Around the seventy-third minute, Ten Hag sent on Mason Mount for Amrabat and Sergio Reguilón for Lindelöf, wanting more mobility while keeping Højlund’s hold-up play in the game.
Rashford slapped Garnacho’s hand later and pointed toward City’s right as he came off — that would wait a few more minutes yet.
MANCHESTER UNITED (after 73’)
Onana.
Dalot — Maguire — Evans — Reguilón.
Mount — Demien.
McTominay — Bruno.
Rashford.
Mount played closer to Demien in possession.
McTominay kept his higher running.
Reguilón gave United a natural overlap on the left.
When City had sustained possession, Demien became the deepest central body more often, Mount and McTominay collapsing around him.
United were trading protection for a chance to win it.
City tested that immediately in the seventy-fourth minute, Bernardo receiving behind Mount.
Demien had to leave Rodri’s lane and close him.
Bernardo found Foden.
Foden turned toward the box.
Maguire blocked his shot.
The rebound reached Rodri.
Demien raced back and put enough pressure on him to force a recycle instead of a shot.
United regained it through Mount in the seventy-sixth minute, Mount to Bruno to Højlund, Højlund laying it into Demien’s path.
Demien attacked Rodri, who couldn’t fully commit with Rashford outside him.
Demien created half a yard and shot from just outside the box, a hard conventional strike toward the lower corner.
Ederson got a strong hand to it and pushed it around the post.
Demien had already started to celebrate before realizing it hadn’t gone in.
He stopped, grabbed the back of his head and shouted in frustration.
The Stretford End groaned.
Ederson got up screaming at his own defenders.
City broke from the resulting phase, Bernardo to Grealish, Grealish attacking, Haaland moving across Maguire, the ball reaching him.
Haaland fired.
Onana saved again.
Both players promoted all week had chances for a third.
Neither had taken it.
By the seventy-eighth minute, City did what they do best in chaos — they removed it, Rodri stopping the risky vertical passes, Stones tucking closer, Bernardo dropping deeper, City circulating patiently: left, back, across, Rodri, Walker, Dias, Stones, Bernardo, Grealish, back again.
United chased for an uncomfortable stretch.
Demien’s hands rested against his thighs in one dead moment, breathing hard, then straightened the instant the ball moved again.
Mount chased Stones.
McTominay closed Rodri.
Demien tracked Bernardo.
City recycled before any tackle arrived.
Old Trafford began whistling for United to push out.
City finally broke in the eightieth minute, Rodri receiving outside the box, Bernardo’s movement opening the lane.
Rodri struck from distance.
The shot deflected slightly through traffic.
Onana parried rather than caught it.
The rebound fell to Haaland on the left of United’s six-yard box.
Everyone expected the hat-trick shot.
Demien was sprinting back.
Maguire turned toward Haaland.
Onana was still recovering.
Haaland looked up.
Foden was arriving completely free across goal.
Haaland squared it instead.
Foden finished into the open net.
Manchester United 2 — 3 Manchester CityPhil Foden 80’ (Assist: Erling Haaland)
Demien’s body had already started toward Haaland, expecting the shot.
Then the pass went across him.
He turned and watched Foden score.
For one beat, he stared at Haaland while City celebrated — the player everyone called a goal machine had just rejected a hat-trick attempt because the pass guaranteed the goal instead.
The screens read HAALAND — 2 GOALS, 1 ASSIST, WALTER — 2 GOALS.
City led 3-2.
Demien didn’t sprint to halfway this time.
He bent over, pulled one sock back into place for no real reason, and dragged in several breaths while City celebrated.
Bruno reached him. "We’ve still got time."
Demien nodded and straightened.
Ten Hag reshaped United aggressively in the eighty-second minute — Demien higher, Mount underneath him when possible, Bruno into the right half-space, Rashford wide left, Højlund central between Dias and Stones, McTominay a late runner into the box.
Greater risk, accepted on purpose.
Demien received between Bernardo and Rodri in the eighty-third minute, Bernardo into his back.
He protected it.
「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Press Resistant」
He turned enough to find Bruno.
