Agüero and Tévez kicked off,
Then turned and charged toward Arsenal's half!
David Silva read the play instantly,
And lofted a long pass.
He was imitating Arsenal's most classic midfield-to-forward long-pass connection.
The Manchester City fans' eyes lit up in the stands.
David Silva and Agüero—were they about to copy the tactic and give Arsenal's backline a taste of their own medicine?
But soon, disappointment followed.
David Silva, as Manchester City's technical midfield core, usually had quite decent passing.
However, when it came to these ultra-long passes that spanned nearly the whole pitch—even for top-class midfielders—executing them with ease was no simple task.
The further the pass, the harder it was to control both power and accuracy.
Agüero had made his run into position, but Silva's delivery was just a bit too light.
The ball was easily intercepted by the advancing Koscielny, who headed it clear toward the flank.
A wave of regretful sighs swept across the Etihad stands.
After that pass, City fans envied Arsenal even more for having Kai.
If that had been Kai delivering the ball, Agüero might have already been charging into the box, one-on-one with the keeper!
Gibbs brought down Koscielny's clearance.
Rosický dropped deep to receive and played it inside to Arteta.
The two combined for a quick one-two.
The ball was decisively shifted to Kai's feet.
Arsenal began another well-structured midfield passing move.
On the touchline, Mancini was spinning in frustration.
With Kai holding the fort, the depth of Arsenal's midfield was simply unimaginable!
Most teams built "midfield depth" by stacking the numbers in that area.
But Kai's influence in midfield alone was like having an entire army!
His superb vision, pinpoint passing, and unpredictability made it impossible to guess his next move.
Even in this match, Mancini had still assigned at least two players to closely mark Kai.
Marking him was a headache for every Premier League side.
Commit too many players and you left gaps elsewhere—possibly shooting yourself in the foot.
Leave him unmarked and it was outright suicide.
This was the constant dilemma every Premier League powerhouse faced when going up against Kai-led Arsenal.
"He's a complete monster…"
Mancini shook his head darkly on the sideline.
On the pitch—
From the 10th to the 30th minute, Arsenal's pressure didn't let up.
In just 20 minutes, the shot count had reached an absurd 5–1.
City supporters in the stands were breaking into cold sweats.
Fortunately for them, tonight their backline was performing above expectations.
Several close-range efforts from van Persie and Walcott were either cleared by defenders or kept out by Joe Hart.
But the possession stats told the real story—
75 to 25!
City simply couldn't keep the ball.
Their short passing and ground play couldn't penetrate at all.
Kai and Arsenal's midfield-defensive sweepers were cutting out nearly every threatening passing lane before it could develop.
Whenever City did win possession, Silva and Yaya Touré had little choice but to loft hopeful long balls forward.
But Agüero and Tévez were both runners, not target men.
They couldn't hold the ball up under pressure from van Dijk or Koscielny.
City's attack was stuck in the mud.
And Arsenal's offense quickly gathered momentum again—
35th minute!
Zabaleta lunged in with a sliding tackle, poking Gibbs' pass down the flank out for a throw before Walcott could reach it.
Gibbs rushed over to take the throw.
Grabbing the ball, he hurled it back into play.
Walcott controlled it on his chest.
Zabaleta closed him down instantly.
Gibbs darted back onto the pitch, Walcott laid it off, and Gibbs—without taking a touch—swept a driven cross toward the middle!
Multiple Arsenal players instantly reacted, bursting forward in unison!
Gasps erupted around the Etihad!
Arteta met the ball from the flank with a sharp diagonal pass.
Kai used his body to shield it from the imposing Yaya Touré, bringing it under control.
City fans in the stands were stunned—
Touré was tall, long-legged, and built like a tank—nearly 1.90m!
Yet Kai, only two or three centimeters shorter, matched him in physical battle without giving an inch!
Touré was locked out completely, as if by a solid wall planted in his path!
The powerful Ivorian midfielder's eyes flashed with alarm.
Too strong!
Mancini, watching from the touchline, was equally shocked.
Compared to last season's FA Cup tie, Kai had made massive improvements in just one year.
Back then, with the boost of a "legendary card," he had single-handedly stifled City's star-studded attack into submission.
And now, with every attribute skyrocketing compared to before,
Kai on the pitch was like a walking cheat code—
completely without weaknesses.
Shielding the ball from Yaya Touré,
Kai kept it tight at his feet,
dribbling toward the half-space in Manchester City's defensive third.
Van Persie and Walcott moved into supporting positions ahead and to the sides of him.
David Silva quickly came across to help defend.
Milner and Yaya Touré closed in from left and right, locking down his turning space.
At the same time,
Kompany decisively stepped out of the box,
while Kolarov, the fullback on the opposite flank, quickly tucked in to cover the gap Kompany left.
A ripple of gasps broke out in the stadium—
Four-man surround!
Facing Kai in full control of the ball,
City's midfield and back line were under enormous pressure.
From the fans' perspective,
the closing angles of all these City players seemed to cut off every single option Kai had.
Whether it was passing or dribbling forward,
it looked almost impossible to pull off anything.
The Arsenal fans in the stands had their eyes wide open.
This one looked boxed in!
What could he possibly do?
On the pitch—
faced with the furious swarm of defenders,
Kai first carried the ball forward a step.
Then, suddenly, he nudged it deftly with the inside of his left foot—
No hesitation—
his right foot immediately followed with a shooting motion!
David Silva reacted instantly,
reaching out to grab a fistful of Kai's shirt!
A sly, hidden foul.
At the same time, Yaya Touré instinctively slid in,
aiming to block the shot that was surely coming.
But it was only a feint.
Kai swatted away Silva's tugging arm with his left hand,
and just as his right foot touched the ball,
he hooked it back sharply!
Touré slid into nothing but grass!
Kompany, holding the line at the edge of the box,
immediately shut down Kai's left-footed passing lane.
And then—
something completely unexpected happened.
Instead of shifting the ball to his left foot to pass or shoot,
Kai, in the instant of hooking it back with his right,
swung that same foot behind his left—
and struck upward!
A rabona!
Kompany's mind went blank for a split second.
The ball shot off the turf and roared past right in front of him,
spinning viciously as it threaded the narrow gap
between Kolarov and Zabaleta inside the penalty area,
soaring over City's box!
The Etihad crowd erupted in a tidal wave of gasps!
Fans clutched their heads in disbelief.
A rabona shot from the edge of the "D"?!
By the time Joe Hart realized this was actually a shot,
it was already too late.
He leapt with everything he had,
but the ball, spinning violently,
curved wickedly mid-air.
In Hart's desperate gaze,
it flashed past him—
and in an instant slammed into the side netting of City's goal!
Whoosh!
The crisp sound of the ball hitting the net rang out!
The entire Etihad froze for a heartbeat—
then the silence shattered,
exploding into a roar like a tidal wave crashing down!
A rabona worldie from the edge of the penalty arc!!
Everyone was stunned.
What on earth had they just witnessed?!
~~----------------------
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