Manchester City fans erupted into a chorus of screams!
Kai swung his leg!
A super long-distance pass from near the halfway line!
If this had been in the past—
Seeing a midfielder from another team attempt something like this—
The fans would never have felt such a sense of danger.
But this was Kai!
Back in the previous season,
When facing Crystal Palace led by Kai at the time,
Manchester City fans had personally experienced the terrifying passing ability of this midfield genius!
Under the night sky of Manchester!
After intercepting the ball, Kai's pinpoint long pass instantly tore open the flank of City's defensive line!
The ball soared high over Zabaleta's head,
Shot past Kompany,
And dropped toward the side of the penalty area!
At the drop point of the long pass—
Van Persie made a forward run.
With the top of his foot, he brought the ball under control,
Successfully receiving Kai's pass.
But Kompany's positioning was excellent as well.
As Manchester City's captain, Kompany was also the rock of the Blue Moon's defense!
He stuck tightly to Van Persie's right side,
Not allowing him to get into a comfortable shooting position.
With no other choice,
Van Persie tapped the ball with his left foot, deliberately pulling it toward the wing.
On Arsenal's left flank in the attacking third, Walcott immediately switched positions with Van Persie,
Cutting into the middle.
And from behind in the center—
Kai also made a timely run forward toward the arc at the edge of the box.
Yaya Touré instantly shadowed Kai's movement!
As a top-level box-to-box midfielder,
Touré was the core of Manchester City's midfield, both in attack and defense.
The City fans in the stands were starting to feel nervous.
Kai's long pass was too threatening—
It had instantly shortened Arsenal's vertical distance in the attacking third.
If it hadn't been for Kompany's timely marking,
Van Persie's shot might have already put Joe Hart's goal in danger!
On the pitch!
After Van Persie pulled the ball wide, he immediately lofted a cross.
In the penalty area, Walcott leapt high!
But due to his height disadvantage, he failed to make contact with the ball.
Kompany charged forward fiercely,
Trying to head the ball clear.
However, in front of Manchester City's goal—
Joe Hart suddenly rushed out!
His fists raised high above Kompany's head,
And with all his strength, he punched the ball out of the box!
The City fans in the stands instinctively began to breathe a sigh of relief.
But suddenly!
They saw that at the edge of the box, Kai was standing right at the arc!
Every City fan instantly felt a wave of unease in their hearts.
Inside the box, Kompany too went on high alert.
At the top of Manchester City's penalty arc—
Facing the falling ball punched by Joe Hart,
Kai firmly shielded his position from the recovering Yaya Touré behind him.
In a flash of inspiration,
He gave the ball a delicate flick with the top of his foot!
An unexpected lob shot
Rose into the air over Manchester City's penalty area!
The entire Etihad erupted in gasps!
From the fans' perspective—
After Hart's earlier charge off his line,
There was now a gap between him and the goal.
This lob was aimed straight at the heart!
The ball sailed high over Joe Hart's head,
Flying toward Manchester City's goal behind him!
On the touchline, Mancini instinctively clasped his head with both hands.
In front of City's goal, Joe Hart scrambled back toward the net,
Using his height and long reach, chasing with all his might!
As the ball suddenly began to dip,
He leapt into the air,
His fingertips barely grazing the edge of the ball.
But it was nowhere near enough to change its trajectory!
The next second—
Whoosh!
The ball slipped neatly past Joe Hart's outstretched hands
And dropped into Manchester City's goal!
The clear sound of the ball hitting the net rang painfully in Joe Hart's ears!
In an instant!
The away fans erupted into thunderous cheers!
"GOALLLL!!!"
"It's in!"
"A brilliant lob! What a huge mistake from Joe Hart!"
"The price of such a decisive charge is leaving way too much space behind!"
"Kai saw the opening in a flash, and just flicked a lob right into the net!"
The on-site commentator held his head in disbelief.
"But Joe Hart's charge wasn't exactly wrong! If he hadn't come out, that earlier ball might have turned into a chaotic scramble inside the box!"
Another commentator immediately voiced disagreement:
"No, Kompany should have contested that header. Joe Hart should have stayed rooted on the goal line!"
"This goal was entirely a communication error!"
The commentary box for Manchester City was in chaos.
Meanwhile, inside the Etihad Stadium, packed with nearly 60,000 people, the Arsenal fans suddenly erupted into frenzied cheers!
The ball was in!
The match had only just entered the 7th minute!
A highly controversial, decisive charge from Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart—
He cleared the ball from the first drop point.
However, Kai arrived at full speed,
And with a masterful lob, destroyed the gate Joe Hart was guarding!
"That shot was brilliant, captain!"
Van Persie came running from the wing.
Inside the box, Walcott was also waving his arms.
Kai led the Arsenal players to celebrate near the corner flag area.
In the penalty area, the City players exchanged wide-eyed looks,
Spreading their hands helplessly.
Joe Hart, frustrated, lashed out with a kick—
Fished the ball out of the net and booted it far away.
This goal was an enormous blow to Manchester City!
A single communication mishap—
Joe Hart and Kompany had failed to coordinate.
A goalkeeper's charge always carries huge risk.
And this time, they had been punished for it,
Conceding a lobbed goal from Kai!
On the touchline, Mancini's face was grim.
He stood with his hands on his hips at the front of the technical area,
Looking rather helpless.
When facing a team led by Kai,
The Manchester City manager knew full well—
Even if you maintain utmost focus on the pitch,
Do your very best in every link of play,
There's still a chance Kai will find an opening.
And in this case, to make a mistake on top of that?
They had no one else to blame.
The City stands were a little subdued.
Blue Moon fans looked toward the celebrating Arsenal players near the corner flag—
And for a moment, they even felt a little envious.
Manchester City fans also longed to have a player like Kai!
Their wealthy backers had been on a shopping spree for several seasons—
Agüero, Yaya Touré, Tévez.
But no matter which of City's star signings,
None could compare to even a single hair of Kai's ability!
Kai was the one Manchester City fans truly wanted!
Some had even fantasized—
If Kai could reign over the Etihad,
Paired with City's owners spending relentlessly on signings,
And with the Premier League's lack of a salary cap…
Wouldn't Manchester City become unstoppable?
"Buy him, we must buy him!"
The City fans decided to keep pressuring the club.
Such a genius—
He was only 17 this year!
His talent, his future, were practically limitless!
Compared to Arsenal, Manchester City's plight was no less urgent.
In their entire history, they had never even won a single Premier League title,
Let alone a Champions League.
Arsenal were desperate to revive,
While Manchester City were desperate to rise!
On the pitch—
Kompany tightened the captain's armband on his arm,
Clapped his hands to rally the City players.
Joe Hart punched the goalpost once,
Then slapped his own face.
Agüero stood at the center circle, ready to kick off.
After Arsenal's round of celebrations,
They returned to their own half.
Less than ten minutes had passed in the match.
In Arsenal's away stand,
Some fans were already impatiently pulling open a corner of a banner they had prepared in advance.
It was a banner celebrating Arsenal winning the first half of the season with a perfect record!
Everyone knew—
Once this season's Arsenal took the lead,
Their attacking momentum would only grow fiercer than before.
On the touchline, Mancini crossed his arms,
Furiously thinking about countermeasures.
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle again.
The match restarted from the center circle.
~~----------------------
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