained unbeaten in 25 consecutive league games.
Perhaps it was such "arrogance" that after the opening, Tottenham launched a fierce attack on the away Red Devils.
But in the 31st minute, Manchester United, playing away from home, took the lead to break the deadlock.
Saha made a scalpel-like direct pass, and Giggs succeeded in countering offside and calmly pushed the ball home from 14 yards in the middle of the penalty area. This was the Welshman's first league goal in the past five months.
Being one goal behind did not arouse Tottenham's vigilance, and they still used the previous method to fight against their opponents.
Even after Lennon went off injured, Martin Joel still did not stop the team's progress.
Finally, in the 45th minute, Malbranque tripped Ronaldinho in the penalty area. The Portuguese took the penalty kick himself and the ball went into the lower left corner of the goal.
Ronaldinho has scored penalty kicks in two consecutive rounds, and has scored 15 goals in the league this season.
When Ronaldinho took a penalty kick, boos broke out in the stands.
Many Bai Baihe fans threw mineral water bottles into the field, questioning the authenticity of the foul.
Ronaldinho's diving ability is already outstanding in the Premier League, and he has such "performance" in two consecutive games, which makes people have to doubt that this guy and Manchester United did it on purpose.
During the halftime break, perhaps because one substitution had been used up by replacing Lennon, Martin Joel did not make any personnel adjustments.
As a result, just three minutes into the second half, Ronaldinho broke through Lee Young-pyo and passed a cross near the bottom line on the right side of the penalty area. Robinson failed to block the front point, and the ball came to Dong Fangzhuo's feet. The latter obviously did not expect to get the ball at this position and hurriedly started. His foot was blocked by Ledley King, and Scholes, who followed, easily scored his fifth league goal of the season at the back post.
After falling behind by 3 goals, the controversy in the stands finally alerted Martin Joel.
This is not the League Cup or the North London Derby, and the players are not springs who can overtake every time they fall behind.
After hastily replacing Robbie Keane and Defoe, Martin Joel had no substitution card in his hand.
However, the old Sir Alex showed a sly smile at this moment and changed two defensive midfielders in succession. In the final stage of the game, even Park Ji-sung came to defend Wang Xiaodong and blocked him in all directions.
Finally, thanks to Wang Xiaodong's hasty long-range shot, Tottenham lost 0-3 at home to their opponents, ending their 25-game unbeaten run in the league and further losing ground to their opponents in the standings.
At the press conference after the game, Martin Joel admitted that he was not well prepared before the game. He did not expect that Sir Alex Ferguson's three moves would hit Tottenham's vitals.
Losing in the league does not mean that Tottenham will give up the fight for the championship. This season, Tottenham will still move forward and strive for all the championships it can win.
Martin Joel took all the responsibility for the loss on himself, and since Tottenham's performance this season was indeed good, fans and reporters also forgave him.
However, Ronaldinho, who repeatedly dived during the game, was besieged by fans and the media after the game.
Ronaldinho, who had just put on the captain's armband of the Portuguese national team a few days ago, became the target of public criticism because of this penalty kick, whether it was an FA Cup match, a league match with Tottenham, or a national team friendly match at the Emirates Stadium. , every time Ronaldinho touches the ball, the fans in the stands will boo him.
And it was in such boos that Ronaldinho spent his birthday and completed the transformation from "child" to "superstar".
In the post-match interview, Ronaldinho avoided the topic of "diving" and instead emphasized the special personal significance of this victory: "The goal scored in this game is what I gave to myself. A birthday present. Honestly, that was a really great birthday present.”
"When I first came to England, I was still a very young kid. But over the past few years, I have gained a lot of experience on the field. I have been growing at a very fast rate and I believe in myself in the future. I will become more and more mature. 22 years old means that I am no longer a child."
As the head coach of the Portuguese team, Scolari not only praised Ronaldinho's recent outstanding form, but also suggested that he move to Barcelona to gain greater room for improvement.
But this statement was immediately countered by Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson said that as long as Ronaldinho stays at Old Trafford, the young Portuguese player will one day become "the Michael Jordan of football."
...
After losing the game, the streets and alleys of London were advertising slogans "Tottenham quit to win the championship, Chelsea will continue to win the championship", which made Wang Xiaodong irritable.
Isn't it just that we lost a game?
Is there such a fuss?
After the game, Wang Xiaodong also specifically discussed the technical issues of diving with Ronaldinho.
In Wang Xiaodong's view, this craft is definitely a technical job.
If you can fool the referee, a penalty kick is certainly easier to score than a free kick.
In the parking lot of the airport, as soon as the car door closed, the little witch couldn't wait to hug Wang Xiaodong and started nibbling each other.
"Honey, did you miss me?"
Wang Xiaodong chewed the chewing gum he took from his girlfriend's mouth, "Does it taste a little wrong?"
"Hillbilly, haven't you tried mint-flavored gum?"
"Okay." Wang Xiaodong chewed again and started the engine.
"I heard that you lost recently? And maybe you might lose the league championship?" The little witch teased as soon as they met.
"Hey, don't mention it. It's just those media who like to stir up trouble." Wang Xiaodong waved his hands, obviously not wanting to talk more about this topic.
Along the way, the little witch leaned against the car window and looked at the scenery outside the window. She couldn't help but sigh: "I have been away from London for more than half a year, but I didn't expect that it has changed so much."
"Are you talking about the posters on the wall?" Wang Xiaodong complained.
London's infrastructure remains unchanged for hundreds of years, but the posters and advertisements on the walls change every day.
The huge poster I just passed by was a nude photo of Crouch's girlfriend Clancy. Since marrying Crouch, this actress's status in the British entertainment industry has soared.
"Dong, don't you think her figure is great?" The little witch touched Wang Xiaodong's chest and smiled fondly.
"Hey, I'm driving!" Wang Xiaodong lightly stepped on the brakes.
"I know." The little witch nodded, her hand movements stopping in mid-air.
The car drove forward again, and this time there was a poster of Walcott and his girlfriend as a couple.
Looking at the happy look of the little tiger in the photo, Wang Xiaodong suddenly felt his throat sore.
After a while, Wang Xiaodong asked: "Dear, when do you think we can be like him?"
Having a girlfriend but not being able to bring her to the public is really torture for a young, successful guy.
Hearing Wang Xiaodong's complaint, the little witch leaned back in her chair.
After thinking for a while, he said slowly: "My dear, let's do this."
"When you win a qualified championship, we will make our relationship public. What do you think?"
