Kai had claimed every major award for himself!
The European football world erupted into a frenzy!
This was a night destined to be recorded in the history of world football!
Amid the ongoing discussions outside,
the Premier League, with no winter break, continued at a tight pace.
Arsenal still had a match at the end of the month: the second leg of the League Cup semi-final!
Next month, the FA Cup fifth round would arrive.
The Champions League would also reignite!
Arsenal was about to face another series of grueling challenges.
As the schedule progressed,
cup competitions gradually entered the knockout phase.
For Arsenal, who had gone eight years without a trophy,
this season their top priority was clear: to pursue every trophy they could possibly win!
And the same went for Kai.
Every championship, every honor,
was a target and a driving force for his relentless pursuit!
Winning the Ballon d'Or at just 17 years old was only the beginning.
He aimed to hold all honors within his grasp,
to strike with all his strength and unleash every ounce of his talent,
to stamp the entire world of football with his conquering boots!
January 27th—
the last match of the month,
the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, had arrived!
Arsenal would once again visit Anfield,
to face their semi-final opponents: Liverpool!
In the first leg at the Emirates Stadium,
under Kai's leadership, Arsenal had swept Liverpool 4-0.
For Liverpool, this match now meant standing at the edge of a cliff.
The League Cup semi-finals had no away-goals rule.
If the match ended in a draw, extra time would follow.
Back at Anfield, Liverpool would need to score at least four goals at home just to keep a faint chance of overturning the tie!
Under the night sky in Merseyside,
the city of Liverpool once again surged with fervent energy!
Liverpool fans flooded the streets in a massive show of support,
ready to give their team every ounce of strength.
After years without a trophy,
Liverpool's desire for glory had reached a peak almost impossible to describe.
Before the match,
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish faced the media with a serious expression:
"Congratulations to Kai for winning the Ballon d'Or. This is a feat that has sent all of English football into a frenzy!"
"But tonight, at Anfield, we will spare no effort to protect our home honor."
"It will be difficult, but we will not back down!"
At night, Anfield was swept by a wave of intense energy.
After a month apart,
Kai and Steven Gerrard once again greeted each other with a handshake in the players' tunnel.
Every Liverpool player instinctively focused on Kai, standing at the forefront of the Arsenal line.
Every heart trembled.
The youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history was right there!
This season, Liverpool had already been swept in two matches by Kai-led Arsenal.
In today's Premier League, no team could maintain composure when facing Kai.
The Liverpool players drew back their gaze,
took a deep breath,
and reminded themselves:
no matter how strong Arsenal was,
they had every reason to fight without retreat at Anfield.
"Beep!"
Under the night sky at Anfield,
the referee blew the whistle!
The match had officially begun!
The stands erupted with the passionate chants of Liverpool fans!
Players from both sides started moving across the pitch.
On the sidelines, Dalglish wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
This League Cup semi-final was Liverpool's closest chance this season to lifting a trophy!
Winning over the two legs would finally end their years-long drought.
But standing in their way was Kai-led Arsenal.
In terms of hunger for victory,
the Gunners were just as relentless.
On the pitch, as soon as the match began,
Arsenal launched an intense, aggressive pressing game under Kai's leadership!
Even with a four-goal lead from the first leg,
they had no intention of holding back.
Just 17 minutes in, Arsenal seized their first opportunity!
In a scramble near the midfield and defensive line,
Kai pressed past Gerrard and Henderson to win the ball.
He immediately dribbled the ball to a wide position near the halfway line,
and then launched a lofted pass spanning nearly 50 meters!
The pitch's depth was instantly shortened!
Van Persie, who had completed his run and was waiting in position,
successfully broke the offside trap,
dashed into the box, and fired a powerful shot past Reina!
Goal! 1-0!
Twenty minutes later, in the 36th minute,
Kai struck again from the top of the box with a signature long-range cannon shot!
With these two goals,
Arsenal had effectively sealed their progression to the next round of the League Cup semi-finals!
In the second half, Liverpool resisted valiantly at Anfield,
but they still could not stop the Gunners' youthful storm!
In the 78th minute, Kai delivered the final blow.
He took a tactical corner kick, exchanged a few passes with Gibbs,
faked out the pressing Carragher,
and delivered the ball decisively into the box!
At the far post, Koscielny leaped to head the ball into the net!
3-0!
Arsenal had easily beaten Liverpool at Anfield,
scoring seven goals over the two legs,
completely blocking the Premier League giants from the League Cup final!
Arsenal fans in the away stands erupted in excitement!
With Kai leading the team to a bloodless victory over Liverpool,
Arsenal announced that they had reached the first cup final of the season!
The League Cup final!
Countless Arsenal fans watched in anticipation.
Could this be the first trophy in eight years for the Gunners?!
Over the years,
Arsenal had reached finals in other competitions,
even the Champions League,
but they had always fallen short, finishing as runners-up.
This season, under Kai's leadership,
the Gunners had unleashed an unstoppable storm.
Arsenal fans raised their arms and roared:
"This season's first trophy will be ours, no matter what!"
With progression to the League Cup final,
Arsenal now entered the February schedule,
with the first challenge ahead: the Champions League!
The first leg of the Round of 16 would take them to
Valencia's home stadium, the Mestalla,
marking the start of Arsenal's Champions League knockout journey for this season.
~~----------------------
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