Under the night sky of North London!
The Emirates Stadium erupted in wild, feverish noise!
"Amazing!!"
"Unbelievable!"
"A scorpion-kick assist full of imagination!"
"We never know what kind of surprise this super genius will bring us in the very next second!"
"A hat-trick of assists in one half! Each one so elegant, so composed, and bursting with creativity!"
The stadium commentators roared with excitement.
It was simply unreal!
Not long ago, that outrageous ground-skimming "crescent blade" through ball had already sent shivers down the spines of tens of thousands of fans.
But this scorpion-kick assist from Kai—
That was even more jaw-dropping!
"Our Gunner King looks like a graceful dancer on the pitch! The ball twists and turns at his feet, giving us the illusion that everything is so simple!"
The commentary box was in uproar!
On the pitch, after scoring, van Persie rushed over in excitement.
"Captain, that assist was too beautiful! A scorpion kick!"
"How did you even think of that?"
Giroud, Walcott, and the others ran over as well.
Inside Liverpool's penalty area, Carragher and Škrtel exchanged helpless looks.
Every player's face showed resignation.
Even Gerrard let out a quiet sigh.
He looked at Kai, now buried in the embraces of his teammates.
A wave of helplessness washed over him.
Right now, this Liverpool was simply no match for Arsenal.
Like Arsenal, Liverpool too had been titleless for years, desperate for revival.
But this season's Liverpool…
They were still caught in the transition between old and new.
A true resurgence was still far, far away.
As Arsenal's players huddled together in celebration once again,
Dalglish sighed softly on the touchline.
This just couldn't be defended!
A vision that covered every angle, without blind spots.
Split-second decisions, flashes of brilliance.
Opportunities that looked impossible—he could seize them all!
"Playing a decisive battle against a team with a player like this… it's pure agony."
"Kai is in a league of his own. Even Messi and Ronaldo, who have been praised so highly in recent years, are simply not on the same level as him."
Dalglish shook his head.
The Liverpool coaching staff sat in silence.
In the stands, Liverpool fans wore complicated expressions.
They stared at the Arsenal players celebrating wildly on the touchline,
and the figure of Kai shining among them.
"Maybe this summer we shouldn't have bought Henderson. We should have done everything possible to bring Kai to Anfield instead!" one fan said, frowning.
"Easier said than done. Kai's market value had already broken €100 million half a season ago. We don't have that kind of budget!"
"But Arsenal aren't exactly rolling in money either. For years they've been tightening their belts just to pay off the stadium loan. Yet last summer, they still splashed €100 million to bring Kai to the Emirates!"
"That's true. If Kai had become the Prince of Anfield this summer, Liverpool's full revival would be within reach!"
In the away end, Liverpool fans were chattering noisily.
The discussion gradually shifted—
From the match itself, into a brainstorming session.
They imagined: if Kai were wearing Liverpool red,
what kind of unbelievable face would this Liverpool show the world?
Once they started, they couldn't stop.
Just picturing a Liverpool with Kai in it…
made every fan's heart tremble with excitement.
"Isn't the winter transfer window about to open? We should pressure the club to make an offer for him!"
"It's nearly impossible. Kai is too expensive now. Haven't you heard? Recently there were rumors that Manchester City are preparing to trigger his release clause and snatch him away! His buyout clause is €500 million!"
At that, many Liverpool fans fell silent.
They didn't have a super-rich backer like City or Chelsea.
In terms of financial strength, they simply couldn't compete.
Half a billion.
For them, that was an astronomical figure.
Even selling everything, they couldn't possibly afford it!
On the pitch, as the first half came to an end with Kai's third assist,
Arsenal carried a 3–0 lead into halftime of this League Cup semifinal.
Players from both sides walked toward the tunnel, each with very different expressions.
Under the night sky, wave after wave of cheers crashed over the Emirates Stadium!
Halftime. The dressing rooms.
Wenger lavishly praised the players for their first-half performance.
In particular, he gave high praise for the three stunning assists delivered by Kai.
At the same time,
both Wenger and Rice also reminded the players to avoid injuries.
Meanwhile, in the Liverpool dressing room,
the atmosphere was slightly heavy.
Dalglish stood before the players,
doing his best to comfort them.
"Do you still remember the night in Istanbul?"
Dalglish suddenly said.
Hearing this, many Liverpool players exchanged looks.
Finally, faint bitter smiles rose on their faces.
Gerrard let out a long sigh.
Things were no longer the same.
Compared to the powerful Liverpool of years ago,
now the squad was in a period of decline.
Facing Arsenal with Kai at the helm,
to replicate the miracle of Istanbul from years past—
to come back from three goals down at halftime and score four to overturn the game?
The difficulty of that was simply beyond the imagination of Liverpool's players.
With Kai in the team, Arsenal this season was practically the final boss of the Premier League.
Their attacking firepower was unmatched in Europe.
And at the same time, they were somehow also the team with the fewest goals conceded in the Premier League!
Was Arsenal's backline really top tier?
Actually, not exactly.
Koscielny, the young Van Dijk, Gibbs—
these defenders, across the entire five major European leagues,
could by no means be considered among the very best.
But Arsenal's overwhelming offensive firepower
had helped shoulder much of the defensive burden!
And more importantly,
the tactical role Kai played in the defensive phase
had, to a great extent, strengthened the depth of Arsenal's defense.
He had mastery over both attack and defense.
A truly epoch-defining player.
Gerrard took a deep breath.
Every time a team faced Kai,
he would feel the terrifying presence of this super talent.
"Keep your spirits up! Even if we lose, we'll lose with our heads held high!"
Gerrard clapped his hands, cheering his teammates on.
Liverpool players responded symbolically,
but overall still appeared somewhat subdued.
Back on the pitch,
the Emirates Stadium roared on with unending passion.
After halftime,
as the second half began,
Dalglish was the first to make substitutions.
In the eyes of Liverpool fans, a glimmer of hope was rekindled.
It was clear their coaching staff was still trying actively,
not simply surrendering.
In the second half, perhaps they still had a sliver of a chance!
As the half kicked off,
Liverpool, already three goals behind, began to try—
playing direct, going high and long, attacking boldly.
No turtling in defense.
Every Liverpool player understood clearly:
against this Arsenal,
purely defending was no different from digging their own grave!
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