On the sidelines, Dalglish continuously applied the experience from his own playing days,
shouting reminders to the Liverpool players on the field.
Suárez and Andy Carroll began relentlessly pulling and tearing at Arsenal's defensive line.
61st minute!
A moment that reignited Liverpool fans' hopes finally appeared.
It started with a ball out from the back.
Škrtel launched a booming long pass.
The ball was lofted high into Arsenal's half.
After a round of contested headers and scrappy challenges,
the ball was miraculously knocked toward Liverpool's left flank.
Suárez decisively pulled wide.
Carroll surged through the middle.
Koscielny and Van Dijk, one in front and one behind, held their defensive line at the edge of the box.
Henderson also burst forward from midfield, offering support in the center.
Suárez darted forward a few more steps.
Facing Gibbs' tight marking,
he swung in a left-footed cross straight into the box!
The tall and long-legged Carroll rose above Koscielny,
winning the first contact.
With a flick of his forehead, then cushioning it off his thigh,
he shaped to burst diagonally into Arsenal's penalty area!
The away end erupted in cheers!
But just as the Liverpool coaching staff clenched their fists on the sidelines,
hoping this attack might finally produce something—
In Arsenal's defensive third,
a figure came racing back like a flash!
The very instant Carroll tried to control the ball off his thigh and settle it with his instep,
Kai, sprinting furiously in retreat,
leaned in with a strong challenge!
In one motion, he swiped the ball cleanly away with the inside of his boot—
possession won!
The stadium erupted into wild roars!
Arsenal fans on the stands pumped their fists and screamed!
On the sidelines, Dalglish instinctively grabbed his head with both hands.
This was outrageous!
How could a midfielder like Kai appear in that position?
Dalglish had watched, wide-eyed,
as Kai tore all the way back from midfield at impossible speed.
His reading of the ball's path was jaw-dropping.
His defensive anticipation and timing of the tackle—
it was like watching a top-class defender!
Was such an all-around genius player really real?
The Liverpool coaching staff were left stunned.
Meanwhile, after losing the ball,
Carroll froze for a moment,
then instinctively tried to counter-press.
But Kai gave him no chance.
Though Carroll had the height advantage,
his technique was clumsy,
and his physical strength couldn't compare to Kai's at all!
Carroll was firmly blocked off,
unable to do a thing.
Kai leaned in with another shoulder, shrugged Carroll aside,
then pulled off a slick elastico,
brushing past the onrushing Henderson with ease!
Liverpool fans instantly erupted into boos!
They were furious.
Why did Henderson look so utterly helpless every time he faced Kai?
This was supposed to be Liverpool's future midfield core?
The one who would inherit Gerrard's captain's armband?
The Liverpool fans jeered Henderson relentlessly,
their hearts sinking lower with every passing second.
Because they could all see—
after slipping past Henderson,
Kai had launched into a blazing dribble!
Arsenal's shape immediately snapped from defense to attack,
pushing forward with frightening momentum!
The Emirates Stadium exploded with wild, thunderous cheers from the Arsenal supporters!
On the sidelines, Wenger and Rice simply clapped quietly.
They said nothing,
not wanting to distract the players on the pitch.
Every time Kai led a counter-attack charge,
all Arsenal's coaching staff could do was stand back and enjoy the spectacle.
For years, Wenger's tactical philosophy had always revolved around one thing: rationality.
And every choice Kai made on the pitch
was not only rational and efficient,
but also a dazzling display of flowing, breathtaking attacking football!
"Kai on the dribble! My god, his control of the ball is absolutely sublime!"
"Having beaten Henderson, now Gerrard stands in front of him!"
"But even Gerrard is powerless to stop the young Arsenal captain's driving run!"
"Another elastico! The same move again, but Liverpool's defensive midfield is wide open!"
"Kai swings his boot!!"
"A diagonal long pass with a wicked curve!"
"Walcott controls it with a perfect touch, lays it off with the inside of his foot—Van Persie collects, breaking into Liverpool's half-space!"
