From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Boom!”

He then delivered a cross aimed toward the far post. Van Persie in the center would surely face the pressure of being marked by two defenders, but this ball targeting Ma’el at the far post might just have some special effect.

He guessed right.

When Ma’el and his old rival Martin Kelly jumped together, people saw Ma’el’s startling leap and power, with Martin Kelly barely jumping about 20 centimeters under his suppression.

”Boom!” The ensuing header struck with great power, heading straight for the far corner of the goal, but unfortunately, it was slightly off-target, missing the net.

After landing, Ma’el gestured towards Walcott; if his heading skills were a bit more refined, he might have managed to score.

Walcott didn’t blame him, raising his arm as he ran back. Such a threatening pass early in the game, whether the teammate manages to score or not, is a great boost of confidence for oneself.

Anyway, Liverpool hasn’t scored yet, so there’s no need to worry. They can take their time and find their rhythm.

”You’ll Never Walk Alone...You’ll Never Walk Alone...!!”

The Emirates Stadium gradually filled with the singing of thousands of Liverpool fans, with their arms raised, fueling the fervent atmosphere and cheering for the team. This was one aspect Liverpool never had to worry about.

Due to their overwhelming enthusiasm, they continuously pressed towards the front of the stands. On-site riot police immediately came with shields and batons to maintain order, and police dogs were also brought in.

”Everything was going...Ma-ehl! Ma-ehl...!”

Over fifty thousand Arsenal fans would naturally not be subdued, quickly joining in singing their favorite player song of the moment, ”Walking in a van Persie Wonderland...!!”

They immediately overwhelmed the momentum of the Liverpool fans, making the sound at the Emirates Stadium more orderly.

The match continued in such an atmosphere, with players from both teams becoming progressively smoother and more threatening as they played.

In the 16th minute, Tang Ning on Liverpool’s left wing shook off Sagna’s balance and curled a cross towards the center.

”Boom!!”

Suarez, with his muscular build, twisted his plump rear, judged the point of contact, and followed up with his right leg raised to strike the incoming ball - he was also adept at volleys as a center forward.

The ball rebounded after hitting the ground, again flying towards the goal, creating a significant challenge for the goalkeeper to save.

”Clap!” The subsequent sound of hitting the post resonated, invoking sighs of regret from Liverpool fans throughout the venue, as the football grazed the outer edge of the post and slipped out of the net.

Just a bit off!

”Shit...!” Suarez himself raised his hands, howling in vainly towards the sky, venting his frustration.

Seven minutes later, Arsenal seized a transition opportunity and passed the ball to Ma’el on the left wing.

With the ball, Ma’el charged towards Martin Kelly; he had done this no less than ten times this season. This time, he didn’t opt for a breakthrough but rushed towards the center while the opponent’s midfield hadn’t returned.

He remembered Wenger’s pre-match admonishments that the center was where the opponent’s defense was most exposed.

”Cover!”

”Skrtel, you go!!”

As he reached the top of the penalty area arc, the opponent’s defensive line indeed changed rapidly, with Skrtel coming forward to delay him, while the other three players moved towards Skrtel’s rear for protection.

This way, space opened up on the wing, leaving Walcott unmarked.

”Boom!”

Ma’el delivered a direct pass towards Walcott’s position, accounting for some lead, allowing him to cross back near the baseline directly.

”Dun dun dun!”

Walcott sprinted to catch up, successfully getting the ball at the baseline. He lifted his eyes to scan the situation in the center.

The Liverpool defense immediately became more disordered, with players unsure whether to mark a man or defend a zone.

Ma’el charged towards the space behind the opponent’s defense, looking for a horizontal pass opportunity, while Van Persie observed this and chose to stand in place, waiting for a cutback pass.

”Boom!”

Walcott ultimately chose a cutback pass, perhaps thinking passing to Ma’el posed a risk of being intercepted by the goalkeeper.

The pass was well-executed, giving Van Persie an opportunity for a push shot on goal.

He aimed for the far corner of the goal, his right foot pressed on the lower-middle part of the ball, launching it with a push.

By this time, Ma’el had reached the goalfront, recognising the cutback from Walcott, he ran back.

”Clap!” As a result, the ball struck a Liverpool player’s leg, bouncing toward his position.

His eyes lit up as he turned immediately to meet the ball with a push shot.

”Swoosh!” The ball bypassed Reina’s hands and touched the net, leaving no time for the opponent to react, instantly exciting the Emirates Stadium, ”Yeah.....!!”

On the sidelines, Wenger raised both hands while running, shouting, ”Beautiful!”

Only Ma’el in the penalty box seemed unsure; he glanced at the assistant referee, uncertain whether he had crossed into an offside position.

As expected, he saw the assistant referee raise the offside flag, placing it at about a 120-degree angle to his body, indicating an offside player in the middle.

”Clap!”

Regretfully, he clapped his hands; there was nothing to be done about it. Even without him, the ball was likely to fly directly out of the baseline; it was only the opponent’s timely block that turned it away.

”Whistle!” The referee’s whistle followed, weakening the Arsenal fans’ momentum, while applause erupted from the Liverpool fan section, signaling a critical call.

”No?”

On the sidelines, Wenger heard the referee’s whistle and froze in place, dismissively waving a hand, ”Fack!”

From his vantage point, he couldn’t see clearly, but in a crucial match like today’s, he was certainly inclined to feel the call was a misjudgment.

To express his dissatisfaction, he went to reason with the fourth official, then came back and hammered a few times on the dugout canopy, muttering under his breath to express his displeasure.

No one can remain calm in such a match, with heart rates at over a hundred, a slight provocation might cause a burst-out.

The fourth official also burst out, calling the referee over to recount Wenger’s actions, adding a bit extra to the story.

”Whistle!” Seeing the refereeing team’s authority compromised, the referee approached Wenger, showing him the red card, ”Leave the dugout! Return to the player tunnel or go to the stands!”

On the 25th minute of the match, a twist occurred, with Arsenal’s coach being expelled!

”What?!”

Wenger spread his hands, wanting to explain, but the referee wouldn’t listen, continuously gesturing him off the pitch.

Left with no choice, as he usually would when red-carded, he ascended to the stands.

”Xuxu~!”

”Applause...!”

”Mr. Wenger!”

His ascend quickly rallied the surrounding fans, and no one blamed him; fans only felt honored to be in close proximity to a world-class coach, waving continuously at him.

Having come up, Wenger had calmed down, but hearing the fans’ fervent shouts, he stood straight, spreading his long arms to express dissatisfaction with the referee’s two penalties.

”Yeah.....!” This stirred greater commotion, with fans far away also smiling and watching him, cheering and clapping, many mimicking his spread-arm gesture.

Nearby photographers were quick to capture the scene, portraying him in the lens like a noble and gentlemanly French aristocrat, elegant and handsome, as if reigning over the world.

....

Yesterday promised 3 additional updates of 9k - that’s 27,000; this one is 1.37, the next one is about the same, finishing these two.

January is quite important, transitioning between the first and second halves, by March-May, it would pretty much be the Championship title-contending rhythm, and even more exciting.