Not a chess specialist, but he pulled out a couple of unusually good moves on a very uncommon line of play without thinking too much about it, almost looking casually. His excuse was "it just happens that I studied this line last night ". This doesn't happen.

It was a line that Magnus has already played once or twice in tournament. Hans wondered how Magnus could surprise him. So Hans studied various lines rarely played by Magnus including this one. This was very clear in Hans interview.

did you even read the chess.com report?

> In fact, Magnus has only played 4.g3 twice previously (both before 2010), and the position after Hans castled on move four had never been seen in any of Magnus’ games. Hans in a later interview commented that Magnus had previously played the opening against Wesley So in the 2018 London Chess Classic,24 but there is no such game on record.25 Magnus did play a g3 Nimzo-Indian against Wesley So in a rapid game in Kolkota in 2019, but the move order and emerging position in that game had no similarities to the game against Hans. Hans’s 9...cxd4 had only been played once previously, in a June 2022 Titled Tuesday game between Rasmus Svane and Stelios Halkias.

Hans have studied this line because Magnus played it before. Was the line exactly the same: no, he explained that he spent several minutes to evaluate if the transposition was possible. I'd rather believe Hans than the far fetched cheating theory. Magnus just was on full paranoia mode. Everybody agrees that both of them played poorly and that Hans even gave situations where Magnus could have won.

The featured article talks about this. It didn't go down even remotely the same way in Magnus' previous game. He also references a game which never actually happened.

He is not in charge of maintaining a chess database. Did Magnus played this before: yes. Can Hans have know about this: yes. Can he have studied this line because Magnus played it before: yes. Was the line exactly the same: no, he explained that he spent several minutes to evaluate if the transposition was possible. Very credible (contrary to Magnus insinuations)