"Liverpool's back line is in serious danger!"
In the broadcast studio in China,
commentator Zhan Jun's voice grew tense.
Everyone knew Zhan Jun was a die-hard Liverpool fan.
Watching Arsenal's seamless, flowing combination play in the final third,
he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat once again.
At the edge of the box,
after delivering that diagonal ball,
Kai continued his charge forward.
Kai surged into the central channel.
Van Persie, who had pulled wide into the half-space outside the box, was instantly marked tightly by Škrtel.
Carragher held his ground inside the area,
becoming the final barrier in front of goalkeeper Reina.
Van Persie had no room to turn.
With his back to goal, he knocked the ball back toward the wing for Walcott.
And the moment Walcott received it,
he instantly accelerated,
cutting across with the ball before smashing in a firm cross!
Gerrard, rushing back to cover, instinctively threw himself into a sliding tackle!
But he was still a step too late.
He failed to cut out the pass.
The ball zipped across—
Liverpool's away supporters erupted in gasps!
Many fans leapt to their feet,
some already with despair written on their faces.
Because at the top of the box, just a few meters behind the arc,
Kai was waiting.
With one touch of the inside of his boot,
he nudged the ball forward a few paces into space.
Then, under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes in the stadium,
he swung his left foot through—
a thunderous strike!
The ball tore through the air on a golden trajectory,
rocketing upwards off the turf!
Inside the box, Carragher didn't dare hesitate.
With his arms tucked behind his back,
he threw himself across desperately,
hoping some part of his body could block the cannon blast.
But in a flash—
a whistling roar ripped past his ear.
The ball skimmed the top of his head,
screaming like a missile toward goal!
On the line, Reina had no chance to react.
The sheer power and pace ripped straight through the net!
In an instant,
the Emirates exploded into deafening cheers!
Liverpool's away end sank into utter despair.
Arsenal's counterattack was like liquid silver—
smooth, unstoppable, everywhere at once.
Liverpool's backline was full of holes,
completely unable to withstand the storm.
"GOALLL!!!"
"4–0!!"
"One goal and three assists—Arsenal's Gunner King is unstoppable tonight!"
"Another trademark rocket! London's Gunner King, living up to the name!"
The home commentators at the Emirates were ecstatic.
Clutching their microphones, they poured out every superlative in the book
to praise Kai's ferocious long-range strike.
On the Liverpool bench, the coaching staff sat in stunned silence.
Dalglish sighed and shook his head.
This Arsenal side was simply too powerful.
Against a team led by Kai,
defending deep was nothing short of suicide.
But going toe-to-toe in attack?
That wasn't much different from suicide either!
Who dared to go blow for blow with this Arsenal?
Their counterattacking sharpness was beyond imagination.
Every transition moment,
every switch from defense to attack—
that was when Kai's talent shone brightest.
Time and again, he could turn defense into devastating pressure
in just seconds.
Free-flowing, relentless, unstoppable!
Those were the truest words to describe this season's Arsenal.
After that fourth goal,
Wenger immediately made substitutions.
Next month, Arsenal would continue fighting on four fronts.
The battles ahead would rage on.
Even with Pintus joining the staff thanks to Kai's influence,
they still had to manage squad rotation carefully
to survive the grind of multiple competitions.
For the remainder of the match,
the 4–0 scoreline held until the referee's final whistle.
Under the night sky,
the Emirates roared with thunder!
In the League Cup semifinal first leg,
Arsenal had thrashed Liverpool 4–0!
They already had one foot in the final.
The supporters were beyond ecstatic.
Could it be—
that after eight long years,
their wait for silverware was finally coming to an end?
Nearly a decade without a trophy had been pure torment,
and now Arsenal fans' hunger for glory had reached its peak!
"Next month, the first match will be the FA Cup fourth round."
"League Cup, FA Cup, Premier League, Champions League!"
"This season, Arsenal have a grand, sweeping blueprint before them!"
"Kai's arrival has ignited this old giant,
giving the Gunners an explosive power they've never had before!"
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20