In the 43rd minute of the first half, Jon Amené played a long pass, trying to find space behind Arsenal's defense for Sancho to run into, but Tierney headed the ball clear from his position.
The ball landed on the left flank, where Xhaka, one of Arsenal's two defensive midfielders, was positioned.
The Swiss midfielder had his back to Leeds United's half and his eyes fixed on the ball coming down from Tierney's header. He turned slightly to the left and raised his left foot, preparing to control the ball.
Xhaka's plan was to trap the ball with his left foot, then quickly link up with Saka ahead of him to launch an attack.
Just as he was about to control the ball, Saka suddenly gave him a warning.
"Careful."
Xhaka instinctively turned in the direction of the voice, but before he could react, a white figure flashed past his eyes.
A Leeds United player darted in front of him, kicking the ball away with lightning speed. Xhaka's foot ended up striking the sole of the opponent's boot.
Since Xhaka was attempting to control the ball, his touch was light and didn't affect the opponent.
The ball rolled toward the sideline in the attacking third, and the Leeds United player chased after it at full speed.
Xhaka could only see his back.
Valverde!
Damn it!
It really was that guy!
Xhaka immediately turned and gave chase.
Tierney raised his hand, signaling that Valverde's foot was too high and might have been a foul, while also closing in on the left flank.
Valverde didn't hear a whistle. He quickly caught up with the ball, knocked it forward with a long touch, pulled away from Tierney, then suddenly accelerated and surged down the sideline.
In terms of raw pace, Valverde might not have had the edge over Tierney, but he had the advantage of moving forward in a straight line, while Tierney was closing in laterally. The two weren't on equal footing, which allowed Valverde to break away instantly.
After sprinting ahead, the Uruguayan turned his head to glance into the box, then fired a low cross with his right foot.
In the middle of the penalty area, Haaland had already shaken off Arsenal's defenders. Ignoring their pulling and grappling, the Norwegian surged into the box, arriving at the right edge of the six-yard area and connected with Valverde's cross, hitting it with his right foot.
The shot was fast and low. By the time goalkeeper Leno went down, the ball had already passed him and flown straight into the Arsenal net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"
"Haaland!"
"It's Haaland again!"
"A second time!"
"Leeds United's high pressing pays off. Valverde wins the ball and immediately launches a lightning-quick counter-attack, sending in a brilliant low cross from the right. Haaland timed his run perfectly to slot it home."
"This is Leeds United!"
"They can create danger anytime, anywhere, and always in the most unexpected ways."
"Tierney's header was a bit too risky. He probably didn't expect Valverde to press Xhaka so quickly on the wing. Xhaka was definitely too careless."
Arsenal players surrounded the referee, arguing that Valverde's challenge was too high and should have been called a foul.
If it was a foul, then the goal shouldn't stand.
At the same time, Leeds United players swarmed around to confront Arsenal's protests.
The referee signaled both sides to calm down, indicating that he was consulting with the VAR officials for a final decision.
Shortly after, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the center circle.
The goal stands!
"The slow-motion replay shows that Valverde did indeed get to the ball first. Xhaka kicked the sole of his boot, and the ball wasn't lifted very high either."
"It has to be said, Xhaka was a bit careless when trying to control the ball. He wanted to trap it and launch an immediate attack, but his touch dropped the ball slightly lower than expected, which opened the door for Valverde to pounce."
"2-0!"
"We're almost at halftime."
"Haaland's brace has given Leeds United a commanding 2-0 lead."
"Arsenal need to seriously rethink their approach for the second half."
...
The moment the referee blew for halftime, the Leeds United supporters at Wembley erupted into loud cheers and singing as they began to celebrate.
2-0!
This was indeed a very favorable scoreline for Leeds United.
More importantly, aside from the first 20 minutes where Arsenal had the upper hand, the overall trajectory of the first half clearly showed a strong start followed by a steady decline, with Arsenal's situation getting worse as the half went on.
If Arteta couldn't come up with a good solution during halftime, then based on how the final 10 minutes of the first half played out, Arsenal had almost no chance of turning things around.
Amid the roaring celebration of the Leeds United fans, Gao Shen returned to the section where the club's management was seated.
The FA Cup final was attended by top FA officials, members of the British Royal Family, and representatives from the UK government's Department for Sport.