Bruno gave it back.
Demien saw Højlund between Dias and Stones.
「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Mesut Özil — Eye-of-Needle」
The pass split the two defenders.
Højlund reached it.
Ederson raced from his line and blocked with his body before Højlund could lift it over him.
No goal.
Højlund fell and slapped the turf.
"Get up," Demien shouted. "They’re restarting."
United won the clearance in the eighty-fourth minute, Mount finding Demien outside the box, the crowd screaming for the shot.
He took it.
「EPIC SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Dipping Power Shot」
Dias read it and threw himself into the line, the shot smashing into him and deflecting clear.
No time to complain — City countered off the block, Walker carrying thirty yards before Mount cut him down with a tactical foul.
The cost of pushing Demien higher.
Garnacho replaced an exhausted Rashford around the eighty-sixth minute, Rashford slapping his hand and pointing toward City’s tiring right side on his way off.
MANCHESTER UNITED (final shape)
Onana.
Dalot — Maguire — Evans — Reguilón.
Mount — Demien.
McTominay — Bruno.
Garnacho.
City tried to close the game through possession, Rodri receiving, Garnacho pressing Walker, Bruno jumping to Gvardiol, Mount closing Stones.
City played through the first pressure anyway, Bernardo receiving.
Demien anticipated the turn and stepped into the challenge.
「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Ball Winner」
Bernardo poked it away before falling.
The loose ball reached Rodri.
Demien attacked him too, and Rodri played it backward because the forward lane was gone.
City eventually sent it long.
Maguire beat Haaland in the air.
Mount collected the second ball.
United had it again.
Demien received from Mount in the eighty-seventh minute, Bernardo tight to him immediately, Rodri positioned ahead expecting the pass to Garnacho or a central carry.
Demien protected the ball while Bernardo tried to slow him physically.
「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Press Resistant」
He stayed upright through the contact and got his head up.
Garnacho started sprinting left.
Rodri shifted a step that way.
Bruno moved right.
McTominay started toward the box.
Højlund stood between Dias and Stones.
Demien shaped his whole body as though sending it to Garnacho.
Rodri moved.
Walker checked Garnacho.
Dias shifted half a yard outward.
That half-yard opened the channel beside
「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Luka Modrić — Outside-of-Boot Laser」
Without changing his body’s direction, Demien wrapped the outside of his boot around the ball.
It bent away from Rodri, curving between Dias and Stones before either could step across.
Højlund was already running.
Dias turned.
Højlund used his body to get across the defender rather than simply outrunning him.
Ederson came forward.
Højlund didn’t take another touch.
He hit it first time across Ederson, low, toward the far corner.
The ball reached the net.
Manchester United 3 — 3 Manchester CityRasmus Højlund 88’ (Assist: Demien Walter)
Old Trafford lost itself completely.
Not just an equalizer.
He’d given away the penalty.
He’d missed the huge first-half chance.
He’d created Demien’s second goal.
Now he’d scored his first Manchester derby goal to make it 3-3.
Højlund screamed before he’d even worked out which direction he was running, sliding toward the supporters.
Demien caught him before he was fully upright and crashed into him.
Bruno jumped onto both of them.
McTominay arrived at full speed and nearly sent the whole pile over.
Maguire had sprinted the length of the pitch.
Garnacho was screaming.
Even Onana celebrated from near his own box.
Højlund grabbed Demien’s shirt and shouted straight into his face, Demien laughing and shouting back, nothing coherent in either direction.
「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Direct Goal Contributions: 3/2」 「Assists: 1」
The broadcast graphic appeared mid-celebration.
ERLING HAALAND — 2 GOALS, 1 ASSIST
DEMIEN WALTER — 2 GOALS, 1 ASSIST
The commentators noticed it before Demien did — the entire week’s ridiculous media storyline had somehow become statistically symmetrical. Haaland had directly contributed to all three City goals. Demien had directly contributed to all three United goals.
Guardiola looked furious at how easily the pass had gone in behind Rodri.
Ten Hag was already screaming for United to reset — stoppage time still had to be played.
