Harbinger Of Glory

”It’s RASMUS HOJLUND!” Drury conferred on the broadcast as the striker pointed at the badge and then pointed at himself and behind him; his teammates rushed!

”There it is, Manchester United have the breakthrough after just 21 minutes of play!” Drury shouted.

”A corner, a header across the face of goal, and Højlund arrives at exactly the right moment! That is brilliant if it was planned!”

The players piled into him near the corner flag, smothering Højlund beneath them and sitting some few metres away, it looked like the United fans wanted to jump over the partitions and join the celebration.

While one side celebrated, the other stood idly, annoyed by the goal, but it was Jake who looked the most pissed, and it showed.

He turned immediately toward Michael Oliver, pointing at his shoulder.

”That’s a foul! He used me as a ramp!” he called towards the referee as Oliver looked at him.

”He held me! Go back and watch!”

He said all he could, but Oliver pointed toward the halfway line, shaking his head!

”Go.”

”He’s got both hands on me! I couldn’t even jump!” Jake continued until he realised it was getting nowhere when Oliver turned away from him.

He stared at the official for another second, frustration written across his face, before he also walked away.

Behind him, the celebrations continued.

”And it seems that Wigan’s striker is not pleased with something!” Carragher said.

As he said that, the replay appeared showing that McTominay had certainly made contact.

Jake’s arms were up, trying to get around him, but McTominay’s body had blocked his route to the ball.

Carragher watched it once more and shook his head on the gantry!

”There’s contact. There’s no question about that, and, understandably, Jake thinks he’s been fouled! McTominay gets himself on his shoulder, and I think that should be a foul.”

Back on the pitch, Leo looked toward Whatmough, who was staring at the goal.

When he met Leo’s look, Whatmough exhaled and shook his head.

”Yeah,” he muttered. ”I know.”

The Wigan players soon began moving toward the centre circle as the United celebrations began to halt.

”It’s 1-0 nil and Manchester United are up in this soap opera of a game,” Drury said.

”Despite the two sides’ entreaties, it is the home side who have struck first.”

Back on the pitch, the camera followed Højlund as he finally broke away from the group.

He pointed toward the supporters and Old Trafford answered.

.....

Away from the frantic scenes, Jonas had his fist balled and raised before Hojlund had even finished celebrating.

”Come on,” he muttered, leaning forward in his seat, but from somewhere to his left, a groan escaped.

”Come on now!”

”They aren’t even that good,” Gianna said, to nobody and to everybody!

”Wigan shouldn’t be conceding that.”

A few eyes in the room found her but she was as shameless as could be.

Jonas especially felt his brow twitch before he’d decided to react, and the expression that followed wasn’t quite anger, but it was heading there.

”And who are those?” he muttered to himself.

Almost as if she’d heard it, Gianna turned in his direction with a smirk, and Jonas looked at her and then looked away.

”Who’s that psycho child?” he said, to the window.

A few metres away, Vittoria leaned across and tapped Gianna on the arm.

”Can you not,” she said quietly while gesturing for Gianna to sit down!

”We’re in enemy territory.”

”I wasn’t even trying,” Gianna said.

”Do you know him?”

Gianna glanced at Jonas briefly and shook her head.

”He was celebrating earlier,” Gianna said.

”Figured he was either a United fan or a Wigan hater. Didn’t plan on annoying him, but it happened that way,” she shrugged.

Vittoria pressed her hand over her mouth, shaking her head with a smile on her face before looking back at the pitch!

.....

”The match restarts,” Drury said on the broadcast, ”and Wigan trail by a goal with twenty-four minutes remaining before the interval. The question now is how Dawson’s side respond.”

To that question, Wigan responded blisteringly!

”Reyes to Leo and Leo back to Reyes! The two are running amok here!” Peter Drury hastingly spat out as the ball progressed!

Leo had already moved after releasing the first pass, sprinting into the gap ahead of him as Reyes carried it forward.

”One-two between the two midfielders, and suddenly Wigan have broken through! Leo gets it again! He’s into the final third now!”

The United midfield scrambled back, but Leo was already moving.

Reyes continued his run alongside him, dragging Eriksen away as Leo carried the ball toward the edge of the box and for a second it looked like Leo would pass to him as Leo slowed for half a second, but then he ignored the run at the last second!

”Now Lindelöf steps across! How’s Leo doing?” Drury roared, and in that instant, Leo dropped his right shoulder.

Lindelöf committed himself, reaching an arm out to hold Leo, but the midfielder cut across the defender and poked the ball into the penalty area.

”Brilliant from Leo! And now Jake’s in!”

Jake reached it near the byline with almost no angle, but with pressure from Dalot behind him, it didn’t matter.

He pulled his left leg back and then struck it hard!

”He shoots, and it’s off the post!”

The ball smashed against the upright and flew straight back across the face of goal, and Drury barely had time to finish before Ezra arrived.

”Ezraaaaaaaa!”

The winger met it first time, but the keeper was equal to it, with Onana throwing himself across the goal and getting a strong hand to it!

The ball rolled behind for a corner, and the Wigan players immediately turned toward the corner flag.

”That is outstanding from Onana!” Carragher came in over the noise.

”That’s a huge save. Wigan have gone straight through them there, and for a second it almost looked as if the lead United had crafted earlier would vanish in minutes!”

Drury returned as Leo jogged toward the corner.

”And Wigan respond immediately! Thirty seconds after falling behind, they’ve gone within inches of an equaliser!”

Leo raised both hands toward the travelling supporters, bringing them down slowly as the Wigan end answered with a roar.

”Wigan are awake!” Drury said. ”And Old Trafford has suddenly gone very quiet at one end!”