This was a major traditional event in England, one that was taken seriously by all parties involved.
As such, the VIP stands at the final also served as the best space for negotiations and political dialogue.
Before the match, Gao Shen had taken the opportunity to hold discussions with FA officials and senior figures from the government's sports department.
This time, the government was represented by the third-ranking official in the department. While not as senior as Oliver Dowden or Nigel Huddleston, he held significant authority.
In the British government system, the heads of major departments, like Dowden, often rotate frequently. Huddleston, while officially the second-in-command, was mainly responsible for day-to-day operations.
However, since Huddleston had only recently joined the department and lacked deep experience, the real decision-making power lay with the third-ranking official, who had long-standing ties within the department.
In the UK, Gao Shen was still quite well-regarded, especially on nights like this.
"What did they say?" Su Qing asked with concern.
Lucas and Borrell also turned their attention to him, expressions tense.
"He said it has nothing to do with us. They're not intentionally targeting foreign investments. It's part of a broader government plan that has been in the works for some time, but they're moving cautiously to avoid overreaching."
This is the same everywhere. Too tight a grip suffocates, too loose and it turns into chaos.
The Premier League is in an extremely strong position right now. Naturally, the British government wants a piece of the pie and to assert its presence.
This also serves as a reminder to the Premier League and its foreign owners that, regardless of how globalized it becomes, it's still the English Premier League. It remains under British jurisdiction.
The English Premier League is a national industry that the government takes very seriously. Everyone must follow the rules.
Gao Shen was more concerned about his own background, but the official assured him that with his current standing and reputation in European and global football, along with his management of Leeds United, his relationship with the government and fanbase, there was no issue.
Of course, if he wanted to be even more secure, he could consider having his family apply for British citizenship.
Taking over Leeds United as a British citizen would make things even more seamless.
Still, the sports department's statement reassured Gao Shen.
At the very least, it showed the British government hadn't lost its mind.
"I heard another piece of news," Gao Shen added with a smile.
Su Qing and the others all looked anxious.
"The Qatari consortium has abandoned their bid for Manchester United. Ratcliffe will become the new owner. He's promised to revive this traditional Premier League powerhouse as soon as possible and has pledged to invest heavily."
Behind the scenes, it was the British government pulling the strings.
Just like when the US police raided FIFA headquarters.
When things are running smoothly, everyone's happy. The FA is an independent organization, and football is its own kingdom.
But now, with the US taking the lead and the globalization of professional football expanding the pie, more governments are paying attention. Everyone wants a slice.
Under these circumstances, maintaining true independence is unrealistic.
"So the Qatari consortium will have to look elsewhere," Lucas said with a sigh.
This is how so-called market economies actually operate.
This sentiment is shared widely across Europe.
"The Premier League may be about to enter a golden age, similar to Italy's 'Little World Cup' era," Borrell said.
During the Serie A golden era, the "Seven Sisters" were all formidable. But if the Qatari consortium acquires Tottenham Hotspur, it would become a Big Eight, no longer the Seven Sisters, but the Eight Great Warriors.
At that point, the Premier League would become even more competitive.
But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The Premier League thrives on fierce competition. The fiercer it is, the more thrilling it becomes for fans worldwide, and the higher the league's market value climbs.
"We're in the most rapid phase of globalization right now. We must ride the wave and secure our place, but globalization also has limits," Gao Shen said with insight.
The global market isn't endless. Eventually, growth will slow.
Even without the impact of the pandemic, the global economy is in decline. The limits of globalization will become clear in the next few years. When that happens, there won't be any more new ground to gain. Everyone will fight over existing resources. It'll be a contest of internal strength.
In the coming years, Leeds United will continue to invest in youth development, maintain a controlled wage structure, and expand commercial operations to secure growth and strengthen the club.
Especially with this current crop of players. If possible, they should not be sold.
Of course, if Ratcliffe insists on trying to poach them, then let him try.
As long as he's willing to pay, Leeds United are willing to let him.
Even if he's the richest man in Britain, he'll still lose everything!
As for Leeds United, Gao Shen had no worries.
With the team's current talent pool, its mature scouting network, and big data analysis center, how could they possibly fail to uncover new stars?
It's just that the cost is higher than before.
(To be continued.)