City attacked first in the ninetieth minute, Bernardo and Rodri combining, Foden receiving right, Haaland moving between Maguire and Evans.
Foden slid it to him.
Haaland created half a yard and shot from near the edge of the box.
Onana got down and pushed it away.
Haaland turned and clapped both hands in frustration — another chance for the winner gone.
City won the corner.
Maguire cleared it.
Garnacho collected and drove forward.
Walker stopped him with a clean challenge.
The loose ball reached Demien.
Rodri was backpedaling, City’s line not fully reset.
Demien attacked.
「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Gareth Bale — Galáctico Surge」 「STATS ACTIVE」 「Acceleration: 99 | Sprint Speed: 99 | Strength: 99」
His first touch pushed several yards ahead.
Rodri turned to chase.
His second touch lengthened further, Rodri unable to match it.
Bernardo tried to come from the side.
Demien used his shoulder to stay upright.
Walker abandoned Garnacho and moved centrally.
Dias started stepping out of the box.
Demien reached shooting range.
Old Trafford rose, everyone sensing what this could be — a derby hat-trick, a stoppage-time winner, the answer to Haaland.
He struck it hard and low toward the far upper side, nothing fancy behind it.
Ederson launched himself.
His fingertips reached it.
The ball changed direction and flew past the post.
Corner.
Demien stopped dead.
Then screamed, fists clenched, turning away from goal and kicking the air once without touching anything.
Ederson got up roaring, City’s players surrounding him for a moment — he’d just denied the winner.
The corner came in.
Maguire attacked it.
Dias reached it first.
City cleared.
One last transition chance — Haaland chasing the clearance, Evans stopping him near halfway without anything close to a red card.
City took the free kick quickly.
United got behind the ball.
The referee checked his watch.
Then blew.
Fweeeeeetttttttt!
Manchester United 3 — 3 Manchester CityErling Haaland 26’ (pen.), 49’ — Demien Walter 39’, 61’ — Phil Foden 80’ — Rasmus Højlund 88’
Nobody wore the draw like a trophy.
Højlund looked ecstatic and exhausted at once.
Onana bent over with his hands on his knees after the string of saves.
Maguire looked simply relieved to have survived City’s late pressure.
Bruno looked annoyed — United had chances to win it too.
Demien stood with both hands on his hips, staring toward Ederson’s goal, his final shot still inches from turning the draw into something enormous.
City didn’t look happy either.
Rodri spoke sharply with Stones.
Foden walked off with his hands on his head.
Haaland exhaled hard and looked once toward Onana after being denied so many times.
Both sides had the winner within reach.
Neither had taken it.
Højlund reached Demien and hit him on the chest. "Thanks for that last one," he said.
"After the penalty, you owed us one," Demien said.
"Fuck off," Højlund said, laughing.
Demien found Onana next, grabbing his hand. "Without you, Haaland probably has three or four today."
"Without your goals, we lose anyway," Onana said.
「MANCHESTER DERBY MISSION COMPLETE」 「Manchester United 3 — 3 Manchester City」 「Goals: 2」 「Assists: 1」 「Direct Goal Contributions: 3/2」 「Pressure-Release Actions: 9/7」 「Transition Entries: 6/4」 「Defensive Recoveries: 6/5」 「Reward: +120 MP」
「BONUS OBJECTIVE RESULT」 「Win the Manchester Derby」 「FAILED」 「Bonus Reward: +10 SP — NOT AWARDED」
Demien looked at FAILED for a moment.
He didn’t argue with it.
He closed the panel.
Individually exceptional, collectively unfinished — the panel just confirmed what he already felt.
The handshake line moved quickly, Rodri, then Bernardo, then Foden.
Then Haaland.
Both of them were spent, Haaland’s hair soaked through, Demien’s shirt stuck flat against him.
They shook hands, and for one beat neither let go — the ridiculous scoreline and their matching numbers hanging over the moment.
The stadium screens still read 3-3.
Photographers found them together instantly.
Haaland glanced once at the scoreboard, then back at Demien.
He gave him the smallest grin as he let go.
"See you tomorrow."
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