Arsenal went toe-to-toe with Manchester City in a frenzied counterattack battle!
Mancini, standing on the sidelines, was stunned.
Every Arsenal player was running almost to the limit, leaving nothing in the tank.
Wasn't this a self-destructive style of play?
But soon, he realized he was wrong.
Arsenal's physical condition was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
After City pushed up their defensive line, in the first twenty minutes of the second half, their players' stamina dropped sharply.
Yet in terms of possession, there was hardly any difference from the first half.
Arsenal players were sprinting relentlessly, the gap in stamina nowhere in sight.
Under six months of Pintus's grueling training regime, Arsenal's fitness level was in a class of its own in the Premier League!
The Manchester City fans in the stands were left dumbfounded.
The match was certainly thrilling — both sides trading attacks back and forth.
There was absolutely no sign of deep defending and sitting back for counters.
But that was exactly why City fans were torn — they were still three goals down!
The match was intense and full of twists, but City still couldn't find their first goal.
Agüero and Tévez were buried deep in Arsenal's defensive line.
In the end, they were forced to frequently drop back to receive the ball.
72nd minute!
The team to break the deadlock in the second half was, once again, Arsenal!
In midfield, David Silva's stamina suddenly plummeted.
A player normally so technically sound, when receiving a long pass from a teammate in the back, committed a glaring control error.
The ball rolled three meters away from him!
Arteta launched himself forward and intercepted the ball cleanly.
Fans from China in the live broadcast chat were calling it like experts —
they'd seen this kind of bad first touch too many times before!
On the touchline, Mancini swung his fist in frustration.
Arsenal's counterattack arrived in an instant!
Arteta, protecting the ball diligently, poked it to Kai just before Yaya Touré's challenge.
The moment Kai received the ball,
Arsenal's formation surged forward!
"Don't panic! Hold your positions!"
Kompany roared, warning the teammates ahead of him.
City's defensive recovery was actually more efficient than expected.
Rosický came over to support.
Kai and Rosický exchanged two quick one-twos.
Then Kai suddenly accelerated!
He charged into City's right channel!
Van Persie, reading the play perfectly, adjusted his steps and made a forward run.
On the same side, Gervinho kept glancing over his shoulder to track Kai's movement,
cutting into the wide area.
Under the desperate stares of City fans,
Kai lashed out with another low-driven through ball!
Kolarov immediately rushed to close down Gervinho.
But this pass played a cruel trick on City once again —
the ball first darted sharply toward the flank where Gervinho was breaking.
Then, suddenly, it veered on the turf,
curving unexpectedly toward the edge of the penalty area!
Kolarov was caught off guard.
Van Persie easily brought the ball under control!
With a quick sidestep, he burst into the box!
Kompany went all in with a desperate sliding tackle!
But Van Persie's footwork was nothing to scoff at.
With a feint and a pause,
he narrowly avoided Kompany's lunge.
Another diagonal touch—
then a thunderous left-footed strike!
Bang!
With a dull thud,
the ball rocketed into the top corner of the net!
Joe Hart could only watch it fly past and sigh again!
4–0!
As the ball hit the net,
the Emirates faithful in the Etihad stands erupted once again!
The traveling Gunners roared with joy:
"That's the 50th assist!!"
"Fifty assists in just half a Premier League season!"
Fans waved their arms frantically!
The media on the sidelines buzzed in a frenzy,
spotlights swiveling to capture the moment.
This was nothing short of a miracle!
Van Persie slid on his knees in celebration,
then sprinted toward Kai with a beaming grin!
The Arsenal players on the pitch all rushed in,
hugging each other in wild delight!
Mancini crouched down on the sideline once more,
eyes filled with confusion and despair.
The second-half comeback he'd hoped for—
a repeat of the Istanbul miracle—
never came.
With his 50th assist of the half-season,
Kai had completely shattered the Manchester City manager's dream of a dramatic turnaround!
The entire Etihad Stadium shook under the relentless cheers of Arsenal's away fans!
In the dying moments of the match,
City supporters found a sliver of consolation.
In the 92nd minute of stoppage time,
David Silva took a corner.
A scramble in the box—
Yaya Touré and Kompany linked up with headers.
Amid the chaos,
Kolarov poked the ball into the net.
Scattered applause rose from the home stands.
City players didn't celebrate much;
they just patted Kolarov on the back as they walked past.
Finally—
when the final whistle blew—
the entire stadium rang with the ecstatic chants of Arsenal's traveling supporters!
4–1!!
In the last match of the first half of the Premier League season,
they had crushed second-place Manchester City!
They claimed the final victory of the half-season!
Rip!
A massive banner slowly unfurled in the away section:
"Perfect Mid-Season Champions!"
Another historic milestone!
An unprecedented Premier League miracle!
Arsenal's substitutes stormed the pitch,
and the Etihad was completely transformed into a cathedral of Gunner celebration!
"My God, this is unbelievable! We really did it! We've finished the first half of the season unbeaten!"
On the touchline, Rice could hardly hide his joy.
Wenger clapped with bright, confident eyes,
raising his arms to rally the Arsenal fans above him into another deafening roar!
"Nineteen straight wins in the Premier League! An unbeaten half-season to take the crown! This is absolutely jaw-dropping!"
The Etihad's home commentators were holding their heads in disbelief,
their bodies trembling!
At the center of the pitch,
Kai was surrounded by his Arsenal teammates.
Everyone scrambled to hug their captain in the heat of celebration!
The press exploded in excitement.
Fifty assists in half a season!
Unmatched across all of European football!
And the goals? Even more staggering—
43 in just half a season,
averaging over two per match!
Not just in the Premier League—
on the goalscoring charts of Europe's top five leagues,
Kai stood alone at the top,
utterly crushing the competition with an unbridgeable lead!!
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