February 15th afternoon, Amazon Stadium, Leeds.
Premier League Round 26, Leeds United hosted Liverpool.
This was a highly anticipated match, a true clash of titans with neither side holding back.
Leeds United tried to take control right from the start, but Liverpool weren't easily subdued, launching wave after wave of attacks.
Both teams played aggressively, pressing high and attacking relentlessly, while also working hard off the ball to suppress their opponents.
The result was an incredibly intense match, with players frequently hitting the ground, though clear-cut chances were few and far between.
The game was stop-and-go, far from fluid, but the fierce on-field battles fired up the fans, creating a thunderous atmosphere.
This was especially true for the home fans at Amazon Stadium.
Despite it being mid-February, Leeds United were still second in the Premier League. The gap between them and Liverpool had stayed within a point or two all season, with the standings constantly shifting, but neither side had been able to pull away decisively.
Manchester City, on the other hand, had been in fine form, maintaining their position at the top of the table with consistent performances.
In this context, Leeds United and Liverpool were essentially battling it out for second and third.
For Leeds United, this was already an excellent achievement for the season. But for Liverpool, it wasn't good enough. After spending 200 million euros in the summer, their goal was to win the title.
However, Liverpool's current problems lay in three positions: goalkeeper, center-back, and left-wing.
Mignolet had been consistently average—neither disastrous nor particularly reliable in big moments.
The central defensive pairing of Joe Gomez and Matip had performed decently, but both were injury-prone and prone to occasional errors, leaving Liverpool fans with mixed feelings.
The left-wing spot had become a revolving door. Sometimes it was Oxlade-Chamberlain, sometimes Origi, sometimes Lallana. None had been consistent, and each had their flaws.
For today's match at Amazon Stadium, Klopp started Origi on the left, clearly aiming to use his physical presence to challenge Achraf and pin back the Moroccan's attacking runs.
But Origi playing on the left often led to problems.
Just like what happened in the 26th minute.
Fabinho launched a long pass from midfield, aiming for the left side of the arc outside the penalty box, targeting Origi.
The Belgian forward used his body to shield the ball and brought it down with his chest. But Militao was clever. Knowing he couldn't win the initial aerial duel, he gave it up and focused on blocking Origi's turn.
As Origi controlled the ball, he found both sides closed off—Militao on one side, Achraf on the other. He tried to spin and shoot, but Militao was ready.
The Brazilian center-back timed his tackle perfectly, cleanly dispossessing Origi and passing the ball to Declan Rice, completing a textbook defensive play at the edge of the area.
This immediately earned him a roar of applause and cheers from the stadium.
It was a beautiful piece of defending, and the fans appreciated it.
Gao Shen, back on the touchline for his first match since returning from China, stood and applauded enthusiastically.
"This kid's finally got it!" Gao Shen pointed at Militao with a satisfied smile.
That tackle showed not just perfect timing, but excellent technique.
And this happened right at the edge of the box—a zone where most defenders hesitate to challenge.
Even Van Dijk had started showing a similar reluctance recently.
Is that a good thing?
Hard to say.
On the plus side, it's safe—no risky tackles, no fouls. But there's a downside too.
If every defender takes the cautious approach and avoids proactive challenges, wouldn't the whole defense become passive?
Sometimes, defending means taking risks. Playing it safe all the time can be just as dangerous.
That's why Leeds United always encouraged their center-backs to be proactive. They didn't dwell on mistakes.
Their players' improvement was evident.
"He's played a lot of games now," Borrell said with a laugh. "We even had a stretch where we kept conceding. After feeding him that many minutes, if he hadn't improved, we'd all need to get our eyes checked."
Leeds United's players clearly had talent. What they needed was refinement and experience.
That included Saliba, who had been heavily criticized at the start of the season. But his performances had since improved, and with age and experience, he'd only get better.
The same was now true for Militao.
After De Ligt's departure, he had received more opportunities. While mistakes still happened, with support from the coaching staff and club, his development had been significant.
"Actually, it's not just Militao," Borrell added, pointing toward another player. "Look at Sancho. His off-the-ball movement is getting smarter and smarter."
Sancho had arguably been Leeds United's best player this season.
Many fans now said that after Mbappé, Sancho, Haaland, and Rashford were the club's best attacking options.
Fernando Lucas, hearing this, chuckled.
"I've heard Pochettino and his staff praising our intelligent analysis system more than once. It can quantify the tactical value of a player's off-ball runs. It's incredibly useful."
"In the past, these things were based on intuition. We knew they were important but couldn't explain or measure them. Now, the system gives us data for every run—everything is clear, and both coaches and players are more aware."
Indeed, on a football pitch, most of the time players spend is without the ball.
As the saying goes, a player's floor is determined by their off-ball movement, and their ceiling by what they can do with the ball.
When both reach elite levels, you have a superstar.
Just as the three were chatting, something suddenly happened on the field.
Declan Rice received a pass from a teammate after a defensive recovery. He controlled the ball in space, turned, and took two dribbles forward.
It was a very clever move.
Liverpool's midfield pressed high rather than dropping back, clearly looking to win the ball and quickly launch a counter.
They weren't reckless—if they could dispossess Rice, one pass could lead to a chance.
As the midfield pushed forward, the defenders' attention was also drawn upfield.
Just then, Sancho, who had been sitting a little deeper, moved quietly into the gap between Robertson and Matip.
As soon as Sancho got into position, Rice took one more step to the right and launched a long diagonal pass with his right foot.
The ball flew behind Liverpool's defensive line. Sancho made a perfect anti-offside run, reached the ball on the right edge of the box, and brought it down with composure.
As he advanced into the area, Gomez rushed back to cover, and Mignolet came off his line.
But Sancho, instead of going for goal, selflessly cut the ball across the box to the left of the penalty spot.
There, unmarked, Vardy arrived and calmly tapped the ball into the net.
The ball flew into Liverpool's open goal. 1-0!
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"
Amazon Stadium erupted instantly.
The goal came in the 35th minute of the first half.
The entire crowd stood and roared, chanting Vardy's name.
All the players rushed to the corner to celebrate with their captain.
"Vardy is very popular in the team," Borrell said with a smile.
As captain, Vardy wasn't a vocal leader. He was more of a diligent, reliable type.
But that made him well-loved in the dressing room.
This season, with Mbappé gone, Vardy's goal tally had skyrocketed.
Not long ago, he set himself a goal: 30 league goals this season.
He had already scored 24. It looked entirely achievable.
His teammates were doing everything to help him reach that milestone. That included Sancho, the team's second-highest scorer.
His assist just now was proof of their strong bond.
"But moving forward, we'll definitely need to give Haaland more minutes," Borrell added. "This Norwegian kid is something else. In the fourth round of the FA Cup, he helped us beat Arsenal 2-1 away."
In that match, Haaland scored both goals.
Right now, Haaland was playing mostly in cup competitions, while Vardy led the line in the league.
But sooner or later, Haaland wouldn't be content with just cup matches. He'd want to shine in the league too.
And Vardy was already 33.
"We'll have a proper talk with him," Gao Shen said.
If possible, he hoped Vardy would retire at Leeds United and end his career on a high note.
But the final decision would be up to Vardy himself.
Even though Vardy hadn't become a star until recently, both Gao Shen and the club remembered his contributions.
Whatever he chose, they'd support him.
Lucas and Borrell both nodded in agreement.
Influenced by Gao Shen and being professionals themselves, they weren't the cold-hearted type.
Leeds United remained a very humane club in its treatment of players.
"By the way, any updates on the Manchester United acquisition in Manchester?" Gao Shen asked.
(To be continued.)