The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

Manchester City and Manchester United went into halftime with a score of 3-1. An enraged Ferguson transformed into a hairdryer doctor, yelling and spitting at the players in the locker room.

Even big names like Rooney and Giggs were terrified and dared not utter a sound in front of the 70-year-old Sir Alex Ferguson.

Not to mention Lingard, a mere kid who did nothing in the first half and was terrified when Ferguson used his full power against him, making him tremble like a little quail.

Even after being told he would be substituted early, Lingard tried his best to control his expression, not daring to show the slightest displeasure, for fear of being swallowed whole by the red-faced Ferguson.

This substitution also signaled the failure of Ferguson and analyst Mark Pratt's attempt after just 45 minutes.

Manchester City's Pellegrini also made personnel adjustments during halftime, taking into account the team's fitness level.

Milner will come on as a substitute, replacing David Silva.

Pellegrini originally intended to replace Aguero, but Aguero pleaded with him.

"Mr. Engineer, please! Let me play a little longer. I promise I'm fit enough."

The refined and easy-going Pellegrini was not angry at Aguero's objection; he simply couldn't understand the other's true thoughts.

"Ah Kun, it's just an FA Cup match, why are you making such a fuss?"

"Coach, you didn't see it, but before the game started, Lin was getting really close to those bitches on the other side. I'm worried about leaving him on the court alone; what if he throws the game?"

"I have to stay on the field and keep an eye on him, please!"

"Okay." Although he didn't understand, Pellegrini chose to respect the decision.

But he always felt that Aguero's tone of voice was strange, like a jealous wife who insisted on following her husband when he went out alone.

With David Silva's substitution, Manchester City's attacking momentum noticeably slowed in the second half.

No one else can replace Silva in Pellegrini's new tactical system for the time being. Without him to organize things, Manchester City's pack tactics won't work.

Even so, Manchester United were still unable to gain the upper hand on the field.

Manchester United have been unable to find a replacement for Paul Scholes this season, and since his retirement, the control and creativity of United's midfield have clearly declined by a level.

In addition, Manchester United has recently been hit by a wave of injuries, with Hernandez, Anderson, Fletcher and Cleverley all sidelined. This is one of the reasons why Ferguson chose to try out young players.

The team's recent slump has left the players with no will to fight, and this has become increasingly apparent as the game progresses.

Seeing that the game was lost, Ferguson simply substituted Welbeck for Rooney in the 66th minute, effectively conceding defeat.

Pellegrini was no longer going to indulge Aguero's whims. He had already given him face, and it would be a waste to keep Aguero on the field. He immediately substituted Balotelli for Aguero.

As the fourth official raised his board, signaling his departure from the field, Aguero knew the game was over and could only walk to the sidelines, glancing back every few steps.

Balotelli gave Aguero a high-five with a grin, and was about to run onto the field when he was pulled back.

"Mario, wait a minute!" Aguero pointed at Pogba on the field and instructed, "See that guy with the dyed blond hair? Don't let him get near Lin, remember that!"

A sudden chill ran through the air. Balotelli gripped Aguero's hand tightly, squeezing it painfully, and asked with a ferocious expression, "He's going to hurt Lin?"

Aguero's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's right! Anyway, remember, don't let that bitch get close to Lin, protect him! Go Mario!"

After Balotelli came on, he kept his attention on Pogba, making sure he was positioned between Pogba and Lin Yi.

Balotelli's inexplicable running around in midfield left outsiders completely baffled, leading everyone to believe it was a sign of his inability to adapt to the new tactics. Only he and Aguero knew how focused he was during the match.

Before long, Balotelli's focus came in handy.

With morale low, Manchester United were largely unable to push their attacks into Manchester City's half, instead engaging in pointless passing around in their own half.

After several passes, the ball reached the feet of Pogba, who plays as a defensive midfielder.

Milner, who came on as a substitute, was full of energy. He actively pressed back in the attacking third, forcing Pogba to move in another direction.

And the direction he moved was precisely the area where Lin Yi and Balotelli were.

When Balotelli saw that the opponent dared to approach Lin Yi with the ball, he immediately launched a flying tackle at Pogba.

Fortunately, it was a flying tackle from the front, giving Pogba ample time to prepare.

Seeing the opponent's aggressive attitude, as if he wanted to kill him, Pogba, who was afraid of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair, didn't care about the football at his feet. He used all his strength to jump to the side and narrowly avoided Balotelli's sliding tackle.

Balotelli was somewhat disappointed at missing his target. Just as he was about to get up and finish off the target, he suddenly felt as if his foot had touched something.

Looking up, I saw that it was the football that Pogba had left behind.

"Beautiful! I never knew Balotelli had this skill. Manchester City suddenly pressed high up the pitch, and they succeeded!" The commentator exclaimed in genuine admiration for the brilliant tackle.

"Milner receives the ball!"

"Lin has started!"

"Pogba conceded the goal too suddenly; Manchester United's defensive positioning was somewhat loose!"

"Milner gave it to me!"

"Lin gets the ball, shoot directly!"

"Lin-goooooooooooooooooooal!"

"hat trick!"

"The score is now 4-1!"

"Manchester City can be declared qualified in advance."

"Sir Alex Ferguson can now focus on the league; Manchester United will be eliminated from the FA Cup after their Champions League exit!"

"Sorry, I misspoke. Manchester United can also compete for the Europa League title! But I guess they're not interested in that."

Lin Yi's goal in the 73rd minute effectively ended the match.

Three minutes later, Pellegrini substituted Dzeko for Lin Yi, who had completed a hat-trick, allowing him to enjoy the applause at the Etihad Stadium alone.

Lin Yi was substituted early, and on the surface, the happiest person was Aguero.

The person who should actually be most grateful is Pogba, who successfully extended his career without knowing the truth.

In stoppage time, Manchester United pulled one back from a corner, but it was too little, too late. They couldn't stop Manchester City from advancing to the next round by stepping over their own corpses.

After the match, Lin Yi went onto the court and found Pogba.

"What did I say? You little trash, are you convinced? Here's a souvenir for you." Lin Yi said ruthlessly, but in reality, he handed over his jersey, intending to exchange it with Pogba as a souvenir.

"Pah! You scumbag! Don't be so smug!" Pogba took off his wet jersey and was about to hand it to Lin Yi.

Aguero suddenly appeared from the side, snatched Pogba's jersey, and shoved his own jersey into Pogba's hands without saying a word.

Then he turned to Lin Yi and said, "Mr. Pellegrini is looking for you, he's quite anxious, let's hurry!"

While speaking, he forcibly dragged Lin Yi away.

"Hey!" A bewildered Pogba subconsciously took a step forward, and a burly man with a dark face immediately blocked his way.

"Step back!" Balotelli's voice boomed like a bell, as if he were a guardian deity.